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2nd Quarter Lesson 1
The Person of Peter
March 25th – March 31st 2017
Memory Text: “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning
to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand
and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:30,
31, NKJV).
Peter is the author of the two books (1 and 2 Peter) that bear his name. He was one of the
early followers of Jesus; he remained with Jesus during the Lord’s ministry here; and he was one of
the first disciples to see the empty tomb. So Peter had a wealth of experiences from which,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, he could draw in order to write these powerful letters. “For we did not
follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Pet. 1:16, NASB).
Peter appears often in the Gospels, revealing both his triumphs and failures. He was the
usual spokesman of the disciples in their interactions with Jesus. After the resurrection and
ascension, Peter became a prominent early church leader. The book of Acts talks about him, as
does the book of Galatians.
Most important, Peter knew what it was to make mistakes, to be forgiven, and to move forward in
faith and humility. Having experienced for himself the grace of God, he remains a powerful voice
for all of us who need to experience that same grace, as well.
Sunday March 26
Depart From Me!
When we first meet Peter, he is a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 4:18, Mark 1:16, and
Luke 5:1-11). He had been working all night without catching a fish. But then he and his
companions obeyed Jesus’ command to return to the lake and to try again. How astonished Peter
and the others must have been when they caught so many fish that their boats were sinking. What
must have been going through their minds after this miracle?
Read Luke 5:1-9. 1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the
Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were
washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little
from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He
said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to
Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the
net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they
signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so
that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I
am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they
had taken;
What do Peter’s words to Jesus in Luke 5:8 tell us about Peter? That is, what insights do they
give us about where he was spiritually? A POSSIBLE ANSWER: It tells us that Peter was had
an impressionable and responsive heart. He was conscious of his shame and unworthiness.
Spiritually, his unworthiness gives evidence of the fact that ‘the first reaction in the human
heart when God, through His Spirit, begins His work of transforming the life and character.
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Thus it was with Isaiah when, in vision, he was ushered into the divine presence (Isa. 6:5).
God can do nothing for the man who does not first feel his need of salvation. Only those
who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled (see on Matt 5:3, 6). Upon Peter
there now dawned, perhaps for the first time, a profound sense of his own spiritual need.’1
Peter must have been impressed by what he knew of Jesus. Even before this miracle, when
Jesus told the group to put down the nets, Peter-though incredulous because they had caught
nothing-nevertheless said: “‘at Your word I will let down the net’” (NKJV). It seems that Peter
must have known something about Jesus already, and this knowledge impelled him to obey.
Indeed, evidence suggests that Peter already had been with Jesus for a while before this event.
Perhaps one key is in Luke 5:3, which talks about what happened before the miracle of the
fish. “Then He [Jesus] got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out
a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat” (NKJV).
Maybe the word of Jesus here was what had first impressed Peter so deeply.
However, after the miracle, Peter sensed something more in Jesus, something holy in contrast
to his own sinfulness. Peter’s realization of his sinfulness, and his willingness to admit it publicly,
shows just how open he was to the Lord. No wonder He had been called! Whatever his faults, and
they were many, Peter was a spiritual man who was ready to follow the Lord, regardless of the
cost.
Read Luke 5:11. 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. 11.
They forsook all. Here were the four partners, in possession of the largest catch of fish they had ever brought to shore. At the moment
of their greatest material success they abandoned their business (see DA 273)... All night long they had sought in vain to find that
with which they proposed to sustain their lives; now, for Christ’s sake, they were willing to lose all that life had to offer, and in so
doing entered upon a richer, more abundant life (see Matt. 10:39). They took up the cross of service and followed in the footsteps of
Jesus (see on Mark 3:14).
...Having found the Pearl of great price, they disposed of all their earthly possessions and interests and invested all their physical
and intellectual capital in the cause of the kingdom of heaven (see Matt. 13:45, 46).
Followed him. ...They had been part–time disciples, their interests divided between this life and the higher life. Henceforth their
time and talents were to be devoted to full-time service. The four followed Jesus, not because they were too lazy to work with their
hands for a living, or because their physical labors had not been successful, but because of their profound convictions. Like the others
whom Christ called, they were active in their chosen occupation until summoned to forsake all and follow Him.
