The Apostle Peter’s identity being challenged

Posted on by Matthew Laker

peterJesus declares, I will define who we are. “I will make you….” (Matthew 4:18-22).

When we watch the life of the Apostle Peter the more he understands who God is, the more he understands who he is.

Knowing God and knowing self are therefore interdependent” (The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery By David Benner.)

For Peter to find salvation and wholeness, he will have to walk away from the nets. However doing so is not an easy task as the nets are what have defined Peter for so long. Peter seems to have been a faithful Jew, a hard worker, and a family man. He most likely did not have an easy life, but things were average for him. His identity as a business man was as secure as it could be. Then Jesus challenges him to drop that old identity, his net, and follow him.

As we follow Jesus he is going to lead us to see our spiritual nakedness (Gen3), our true selves and our need for him.

In Luke 5:1-11, Peter’s response to Jesus is to recognize his need for Jesus and then challenges Peter’s identity. It was after raising the fish-filled nets up out of the water, that Peter runs to Jesus and shares that he is a sinner. He understands this about himself. However, as Jesus reveals more of himself to Peter, Peter moves from knowledge to experience. God wants us to be aware of our need for divine help. He wants to replace the fig leaves we grab to cover our nakedness (Gen.3:21) and give us real wholeness in our life. To do that we must see ourselves as Jesus see us.

When Jesus says to Peter, “I will make you….” (Matthew 4:18-22), Jesus declares to Peter, I will define who you are.

For us today the question becomes: will we cling to the old nets? Like Peter, will we let Jesus define us or will we let the things we do, or do not do, with our hands define us?

At times we place our self-value in what we have, what we can do and what others think of us. Yet Jesus calls us to walk away from that and drop the nets. Let him define us.

Jesus calls us to an identity that is grounded in our relationship to God the Father. Jesus came to restore our relationship with God the Father. It is as we understand who God is and what Jesus has done that we understand who we are and what we can do.

To go there we must step out of the boat and let go of things we have grabbed a hold of to define us and be honest with ourselves.

What nets do you hold on to that secure you in a false self?

Peter not only understands and comes to know God deeper but he begins to understand himself better, his true self. True self is only found in seeking and accepting God. There, Jesus declares, wholeness is found.

Jesus Revealing Himself One Step at a Time

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Jesus often reveals himself one step at a time.

When we look at the life of the Apostle Peter, we see there were multiple touch points that led to Peter taking off and choosing to follow Jesus.

20150403_155523There was one day, in my own life, when I stood and watched my Father as he was helping one of my daughters learn to ride her bike. He encouraged her and he held on to the seat and walked behind her, steadying her. Then he let go. She did not know that he had let go, but he continued to shout encouragements. It wasn’t until she put her feet down to stop, after riding all around, that she realized grandpa was no longer holding on. He was close, but she was riding on her own. It was the multiple interactions with her bike, and encouragements from my Father, that had built up to this moment.

In a way, following Jesus is similar. He reveals who he is and that begins to push change in us. We become familiar with Jesus and we learn who we really are and how to walk with him, one small step building upon the other. As we put into practice the life he calls us to, we begin to take off. He does not leave us, but encourages us to ride and flourish.

We first encounter Peter in Matthew 4:18-22; Lk 5:1-11; and John 1:35.

If we put each moment in chronological order, the passage from the gospel of John would come first. This would suggest there was a progression for Peter coming to follow Jesus with multiple touch points that led up to him dropping his fishing nets. Before calling Peter to a full-on following though, Jesus let Peter come to him. Then as Peter’s understanding of who Jesus was increased, there was an adjustment to Peter’s commitment to him. The same is true in our own lives. As our knowledge of who Jesus is goes deeper, there will be a call to change in our own life.

When I look back upon the many stories I have heard of people coming to follow Jesus, each one generally has multiple touch points, either from reading the gospel or from actual experiences of Jesus. Like a rudder on a sail boat, the touch may be small, but over time there will be a great impact.

Try this exercise:

Take a moment and look back over the year. Where have you seen God at work in your life or in another? Write them down.

God seems to reveal himself to us in small portions in order to push us toward him. Sometimes there is one big experience, but for most of us, we experience small pushes that have the potential to redirect our lives in big ways.

Jesus often reveals himself one step at a time. Over the last few months, what has he been revealing to you?

We see in Peter’s story a number of interactions with Jesus. This brings change in Peter’s life. As our knowledge of who Jesus is goes deeper, there will be a call to change in our life. This will be a change that leads to wholeness; a change that leads us to producing the fruit we were created for.

Where is Jesus pushing into your life and challenging you?