Pride

Luke 22

Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a female servant, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, “Surely this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22)

Peter was, without question, the most prominent of the twelve. And also, the most enigmatic. I know that you’ve received letters about Peter before, actually several times. And I hope that this letter to you is not redundant. You can be the judge of that, but I must say that Peter is so very interesting, that I felt the need to write about him again. Why, you ask? Well, read on and see what you think!

There are so many theories about Peter, the everyman who became the first Pope. The obscure fisherman who literally did become a “fisher of men.” The impulsive one who attacked the slave of the high priest with a sword. And most of all, the proud, zealous one whose self-image brought him down to the lowest point in his life.

Let me explain. But first, who am I? Well, you may be surprised, but this letter to you in your time is from me, Peter’s wife! Yes, you knew that Peter was married, because you read how Jesus healed his mother-in-law, who was my mother.

You may be wondering why I would write about my husband, and why I might include anything about him that could be seen as critical. Well, you must understand that I loved Peter, and that I believed in him. And though following Jesus was not always easy, and still isn’t, I can say without exception that following Jesus was the best thing that ever happened to him. I mean, because of Jesus, he was not the same man that I married, and that is a very good thing!

In a way, this letter is actually about Jesus. Yes, Jesus, the Messiah. It was Jesus who called Peter to follow him in the first place. And it was Jesus who gave Peter the “keys to the kingdom.” Jesus had just asked the twelve who they thought he was:

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  (Matthew 16)

But almost immediately, just after praising Peter, it was Jesus who rebuked him for going too far. Jesus had just told the twelve about his fate: death at the hands of the religious leaders, and later, his resurrection. Peter, still feeling so proud about his new elevated status, impulsively spoke out:

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” (Matthew 16)

Peter, you see, was at heart a fighter. Surely you can see that. Despite the warnings from Jesus about “divine things,” Peter continued to bristle at the thought of his death. Though for a time, he kept those thoughts to himself.

But on the night when Jesus was arrested, Peter was carrying a sword, prepared, just in case there was trouble. And as you no doubt remember, Peter used the sword, cutting off the ear of the slave of the high priest. Again, Jesus rebuked him:

 “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26)

Peter felt that, as the informal leader of the twelve, he had to act. And that’s why he followed Jesus, after his arrest, to the house of Caiaphas. He was sure that he could save Jesus, and that when he acted, his brothers would rise with him. They would all be heroes and he, as their leader, would justify the words of Jesus in giving him the keys to the kingdom.

And surely you remember that in following the arresting party, Peter acted in the face of the prediction of Jesus:

“Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” (Luke 22)

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo

6th century

Did Peter believe those ominous words? I don’t know, but knowing Peter, I do know that nothing would keep him away!

You know the rest. Despite the words of Jesus, Peter went anyway, proud that he, alone among the twelve, had not run away. You also remember that Jesus had not asked any of the twelve to accompany him to his trial. Jesus, you see, knew better. He knew all about Judas, the betrayer, and he also knew that most of his followers would run. And yes, after all, you see, Jesus, knew Peter’s heart even better than Peter himself. And worst of all, Jesus knew that Peter’s courage would fail him, leading to his three denials.

Isn’t it amazing? Really, isn’t it amazing that, after all that, Jesus stuck with Peter? And can you imagine that, in reality, Peter actually needed the humbling experience of his three denials? That he needed to “weep bitterly?” Can you imagine that our father God actually used the pride and the cowardice of Peter to humble and refine him for his future role as a leader in the new Christian church?

I can. I can believe that. Yes, after such a humbling experience, Peter was changed. How do I know? Well, don’t forget that I was his wife! And next to Jesus, I believe I understood his heart better than anyone! And Peter, despite all his failings, had a great heart.

You see, there’s ample evidence of the quality of Peter’s heart. The best example can be found at the end of John’s gospel. In his gracious manner, Jesus gave Peter a chance at redemption.

Back at the Sea of Galilee, Peter announced to his brothers that he was going fishing. They followed, climbing into a boat with him. As you no doubt know, after fishing all night, they were empty-handed. And when the Risen Christ appeared on the shore, instructing them to fish on the “other side” they found more fish than ever! Then, it was Peter who jumped into the water to swim to his master and friend. And it was Peter who hauled the fish ashore, all 153 of them!

But then, it was Jesus who gave Peter the opportunity to redeem himself:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21)

You see, Peter was now beyond the point of disagreeing with his master and friend. There would be no more defiance of God’s plan, and humility would take the place of pride. He could later write these words:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. (1 Peter 5)

Of course, you know that years later, Peter was killed, crucified by the Romans. Jesus actually predicted it, and eventually, Peter came to see his death, not as a failure, but as the mark of a true apostle, sharing the death that once before, he had tried to save Jesus from.

And so, in his own way of honoring his lord and friend, he asked his executioners to crucify him upside-down, so that there would be no way for anyone to equate his death with the death of Jesus.

As his wife, let me close to say that in life and in death, I am so proud of Peter, my husband!

And as for you, in reading my letter, I hope you can see yourself, perhaps in the pride and in the impulsiveness of Peter. Perhaps even in his cowardice. And most important, I hope you can see how our father God uses everything in our lives, even what we think of as our failures, in his plans for grace and redemption.

Jesus knew what he was getting when he called Peter to follow him. Yes, he could see it all. Most of all, he could see deeply into Peter’s heart, a heart ready to give himself in love.