PETER

#796b                                                        PETER

Scripture  John 1:35-42, NIV                                                                                Dates unknown

Passage: 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[a]).

Keywords:                  New Testament Characters               John

Timeline/Series:         Personality Profiles  

Introduction

I.          What We Know?  Much

            Father: Jonah, Matthew 16:17.  Brother: Andrew, John 1:40. Lived in Capernaum, Mark 1:29, had a fishing business with James and John. Was married, Matthew 8:14, Mark 1, Luke 4.  She accompanied him, I Corinthians 9:5.  Names: Symeon, Simon, Cephas (Aramaic), Peter.

II.         Most Prominent

·         Mentioned first in listings

·         Most open in dialogue with Christ

·         He denied, yet is commanded to shepherd, John 21:15

·         Special events

o   Raising of Jairus’ daughter, Mark 5:37

o   Transfiguration, Matthew 17:1, others

o   Gethsemane, Matthew 26:37

o   Empty tomb, John 20:2

·          Leadership in early church

o   Proposed replacing Judas, Acts 1:15f

o   Preached at Pentecost, Acts 2:14

o   Healed, Acts 3:1f

o   Exposed Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 1f

o   Led in acceptance of Gentiles, Acts 9:33f

o   Miraculous deliverance, Acts 12:17

·         Bishop of Antioch?  Galatians 1:18f, Paul’s rebuke

·         Asia Minor—I Peter 1:1, Galatia, Pontus, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Asia

·         Corinth—“Cephas” party, I Corinthians 1:12

·         Babylon, I Peter 5:13; cryptic, Revelation 14:8

·         Rome?—Paul doesn’t mention, nor Acts

III.       Other Examples

·         AD 95, Clement of Rome “died a martyr”

·         AD 115, Ignatius, Peter and Paul died there

·         AD 180, Irenaeus, both preached there

·         Tertullian, Peter died at Nero’s hand, Quo Vadis

·         Clement of Alexandria, I Peter written [in Rome]

·         Catacombs/Papal pronouncements