Whenever something was going on with Jesus’ Apostles, Peter was usually in the thick of it. He often asked the questions, including the dumb ones. “But Peter said to Him, ‘Explain the parable to us.’ And He said, ‘Are you also still without understanding?’” (Matthew 15:15). It was specifically Peter who struck the high priest’s servant when they came to arrest Jesus, a detail Peter’s best friend John gave us. Shortly after that, it was Peter who denied even knowing Jesus three times: a painful part of a dark night that all four gospel writers made sure to include. Aren’t those exactly the kinds of stories we want told over and over about us?
Yet once Jesus rose from the dead and the apostles were baptized with the Spirit, it was Peter who led the way in preaching the gospel of Christ to those in Jerusalem and beyond. When the Spirit made clear that “God shows no partiality”, it was Peter who broke custom by entering Cornelius’ house, bringing salvation to the Gentiles, too (Acts 10:34-35). Peter was on it…except for when he wasn’t. Because even after all of that, it was Peter whose great time fellowshipping with the Gentiles in Antioch abruptly ended because some Jewish brothers showed up. This led to the Apostle Paul, never one to mince words, publicly calling him out on it (Galatians 2:14).
Taking criticism is tough. Some of us would rather not ask a question than potentially sound dumb. We want to disappear after making a big mistake. We get defensive when someone calls us out. Peter shows us the extraordinary things Jesus can do when we are willing to learn. Because not only did Peter ask questions, he also listened. Yes, he messed up; but he also repented, led others to Christ, and ultimately died for his faith. Yes, Paul’s rebuke stung; but it prepared Peter to advocate for the Gentiles’ full inclusion in God’s family, clearing the way for Paul to then describe all “God had done through them among the Gentiles” (Acts 15:6-12).
We are all going to say something silly or make a big mistake. The opportunity Jesus gives us is not to avoid it but to learn from it, discovering something even greater in the process.
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