The Complete Story of the Apostle Peter: The Crucified Disciple (Part 1)

[Music] Our Story begins on the banks of the Galilean sea in the small kinetic fishing Village of bethsaida Hound that straddled the border of Jewish and Gentile territories however that is precisely why the Roman Empire had built this Village into a thriving Imperial Outpost where Roman Hellenist and Jewish Israelites were forced to coexist the year is about 1 BC and Simon the son of Jonah is being born into this frenetic and explosive political tension the culture of this fishing Village will likely shape the rest of young Simon's life said another way the Apostle Peter likely learned to do his talking with his fists from an early age defending all that he thought was right and true and orderly in his corner of the empire to push the point even further Simon's Father John ran a fishing Venture with a man named Zebedee who was likely a relative of Simon's wife mind you this was not some sort of philanthropic small business venture this was an industry run maintained and therefore heavily taxed by the Roman Empire said another way when your daily catch went wrong you did not have a bad day rather you had to explain to the Roman government while you were stealing from them and fishing was not an easy job to have either many Romans considered fishermen thieves which is why in the third Century athenaeus lumps fishermen together with money launderers murderers and Crooks it was back-breaking demanding skill intensive work however being run by the Roman government you did not easily escape the task about the time when Simon turned 25 he married a woman from his hometown and then likely to meet the demands of the Roman fishing industry moves with his wife and children to the vibrant Port Town of Capernaum Simon his brother Andrew along with James John their father Zebedee and all of their in-laws eventually find themselves in Capernaum around 27 A.D this is when they hear of an exciting New Revolution taking place on the banks of the Jordan River like an American Tent Revival Israelites from all over the Levant came to witness this new religious movement among these people gathered were Tax Collectors fishermen Pharisees Roman guards and many more all kinds of people who hated each other and who had no one to take away their hatred Andrew goes to join the movement full-time leaving Simon James and John to attend the fishing business the movement was started by John the Baptist whose name were the very symbol of all that he stood for you see ritual cleansing was one thing in the ancient world but being baptized was almost exclusively reserved for Gentiles who wanted to join the family of Abraham and become religiously Jewish however John's new message to this diverse crowd was that all were so desperately fallen and in need of God's righteousness that everyone Jew Greek and Roman alike needed to be washed clean of their sin and baptized more than that it publicly aligned all who joined with him into the family of Abraham this was a radical new message that sent shockwaves around Israel and so it was on this day when everything changed not only for Andrew and for Simon but for all of humanity [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign a man came from Nazareth to be baptized by John to publicly declare the beginning of his ministry and to align himself with Humanity John looked at Jesus as he walked by and he said Behold the Lamb of God two of John's disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus one of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew Simon Peter's brother then quickly Andrew found his brother Simon and he said to him we have found the Messiah Simon must have been thrilled although unsure of his role in the drama that was unfolding before him for you see a few days later Andrew and Simon were out fishing on the water when they meet the Man from Nazareth personally he begins teaching on the shoreline near where they're at and then seeing the struggling fisherman he gets in their boat and recommends they let down their Nets on the other side Simon in familiar fashion doesn't think it will do any good however to appease the new teacher he does so when suddenly and miraculously the net begins to fill with the fish they longed to catch certainly a subversion to their expectations but also the Roman occupied business who will not be struggling for long and then Andrew brought Simon to Jesus and Jesus looked at him and he said you are Simon the son of John you shall be called cephas which means Peter and Jesus declares here that Peter will no longer be a fisher of the Seas but rather this rock upon which the church will stand well from now on be a fisher of men when Peter sees and hears all that is going on he quickly changes his tone he falls to his knees and in a similar fashion to Isaiah when he meets God Peter says depart from me for I am a sinful Man O Lord it is here when Peter leaves everything he owns his business his family his security his fishing nets to follow the man that he believes to be the Christ now remember the world that Peter finds himself in the Christ was coming to liberate him from the tumultuous oppression of Rome and by dropping his Nets Peter is officially subverting the entire Roman occupation by dropping his Nets Peter is aligning himself with the new Revolution as if this event wasn't enough to showcase the power the man had over the created order Peter