None of the four would have been considered by the learned men of the nation as having sufficient qualifications to become a
teacher. They were humble and unlearned, but these very traits were pre-requisite to discipleship...
Usefulness in the cause of God does not depend so much upon brilliant intellect as upon devotion to Christ and to the task at hand.
To be sure, the influence of a person with great talents and superior intelligence will usually be felt in a wider circle, if these talents
are consecrated to God (see COL 333). Yet God can dispense with these more easily than He can with a loving heart, a teachable
mind, and willing hands. The all-important thing in service for God is that self be put aside and room be made for the working of the
Holy Spirit upon the heart (see DA 250).2
What’s the crucial principle here? What does this text tell us about what kind of commitment
Jesus asks for? What should it tell us, too, that these fishermen were willing to abandon
everything when their nets were full? A POSSIBLE ANSWER: A) The crucial principle here is
that we have to be prepared to forsake all if we want to follow Jesus. B) This text tells us
that the kind of commitment Jesus asks for involves implicit faith/trust in Him and total
Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1980). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 5, p. 739). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
2 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1980). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 5, pp. 739–740). Review
and Herald Publishing Association.
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‘buy-in’ from those who desire to work for Him. Personal, family and business interest must
be secondary to His call in their lives. It calls for us to unite our life and fortune with His,
not only as believers but as learners and workers. C) It should tell us that they were so
committed, so attached and so convicted that they would give up material success in
preference to being with Jesus and working in His service. The achievement of personal
goals and prior invested interest is of lesser importance for the workers of Christ. Heavenly
and spiritual considerations are just as, if not more, important than material/material gain.
We need to respond immediately and decisively when we receive the call of God.
Monday March 27
Confessing the Christ
One of the grand moments in the story of Jesus occurred in a dialogue with Peter. Jesus just had
been dealing with some of the scribes and Pharisees who had been challenging Him to give them a
sign, something to prove who He was (see Matt. 16:1-4). Then, later, alone with the disciples,
Jesus talked about the two miracles He had performed, in which He twice fed thousands with just a
few loaves and fish. He did all this in the context of warning the disciples about the “leaven of the
Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matt. 16:11).
Read Matthew 16:13-17. 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples,
saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah,
and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon
Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to
him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but My Father who is in heaven.
13. Whom do men say? Jesus opened the discussion of His coming passion by directing the thoughts of His disciples to Himself as the
Messiah, a subject He seems never to have approached directly before. It was essential that they recognize Him as the Messiah before
they could in any way appreciate the meaning of His vicarious sacrifice on Calvary. If He were recognized only as a “teacher come
from God” (see on John 3:2), or as one of the ancient prophets risen from the dead (see on Matt. 16:14), His death could have no more
significance than that of any other great and good man. It would be exemplary rather than vicarious. It would have no atoning power.
He who would find salvation in the cross of Calvary must first recognize that the One who hung upon the cross was none other than
the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, the Messiah, the Christ. It is only on the basis of the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth that
the cross can be understood and appreciated in its true perspective. Jesus, of course, knew well what the people thought of Him. He
knew also of their mistaken concept of the nature of the kingdom He had come to establish (see on Luke 4:19). His reason for asking
the disciples this question was to appear their minds for the next question—what they themselves had come to think of Him (Matt.
16:15). The faith of the disciples was all the more remarkable in contrast with the unbelief or the half belief of the rest of their fellow
countrymen. To be sure they had been closely associated with the Master for some time.
16. Peter answered. That is, not on his own behalf alone (DA 412, 415), but as spokesman for the Twelve, as upon previous occasions
(see John 6:69; see on Matt. 14:28; Mark 3:16).
Thou art the Christ. For the significance of the title Christ see on ch. 1:1. Though many had already rejected the idea that Christ
could possibly be the Messiah of prophecy (see on ch. 16:13, 14), the disciples were still loyal to Him as such, even though they
understood but imperfectly all that was involved in it. Later, of course, they did understand (cf. Luke 24:25–34). Except as they
grasped this fundamental truth by faith and held firmly to it, they too would fail utterly to grasp the truth that the Messiah must suffer.
