The Person Peter
Here’s what we know about the Apostle Peter:
- His name was also Simon: “Peter” means “rock.” The Aramaic equivalent is Cephas. Jn. 1:42.
- He was a fisherman, the brother of Andrew, and the son of Jonah; he was partners with James and John, the sons or Zebedee. Matt. 4:18; 16:17; Lk. 5:10.
- He may have been a disciple of John the Baptist before he became a follower of Christ. Jn. 1:35-42.
- He was one of the first apostles called by Jesus. Matt. 4:18-22.
- He is always listed first in the list of the apostles, thus probably indicating his prominence. Matt. 10:2; Mk. 3:16; Lk. 6:14; Acts 1:13.
- He was one of the three “inner circle” of disciples; the other two were James and John. Mk. 5:37; 9:2; 13:3; 14:33.
- He figures in many of the events of Jesus’ life. He is the one who confessed Jesus as the Son of God. Matt. 16:13-20.
- As Jesus had predicted, he denied Jesus at the time of Jesus’ death. Matt. 26:69-75.
- He was the subject of special attention by Jesus after the resurrection. Jn. 21; see esp. vv. 15ff.
- He was the one who led the apostles in selecting someone to take Judas’ place. Acts 1:15.
- He preached the first gospel sermon in Acts. Acts 2.
- He figures prominently in Acts after that. He also was the first to preach to Gentiles. See., e.g., Acts 3:1-26; 4:8ff; 5:3ff; 8:14ff; 10:1ff; 15:7ff; et. al.
- He later was rebuked by Paul because of his behavior at Antioch. Gal. 2:11.
- Apparently, he performed an itinerant ministry. 1 Cor. 9:5; 1 Cor. 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:13.
- He wrote the two epistles of Peter.
- According to tradition, he was martyred in Rome by Nero.
This lesson was originally taught by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at the Owingsville church of Christ in Owingsville, Kentucky.