Peter

To whom was given the keys to the kingdom. Upside down cross was the way he chose to be crucified, feeling himself unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as our Lord.

When Jesus first met him, this apostle’s name was Simon, but Jesus, seeing the enormous potential in this man, changed his named to Peter, which means rock. He is always listed first in the apostolic lists, and appears to be second in command to Jesus. He was present at all three instances where only a small "inner circle" goes to be alone with Jesus, and is the most outspoken of the apostles.

Sometimes the name Peter really suits this apostle, because he appears to be a rock, one set in motion down a long hill, rolling and tumbling without direction, knocking down anything that entered his path. In his exuberance for spreading the message of Jesus, he sometimes didn’t take the time to listen to and understand his teacher.

Peter made the mistake that nearly all Christians make. He was often guilty of misrepresenting the message and mission of Jesus, because, like so many of the apostles (and so many of us), he just didn’t get it. The message of Jesus was so new and so different from anything before, that Peter couldn’t open his ears and his heart wide enough to take it all in.

Peter also made another mistake. On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied knowing him three times. But it is in this denial that redemption eventually comes. Peter is so ashamed of himself that he has to confront his own weakness and imperfection. He is no longer so sure that he is right, that he is faultless and blameless. He slows down and begins to think, he begins to pray, he begins to remember what Jesus had tried to teach him, and reexamines those teachings.

Then, the risen Christ came to him and forgave him for his denial. This forgiveness re-empowered Peter, and he once again began teaching and preaching the Gospel. But something had changed—he was no longer the brash, reckless young preacher he used to be, he had greatly matured. He had quit rolling, and become stable. He had become the rock upon which Christ’s church would be built.

That is what we can learn from Peter—that it is in our mistakes, the reminders of our humanity and imperfection, and in the forgiveness offered by our Creator—as revealed in Christ—that we can learn to become whole, that we can fulfill our baptisms and become who God intended us to be.

Brandon Gilliam