Peter had a very different personality from, say, the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul was a type A personality. He had opinions about everything and was always right. I think Paul was probably difficult to work with, especially if you were of an opposite temperament—John Mark learned that on the first missionary journey. After running into problems on the mission field, Paul didn’t want to have anything more to do with the young apprentice. However, with the help of Barnabas, they were later reconciled.
Peter The Flawed Apostle
On the other hand, Peter is a person whom Scripture exposes – warts and all. There’s no attempt to camouflage the terrible things he did. He spoke before thinking about his words or their impact.
I like the fact that Peter is such an important Apostle. It is to Peter that Jesus says, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). In the first twelve chapters of Acts, Peter takes center stage. It’s Peter on the day of Pentecost. It’s Peter and John preaching in the days and weeks after Pentecost.
Learning From Peter
Most of us are flawed individuals. We’ve done things we wish we hadn’t and are embarrassed about them. It is interesting that Peter sets the primary example despite his flaws, weaknesses, and tendencies toward pride.
In the Gospel, Peter is illustrated as a disciple in training. He is shown learning hard lessons about humility, servant leadership, and submission to the will of God.
Through telling the stories of his struggle in the New Testament, Peter, the Apostles, and Luke reflect on lessons that took him a lifetime to learn. An example we would be wise to follow.
- Written by: Derek Thomas
- Edited version by LFC
- Original post on International Faith
