The bold disciple.
Peter was a fisherman before he met Jesus. He went about his business catching fish, having no idea that he would be called by God to work with Jesus. His name Peter means Rock, and Jesus emphasized this, making it known that Peter would be a key leader for the church of God on earth.
Peter’s walk with Jesus began when he offered his boat for a teaching, even when he had reason to be downcast by the outcome of his fishing for the day. After Jesus finished his teaching, he ordered Peter to have another go and the fish he caught almost sank his boat. Peter left all this behind and followed Jesus.
Peter was willing to grow in faith and discipleship. His desire helped him accept truths that other disciples could not imagine and make moves that they did not have the boldness to make. He was the first disciple to call Jesus the Messiah, and this was by the wisdom given to him by God.
However, Peter also had several moments of failure, like every other human. One time, he practiced his faith and tried to walk on water like Jesus, but when the wind started blowing, he became afraid and sank. Peter also denied Jesus three times when he was called a follower of Christ before Jesus was crucified.
Peter's mission as a disciple was restored when Jesus appeared to them for a third time after his crucifixion. Jesus asked Peter one question three times: “Do you love me?” and Peter answered yes. This countered his denial of Jesus and from here, he received an instruction to tend and feed Jesus' sheep, which is the church.
Peter became a powerful leader and preacher of the Gospel of Christ. On the day of Pentecost when the disciples were overcome by the Holy Spirit and spoke different languages, Peter preached a sermon that made about 3,000 people decide to follow Christ. Peter also performed several miracles in his lifetime.
Peter was faced with persecution and put in jail many times for preaching the gospel of Christ, but he did not stop. He continued to preach about Jesus boldly, even if it was dangerous. Peter remained faithful to God until he died. Truly, he was a strong rock for the building of the church.
Peter and his brother Andrew, alongside his partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were having a bad day at work. They had worked all night trying to catch fish but caught none. As they were finishing up for the day, Jesus came around the Lake and asked to use Peter’s boat to teach the great crowd that was with Him, and Peter agreed to this.
After the teaching, Jesus told Peter to cast his net into the lake one more time. Peter was reluctant, since he had worked hard with his colleagues all night and caught no fish, but he obeyed Jesus and threw his net into the water. When the catch was so great the net began to break, Peter and his friends were amazed!
Jesus asked Peter to come with him, saying “from now on you will fish for people.” Peter and his partners left their great catch and followed Jesus.
Jesus had more disciples at this time, and He wanted to know how they looked at Him. So, He asked them who the people around thought He was.
The disciples answered, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Jesus was interested in who He was to his disciples and asked, “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus was pleased by His response, knowing that it could only be the Spirit of God who had revealed this response to Peter, so He Blessed and granted him access to the Kingdom of Heaven where his prayers would be answered.
Jesus also asked His disciples that they must not let people know that He was Jesus Christ, because He wanted the prophecy (God’s plan spoken ahead of time) to play out just as God had planned.
Jesus had been arrested by people who did not like Him or His methods of teaching, and they wanted to kill Him. They took Him to the house of the high priest, and Peter followed them very carefully at a distance. As they sat in the courtyard, warming themselves, Peter joined them. A servant girl saw him and accused Peter of being one of Jesus’ disciples, but Peter denied it immediately because he was scared. He said he did not know Jesus.
Another man saw Peter after some time and said the same thing, but Peter denied being a disciple. An hour later, another person called Peter a Galilean and disciple, but Peter denied strongly.
As he spoke, the rooster crowed and Peter remembered the words of Jesus: “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Peter went out and wept bitterly, knowing he had betrayed his master.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit had come upon the Twelve Disciples causing them to speak in different languages. People who saw this were amazed by it and some said that the disciples were drunk, but Peter stood up to speak on behalf of the others. He reminded the people of the prophecy of Prophet Joel, where it was said that God would cause His servants to do signs and wonders, prophesy, and see visions because God would put His Spirit on them.
He also spoke the words of David about Jesus Christ, letting the people know that even though they took laws into their own hands and killed Jesus, He had risen and it was His Spirit that overcame the disciples as they all saw.
The people were heartbroken, and Peter encouraged them to repent from their old ways. That day, several people were baptized and about 3,000 souls were added to the followers of Christ.
Character appearances in Scripture.
Explore characters connected to Peter's journey.
We strive to make Bible Characters a fun and educational platform. Are some of our facts wrong? Or do you have any fun ideas? Please let us know!