begins to see greater things than he ever dreamed possible soon after these things the party of fishermen along with Jesus and his mother are invited to a wedding in the town of Cana while there the wedding party runs out of wine it's a classic symbol of garden abundance in Hebrew literature and so when Jesus miraculously turns the jugs of water into the best wine the host had ever tasted Peter must have begun to form an idea of who this man was that had the power to bring more abundance and blessing than Rome ever could however things begin to take a turn for the worse in Peter's household he is informed that his mother-in-law was very sick and so he and the disciples along with Jesus go back to Peter's home she had a high fever they asked Jesus to do something to help her well he stood very close to her and he ordered the sickness to go away the sickness left her and then she got up and began serving them we see along with Peter that not only does Jesus have Divine command over God's blessings but a Divine command over sickness itself it would seem that the only thing this Man from Nazareth can't do is controlled death perhaps hasn't done is a better phrase because shortly after these things Peter James and John Don their Apostolic appointment when Jesus makes them an inner circle like David had the inner circle of three disciples joined Jesus and witnessed the miracle that raises a small girl from the dead who is this man they must have wondered the radical revolutionary they had imagined the zealous religious prophet they had anticipated seems to be more powerful more good more profound than they ever could have hoped for and so after their teacher miraculously feeds five thousand people in the rural Galilean Countryside and suggests they take a boat and row across the Sea of Galilee while he goes in Praise it is no surprise that amid the chaotic storm Peter takes Center Stage the disciples are rowing hard Against The Wind and The Waves when in the shadowy distance they see the figure of a man emerge it is a ghost the shout the profound experience must be seen to the height of its significance the disciples must have recalled the scene of God's presence hovering over the chaotic Waters of uncreation about to speak order into existence when Peter stands upon the bow and looks out Lord if it is you command me to come to you on the water and but when he saw the wind he was afraid and beginning to sink he cried out Lord Save Me Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him saying oh you a little faith why did you doubt in dragging the wet fisherman into the boat the chaos ceases raging next day a massive crowd finds Jesus and his disciples on the other side of the Galilean sea when they come to him they demand that he do another sign like they saw the day before but Jesus turning to them proclaims that he is the bread of life and whoever wants to follow him must eat of this body and drink of his blood not realizing what the saying meant many turned back this is when Jesus turns to the twelve whom he had Chosen and he asked them do you want to go away as well this is when Simon Peter answers for the twelve and he says Lord to whom shall we go you have given the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God it was some days later that the disciples found themselves in caesarea Philippi primarily a gentile City this town was some 25 miles north of Galilee it was here where Peter makes such a startling confession that all four gospel accounts attest to its significance as a key turning point in the history of humanity you see Jesus asks the disciples who do people say that the son of man is and they said some say it's John the Baptist others say Elijah others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets and he said to them but who who'd say that I am Simon Peter replied you were the Christ the son of the Living God and Jesus answered him blessed are you Simon barjona for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my father who is in heaven and I tell you you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church The Gates of Hell shall not Prevail against it I I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven in whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven message not only marks the turning point in all four Gospels but it also accounts for one of the most contested passages of the Christian Bible and in human history Wars have been fought and many lives lost over this passage upon this passage rests over 500 years of theological debate and the Schism of the Catholic Church in that time four major interpretations have appeared all trying to answer this question who is the rock that Jesus will build his church upon simply put it's either Jesus himself the very confession of Peter Peter himself or Peter and all those like him meaning Peter typologically represents the church however all of them have their flaws and to some degree all of them are correct sure the confession which Peter proclaims is the confession that those in the church will make but the language here clearly states that Peter is the Cornerstone not this confession most likely Matthew is interested in exclaiming one beautiful truth with this passage that Christ is building a community for God and in himself in the Forgiveness of his grace and in his mercy and it is true that Peter will hold a special place of authority in this new community that the whole world