As it was, when His hour of extremity came, “all the disciples forsook him, and fled” (Matt. 26:56). Even so, Jesus was basing the
future hopes of the church on this little band of witnesses, and unless they believed Him to be the Christ, what hope was there that
other men would ever believe this sublime truth? See on John 1:11, 12.
The fiction that Jesus was merely a great and good man, perhaps the best man who ever lived, but nothing more, is as absurd as it
is incredible. He claimed to be the very Son of God, and expected His followers to concur in this belief. Either He was or He was not.
And if He was not, He perpetrated the greatest hoax and fraud of history. One who would make such a claim and encourage others to
consider Him the Saviour of the world, when He was not, could hardly be worthy of admiration, to say nothing of worship. Jesus of
Nazareth was either the Christ, the Son of the living God, or He was the most colossal impostor of all time.
Son of the living God. See on Luke 1:35. Although Jesus accepted this title, He seems to have used it of Himself only
infrequently. Jesus commonly referred to Himself as the Son of man (see on Matt. 1:1; Mark 2:10), which was the very title He had
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used in addressing the question to them upon this occasion (Matt. 16:13). “Who is the Son of man?” Jesus asks; “The Son of the
living God,” the disciples answer (see on John 1:1–3, 14; Additional Note on John 1).
What is happening here? What is the significance of Peter’s words to Jesus? A POSSIBLE
ANSWER: A) Jesus was endeavoring to prepare His disciples for His vicarious sacrifice on
Calvary by asking appropriate leading questions relating to his Messiahship. B) Peters reply
signified that he had a greater understanding of what was involved in Jesus being the
Messiah. It was a confession of faith in the deity of Jesus as the Messiah.
Peter here spoke boldly of his faith in Jesus. And it’s clear from Matthew 16:20 that his confession
of Christ as the Messiah was shared by the others, as well. This was to be a turning point in the
ministry of Jesus, even though the disciples, including Peter, had much more to learn.
“The disciples still expected Christ to reign as a temporal prince. Although He had so long
concealed His design, they believed that He would not always remain in poverty and obscurity; the
time was near when He would establish His kingdom. That the hatred of the priests and rabbis
would never be overcome, that Christ would be rejected by His own nation, condemned as a
deceiver, and crucified as a malefactor,-such a thought the disciples had never entertained.” Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 415.
As soon as the disciples recognize Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus begins teaching that He must
suffer and die (see Matt. 16:21-23), a concept that Peter could not accept. Peter goes as far as to
“rebuke” Jesus. Jesus then turns to Peter and says, “‘Get behind Me, Satan’” (Matt. 16:23, NKJV).
This is one of the harshest things that He said to anybody during His ministry; yet, He did it for
Peter’s own good. Peter’s words reflected his own desires, his own selfish attitude about what he
wanted. Jesus had to stop him in his tracks, right then and there (and though Jesus was really
speaking to Satan, Peter got the message). Peter needed to learn that serving the Lord would
involve suffering. That he learned this lesson is clear in his later writings (see 1 Pet. 4:12).
How often do your personal desires clash with what you know God wants you to
do? A POSSIBLE ANSWER: More so when God direct us in ways that are in opposition to the
carnal heart. As often as we have to make decisions that conflict with what we have been
taught or what wars against the ‘flesh’. To the same degree that we lack genuine conversion.
As long as we do not have the mind and heart of Jesus, there will be a clash between our
personal desires and God’s will.
How do you decide what to do in those situations? A POSSIBLE ANSWER: A POSSIBLE
ANSWER: A) Talk to Jesus about it in prayer. B) Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help. C) Look at
what God has revealed in His word and the Spirit of Prophecy and then make an intentional
decision to place the will on Christ’s side by choosing to do what Jesus would have us to do.
D) Claim His promises, while remembering that all of what God asks us to do, He will help
us to do.
Tuesday
March 28
Walking on Water
In their time with Jesus, the disciples saw many remarkable things, although few of them can
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compare with the events described in Matthew 14:13-33, Mark 6:30-52, and John 6:1-21. Jesus
used five small loaves of bread and two fish to feed more than 5,000 people. Again, what must
have been going on in their minds after seeing something like this?
