Hey,
While reading tonight, these were some of the thoughts that came to me about Peter. He had tried so hard to love Jesus in the flesh, and Jesus had to rebuke him and correct him several times. Then, he was put in a situation (when Jesus was crucified) that showed him where his heart really was. He had a big fear of man. He must have felt broken and ashamed. After Jesus was resurrected and was on the shore grilling fish, Peter jumped off of the ship and swam to shore. He was full of zeal and he really loved Jesus; he just didn’t know how to do it rightly. Then before Jesus ascended, he asked Peter three different times if he loved him (I couldn’t help but cry). Peter was frustrated and said, “Yes, you know everything. Why do you keep asking me this?” Jesus said, “You follow me.” He then told Peter that if he would do that, he would suffer the same death that he had suffered. Peter, feeling envy, I guess, of the love that Jesus had for John, asked, “What about him?” Jesus told him it didn’t matter what happened to anybody else. His job was to follow him.
After the holy ghost came on Pentecost, Peter is the one preaching very boldly to the Jews there. He was full of the holy ghost and had no fear of men. After healing the lame man at the Beautiful Gate and preaching in the temple, he and John were put in prison overnight. The next day, Peter was preaching to the council that he had formerly feared! Peter preached to all three types of people on earth before any of them could receive the holy ghost. No fear of man there.
Then I had this thought about Paul having to rebuke him for mistreating some Gentile believers one time when he had been eating with them, but left when some “holier” Jews came. He must not have been full of the holy ghost at that time. But, somewhere, I read or heard that he was crucified. If that happened, then I know that Peter overcame that fear of man and followed Jesus all the way home.
Cris
PS
I knew that wasn’t finished, but I didn’t have anything else to type. While lying in bed, thinking about Peter again, the Lord said, “He feared the flesh because he leaned on the flesh.”