Biblical Leaders: Peter
This is my first writing in a series that we’ll be looking at a variety of people from scripture that led in some capacity. My hope is to give some looks into their lives and then some practical things we can learn from their stories. I know not every person will relate to every biblical personality but I’m hoping to give some growth steps for all of us.
Today I’m going to spend some time diving into Peter. I’ve always had an affinity for Peter. He, in my mind, is this quick to speak and jump into action kind of guy, even if he hasn’t thought it all through. I can relate… Peter is also the guy that spoke up on the day of pentecost and saw 3000+ come to faith. There are some interesting things about Peter I’d like to try an unpack that led him to that day of pentecost.
Peter, or Simon Peter, was a fisherman along with his brother Andrew before Jesus called them to a different type of fishing. Fishing was more than likely a family thing. For most jewish boys that didn’t have the opportunity to study and a Rabbi they went to the family business. While scripture doesn’t explicitly say it, Peter may have had a bit of insecurity. It may be safe to say that when Peter was called by Jesus that in his mind this was a second chance, an opportunity to prove all those others wrong.
Now I know I’m making some assumptions here and these assumptions are mostly based off of me. Like I said, I’ve always been able to relate to Peter. When I was flung into a leadership role I had a tendency to lead from my insecurity and wounding often. However, it’s clear to see that Peter was one of Jesus’ closest friends and disciples.
In Matthew 16, Peter was called both a rock (vs. 18) and a stumbling block (vs. 23). He proclaimed Jesus as the Christ in Matthew 16:18 and then turns around and cuts a guys ear off (John 18:10) and denies even knowing Jesus (Luke 22).
When I was younger we used to have a toy called a Bop Bag. (do a Google image search) They may be still around but not as popular now. Peter kind of reminds me of that, knocked down but pops right back up, even if he was knocking himself down much of the time. There’s one more significant piece of Peter’s story before we reach the day of pentecost. Jesus has been crucified so Peter and the guys go back to what they know, fishing. Jesus, in true Jesus fashion, shows up and does another miracle. In John 21, sitting around a fire with a load of fish, Jesus restores Peter.
What does this mean for us as leaders? I think there’s couple takeaways. First of all, be that Bop Bag and keep bouncing back up. People will often compliment and criticize you, almost in the same breath. It’s being told what a great message you preached and then criticized for quoting Rob Bell because we don’t agree with him.
Secondly, allow Jesus to speak into your insecurities and then grow you through them to be the leader God is calling you to be. Peter was obviously a fairly resilient guys and he bounced back time and time again and became that leader that Jesus saw in him. The leader Christ had called him to be.
My advice, from the life of Peter and my own experience, is be cautious to lead from a place of insecurity but step into the bold calling of leadership and lead from a place of God centered confidence.