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Read Matthew 14:22-33 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other
side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the
mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the
middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus
went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled,
saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good
cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to
You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the
water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he
cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said
to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then
those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
What’s the most crucial message we can take away from this story for ourselves to help us in
our own walk with the Lord? A POSSIBLE ANSWER: Notwithstanding the challenges we may
have while responding to the will of Jesus and experiences that we may not understand, we
must exercise a resolute faith if we are to grow in the Lord and follow Him implicitly.
With the feeding of the multitudes, these men had just witnessed the power of Jesus in a
remarkable way. He truly had control over the natural world. That must have been what helped
Peter make his rather bold, or even presumptuous, request: “Lord, if it is You, command me to
come to You on the water” (Matt. 14:28, NKJV). What an expression of faith!
Jesus, then, acknowledged this faith and told Peter to come, which he did, another
expression of Peter’s faith. It would have been one thing to walk on water when it was calm, but
Peter did so in the midst of a storm.
The usual lesson of the story is about taking our eyes off of Jesus. But there’s more. Peter surely
must have trusted in Jesus, or he never would have made the request and then acted on it.
However, once he did act, he started to get scared, and in that fear he began to sink.
Why? Could not Jesus have kept Peter afloat regardless of Peter’s fear? Jesus, however,
allowed Peter to reach the point where he could do nothing but cry out in his helplessness, “Lord,
save me!” (Matt. 14:30, NKJV). Jesus then stretched out His hand and did just what Peter had
asked. The fact that “Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him,” (Matt. 14:31, NKJV), when
Jesus could simply have kept him afloat without the physical contact, surely helped Peter realize
just how much he had to learn to depend upon Jesus.
We can start out in great faith, trusting in the power of our Lord, but when the situation
gets frightful, we need to remember Jesus’ words to Peter: “‘O you of little faith, why did you
doubt?’” (Matt. 14:31, NKJV).
Wednesday
March 29
Denying His Lord
Read Luke 22:31-34 (Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial) 31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has
asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and
when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with
You, both to prison and to death.” 34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before
you will deny three times that you know Me.”
Luke 22:54-62 (Peter Denies Jesus, and Weeps Bitterly) 54 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him
into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. 55 Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst
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of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he
sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.” 57 But he denied Him, saying,
“Woman, I do not know Him.” 58 And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But
Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying,
“Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are
saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at
Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you
will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly. Wept bitterly. Or, “burst into tears.” Had
Peter been as earnest in heeding Jesus’ admonition to “watch and pray” (v. 41) as he now was in shedding tears
for his traitorous words, he would never have uttered them. But though it no doubt seemed to Peter that all was
lost—himself included—the Saviour’s love buoyed him up and brought him safely through his tragic
experience. So it may be with us. No hour is so dark, no experience of chagrin and defeat so bitter, but that the
light of the love of Jesus can strengthen and save. See DA 382.
What lessons can we learn from Peter’s failures? A POSSIBLE ANSWER: 1) We must be careful
to not be too confident as it relates to what we will do. 2) We need to remember that while
we might have failed, Jesus is already making provisions for us while we are in that failed
condition. 3) We should not trust ourselves when it comes to meeting temptation, trials and
encounters with the Enemy. 4) If we would learn from our mistakes and failures, Jesus may
still have a work for us to do in the future. 5) The strength of the human resolve is not
reliable or dependable when it pertains to the relentless assaults levied against us under the
fire of accusations or persecution. 6) Humility and willingness to heed good counsel are
often one’s best protection against making foolish blunders. 7) No hour is so dark, no
experience of chagrin and defeat so bitter, but that the light of the love of Jesus can
strengthen and save.
Peter’s intentions were good. And, in fact, he showed more courage than did the other
disciples. He actually followed Jesus in order to discover what would happen to Him. But in doing
so, he decided to hide his true identity. This compromise, this deviation from the path of what is
good and right, led him to deny his Lord three times, exactly as Jesus had warned him.
A POSSIBLE ANSWER (Continued): 8) The story of Peter here is in a sad way very
instructive on how devastating the result of compromise can be.
As we know, Christian history is soiled with the terrible results that happen when Christians
compromise crucial truths. Though life itself often involves compromise, and we must at times be
willing to give and take, in crucial truths we must stand firm. As a people, we must learn what are
the things that we must never compromise, under any circumstances (see, for instance, Rev.