has been longing for since Genesis 3. he is the Cornerstone but it does not necessitate a strict hierarchical structure even Peter himself will admit that the entire church is God's temple being built together as living stones further the key is given to Peter here are the authority of Christ himself to bring people into this new creation this new community but Peter's Authority is only subservient to the Christ as we see Jesus himself is holding these very keys in Revelation 118. to that end we see Peter typologically representing the church Who as a community of priests bring people into the presence of God we see the body of Christ across space and time and denominational lines used like Noah's Ark amid the chaotic wanders of uncreation insofar as it professes Christ in him alone but even the rock upon which Christ is building this new community quickly becomes a stumbling block Jesus begins to speak of his oncoming suffering and death in Jerusalem and Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him strongly Peter was given special Honor by proclaiming Jesus to be the Christ but for those that do not believe in his suffering and death do not fully understand his Divine messiahship and they become a stumbling Stone but Jesus steadies this stumbling Stone and Peter repents never again will Peter confuse suffering with curse instead Peter learns that suffering produces a steadfast hope in God and that this hope gives way to a genuine faith that has been tested by fire after these things six days later Jesus asks Peter James and John to accompany him on a trip up a hill and it is here after Peter has seen the Miracles after Peter has witnessed life come from Death after Peter has confessed that Jesus is the son of God that Jesus himself is transfigured before their very eyes and we see that this man is not just a man at all but fully God and fully man the Divine coming together in front of Peter's eyes if it is true that Jesus has revealed himself to be God incarnate the hypostatic son of his Divine father one in essence the distinct as a person then it is no surprise that these events are quickly followed by a miraculous tale of some religious Tax Collectors who approach Peter questioning Jesus's loyalty to the house of God the temple itself Jesus responds in this way when Peter brings the religious leaders to him um what do you think Simon from whom do kings of the Earth take toll attacks from their sons or from others and when he said this Peter said move from others and Jesus said to him hmm then the sons are free however not to give offense to them go to the Sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel take that and give it to them for me and for yourself and as Peter leaves to go out to the Sea he must have passed a bustling handful of 11 of the other disciples vying for the Divine King's attention you see these events end Peter's time in Jesus's Galilean Ministry you see Peter along with 11 of his closest friends in his master the Son of God himself make their way to Jerusalem upon entering the Christ curses a fig tree and says that if the disciples have faith then even this mountain will be moved into the sea the Christ must have motioned toward Jerusalem which sits upon a tall mountain landscape the idea here being that Jesus has plans to overturn all that Jerusalem has come to stand for namely separation of God in Man by sin for when Peter follows the Christ to the temple Jesus weeps over the town and then in a flurry of Rage overturns the tables in the temple Courtyard claiming that it has become overrun by sinfulness Peter and Jesus and the rest of the disciples hiked to the top of a nearby Hill that overlooked Jerusalem called Olivet where the Christ begins to speak of the things which Peter may not have fully understood at the time but instead of rebuking the Christ he here stays silent these events in succession after all that Peter has witnessed is valuable in understanding how Peter is coming to view the world in the story he finds himself in particularly the fact that no matter how much pain one must endure as long as Jesus is there saving you from the chaotic Waters all must be well is the end of his master's life draws to a close Jesus instructs Peter and John to locate a man in the city who can host them what Peter does not know is that this secrecy allows for one of the twelve to remain in the dark as to where the events of the Passover will take place for one of Peter's closest friends is about to betray his Lord and Master Christ Jesus has gathered Peter with the other disciples in the upper room as Peter's life with Jesus began at a party where Christ's control over God's blessing poured out in chalices of wine so it will end in nearly the same way Jesus bends down and begins to wash Peter's feet and he recoils at the idea Jesus gently corrects this behavior and reminds Peter that those who confess Jesus as the Christ must from here on out imitated finally Jesus begins to warn the intimate Gathering the trouble is brewing he claims that one of them will soon betray him Peter jumps at this and boldly proclaims that he would never betray Jesus he would follow him even to death however Jesus sees things differently he believes that Peter will deny him three times before the crows after the meal and clearly stricken with grief Jesus goes to a small courtyard Garden named Gethsemane he asks Peter James and John to join him watching out for him while he