14:12).
According to Ellen G. White, A POSSIBLE ANSWER (Continued): 9) Peter’s compromise
and failure began in Gethsemane when, instead of praying, he slept, and thus wasn’t spiritually
ready for what was coming. Had he been faithful in prayer, she wrote, “he would not have denied
his Lord.” - The Desire of Ages, p. 714.
Yes, Peter failed terribly. But as great as his failure, God’s grace was even greater. “But
where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom. 5:20, NKJV). It was Jesus’ forgiveness
that made Peter one of the prime leaders of the early Christian church. What a powerful lesson for
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us all about the reality of God’s grace. What a lesson to us all that, despite our failures, we
should press on ahead in faith!
Yes, Peter knew what it meant to be forgiven. He knew firsthand just what the gospel was
all about because he had experienced, not just the reality of his human sinfulness but the
greatness and depth of God’s love and grace toward sinners.
How can we learn to forgive those who have greatly disappointed us as Peter
disappointed Jesus here? A POSSIBLE ANSWER: 1) Prayerfully request of God for a loving
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and forgiving heart. 2) Put yourself in the other person’s ‘shoes’ and make a conscious
decision to forgive. 3) Remembering that it is to the same extent that we forgive others that
we ourselves will be forgiven, endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4) Try to think less about how you have been injured or the pain that you are feeling and
more about what Jesus desires for His body, the church. 5) See ‘forgiveness’ as a healing
and redemptive experience that would benefit both you and the perceived offender.
Thursday
March 30
Peter as Church Leader
During the ministry of Jesus, Peter often acted in the role of leader of the 12 disciples. He
was their usual spokesman. When Matthew lists the disciples, he says “first, . . . Peter” (Matt.
10:2). Peter also took a prominent role in the early church. It was Peter who took the initiative to
appoint a disciple to replace Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus (Acts 1:15-25). On the day of
Pentecost, it was Peter who explained to the multitudes that they were seeing the promised gift of
the Spirit, poured out by God upon His people (Acts 2:14-36). It was Peter who, when arrested for
speaking about the resurrection of the dead, spoke to the high priest and the assembled Jewish
leaders (Acts 4:1-12). It was Peter who was led to Cornelius, the first Gentile to be accepted as a
follower of Jesus (Acts 10:1-48). It was Peter whom Paul visited for 15 days when Paul first came to
Jerusalem after his conversion (Gal. 1:18). Indeed, describing the circle of Jesus’ followers in
Jerusalem at that time, Paul identifies three “pillars” of the Church: Peter, James the brother of
Jesus, and John the beloved disciple (Gal. 2:9).
Read Galatians 1:18, 19 (Contacts at Jerusalem) 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see
Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s
brother.
Galatians 2:9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been
given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they
to the circumcised.
Galatians 2:11-14 (No Return to the Law) 11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face,
because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but
when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the
rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their
hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter
before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel
Gentiles to live as Jews?
I withstood him. This incident clearly proves Paul’s equality as an apostle and vindicates his argument against requiring
the Gentiles to conform to Jewish legal practices (see v. 14). Paul, Barnabas, and two others had been chosen to carry the
decision of the council back to Antioch (see Acts 15:22, 23). Because Peter had been favorable to, and no doubt concurred
wholeheartedly in, the decision, it can hardly be said that there was a controversy between him and Paul. They were in
agreement, at least on the general principles, and thus on the decision, laid down at the council with respect to the status
of Gentiles within the Christian church. This clear and unequivocal decision doubtless provided the basis of Paul’s open
rebuke to Peter, and justified it.
It should be possible for church leaders to discuss various opinions without creating feelings of resentment. It is
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reasonable to assume that Peter’s silence reflected his admission of having erred in judgment. This was a noble thing for
him to do. Unity of effort is necessary for success in any enterprise. The church can never fulfill her commission until there
is the same type of honesty and straightforwardness that was evident among apostolic leaders.
He was to be blamed. Some early church writers insisted that the Peter here mentioned was not the apostle Peter but
one of the Seventy. Others claimed that the two apostles had arranged the scene beforehand as a lesson to the Judaizers
that they should be as willing to submit as Peter was under Paul’s persuasive arguments. These and other attempts to
explain away the simple facts were prompted by the preconceived belief in the primacy of Peter and an unwillingness to
admit that he could have been in the wrong, to say nothing about his being openly rebuked by a fellow apostle. Apparently
Peter realized his own error and made no attempt to justify or excuse himself. Such a reaction is in keeping with what
might be expected of Peter after his great confession (see John 21:15–17). It marked him as a man of noble spiritual
stature.
What do these texts tell us about Peter, even while he functioned so prominently in the early
church? A POSSIBLE ANSWER: It is reasonable to assume that Peter’s silence reflected his
admission of having erred in judgment. Hence, in realizing his own error he made no
attempt to justify or excuse himself. Such a reaction is in keeping with what might be
expected of Peter after his great confession (see John 21:15–17). It marked him as a man of
noble spiritual stature. It further underscores the fact that though called to ministry, he was
growing in his sanctification or replication of his Master’s character.
Even as a church leader, even as someone clearly called of the Lord (Jesus told Peter, “Feed
my sheep” [John 21:17]), even as the one who received the vision about not calling “any man
common or unclean” (Acts 10:28), Peter still had some important growing to do.
In the early days of the church, almost all the Christians were Jews, many of whom were
“zealous for the law” (Acts 21:20, NKJV). In their interpretation of the law, eating with Gentiles
was problematic because the Gentiles were considered unclean. When some Jewish Christians
came from James at Jerusalem, Peter stopped eating with the Gentiles in Antioch.
For Paul, such behavior was an attack on the gospel itself. He saw Peter’s actions as frank
hypocrisy and he wasn’t afraid to challenge him on it. In fact, Paul used the opportunity to express
the key teaching of the Christian faith: justification by faith alone (see Gal. 2:14-16).
Though called of God, Peter had some blind spots that needed correcting. How do
we respond when others seek to point out our own “blind spots”? A POSSIBLE ANSWER:
We are normally defensive or apologetic. At best, we should take a second look at ourselves
to see whether not it is true. Then, being thankful that we have an opportunity to see
ourselves for who we are, we should seek to correct it through the Holy Spirit’s power.
Friday
March 31
Further Thought:
Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, “The Call by the Sea,” pp. 244-251, “A Night on the
Lake,” pp. 377-382.
From the fisherman’s early admission of his own sinfulness to his bold declaration of Jesus
that “‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matt. 16:16, NKJV) to his terrible denial of
his Lord and even to his triumphs and mistakes as a leader in the church, Peter certainly had been
a key player. Thus, under the flawless inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he could write what he did,
not only from theoretical knowledge but from experience itself. He knew not only the saving grace
of Christ but His transforming grace, as well: “Before his [Peter’s] great fall he was always forward
and dictatorial, speaking unadvisedly from the impulse of the moment. He was always ready to
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correct others and to express his mind before he had a clear comprehension of himself or of what
he had to say. But Peter was converted, and the converted Peter was very different from the rash,
impetuous Peter. While he retained his former fervor, the grace of Christ regulated his zeal.
Instead of being impetuous, self-confident, and self-exalted, he was calm, self-possessed, and
teachable. He could then feed the lambs as well as the sheep of Christ’s flock.” - Ellen G. White,
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 334, 335.
Who among us can’t relate in some degree to Peter? Who hasn’t, at times, stood boldly for their
faith? And who hasn’t, at times, failed miserably?
1
2
3.
Discussion Questions:
What does it tell us about the grace of God that even after such a shameful denial of Jesus,
Peter would still come to play such a prominent and important role in not just the early church
but in the Christian faith itself? (After all, he wrote part of the New Testament.) What lessons
can we take from his restoration about how to deal with those who, in their own way, have
failed the Lord?
In class, talk more about the dangers of compromise for the church. How can we know on what
things we need to give and take, and on what things under no circumstances we can
compromise? What are examples that we can find in church history of compromise that led to
disaster? What lessons can we learn from these events?
Peter learned some lessons the hard way. From seeing his mistakes, how can we learn the
lessons we need to learn but in an easier way than Peter did?
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