prays the ensuing events will be etched in Peter's mind for the rest of his life the revolution he has longed his entire life for has begun Simon Peter having a sword drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear and Jesus said to Peter put your sword into its sheath shall I not drink the cup that the father has given me and Jesus heals the ear of the servant they arrest Jesus and carry him away in Chains Peter and John follow at a far distance the other disciples have scattered the night passes into a deep darkness and Peter's mind goes with it he begins to have a nervous breakdown outside of the course where Jesus is being held on trial he begins denying that he ever knew the man and upon the third denial he indeed hears the sound that was prophesied before him and the Lord turns and looks at Peter Peter remembers the saying of the Lord how he had said before the rooster crows today you will have denied me three times and he went out and wept bitterly now we will never know where Peter went after this likely he ran for safety like all the other disciples save one likely Peter abandons his master for death by crucifixion I can only begin to imagine what the next several hours were like for these men the minutes must have ticked by painfully slow as they awaited their inevitable arrest and death not only had these men lost a man that they loved that they had lost the man who was love incarnate foreign on the third day after Jesus's death on the first day of the week it should come as no surprise that few of Jesus's female disciples go to anoint the body in Proper Burial fashion as Peter sits in the upper room waiting for them to come back he suddenly Hears A banging on the door the three women burst into the room and in a fervor of exciting Zeal begin to explain exactly what they just saw a Peter and John now needing to see this for themselves take off running while Peter loses the race he confirms with his own two eyes that the women were far from lying they were speaking the most true thing that has ever occurred in human history in fact the women were the first witnesses to the greatest most miraculous most reality altering event that has ever and will ever take place first Peter and John get to the tomb where Jesus was laid on the first day of a new week creation begins to Dawn anew they realize that the man who they called the Christ has risen indeed [Music] the Risen Savior and reigning King of the universe tells the company to wait for him back in galavi and so the disciples head back to Capernaum likely needing to replenish their funds and also needing to appease the Roman government again the disciples decide to head back out and catch fish when on a particularly slow day they see Jesus waiting on the shoreline and Peter can't help himself he throws himself into the sea and whether this was an act of desperation to get to the Lord out of awe or away from the Lord out of Terror we may never know eventually he comes to shore however and Jesus is there waiting for him nonetheless three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him three times Peter says that he does three times the Risen Savior commands Peter to care for his people three times the Christ acknowledges and powerfully forgives the denying disciple for all the fear and anxiety the past several days had brought Peter I can't imagine how beautiful and healing it must have felt to be fully restored to his Lord the Christ Jesus said to him feed my sheep truly truly I say to you when you were young you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted but when you are old you will stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go this he said to show by what kind of death he was going to glorify God and after saying this he said to him follow me while this may not be the end of Peter's life and he certainly has a long task ahead of him it does close out the most catalytic chapter and while he may not know it yet Peter is about to go on in the power of this very Resurrection born again to a Living Hope as he begins to live a life that even angels will long to look into because this reality shifting event of the Resurrection means that by God's power the church is being guarded undefiled unfading kept in heaven because little does he know now but soon Peter will enter into the very suffering and death that his Lord and Savior himself went through hey Bible thank you so much for enjoying this Bible Unbound video you know Bible Unbound has a vision to see this kind of gospel-centered biblical content available to everyone for free unfortunately it costs Hefty some to produce fortunately however the Lord knew how the world worked and he's given us a vision to accomplish this task in his word you see in Acts chapter 4 the church lacked nothing because they shared everything and so if you want to get in on this mission of uncovering the Gospel in every biblical story you can go to patreon.com Bible Unbound and help support this vision and this Mission today that way all of our videos will not have AdSense on them it won't cost money to buy this Bible in a sentence booklet and the gospel will be available to everyone for free again you can support this Mission at patreon.com bible Unbound thanks so much we'll see you next time

Channel: Bible Unbound

Views: 300,848

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Id: PfZJ8yP7hY4

Length: 31min 13sec (1873 seconds)

Published: Fri May 12 2023