Acts 12:
1-11. During the period
of unleavened bread (seven days following Passover) it was forbidden to hold a
trial or execution so this is why, in trying to curry favour with the Jews,
Herod had to simply arrest and detain Peter instead of swiftly despatching him.
That Peter was imprisoned and then escaped is a “miracle” in common parlance
anyhow, however one interprets the text. Whatever the exact details, God was
involved.
1 Peter
2: 19 – 25. Peter
uses the unjust suffering heroically borne by Jesus as an example to be
followed by the persecuted Christian church. This is pertinent because those
sufferings, Peter points out were borne for each one of us. “By his wounds we
have been healed” and because we were going astray “we have now returned to the
shepherd and guardian of our souls”. In an echo of Paul saying we are now slaves
of God and not of sin, Peter says we are to live for righteousness because we
have been freed from sins.
Matthew
16: 13-19. Recognising
the true significance of who Jesus is, is of the highest foundational importance
for the church, and this recognition of Jesus as the Christ will be what binds
us together. Peter is the spokesman for the disciples and declares Jesus to be
the Christ, defining that title (in Matthew’s version) as “Son of the living
God”. Jesus congratulates him and says that this revelation was given to them
by his Father in heaven and that the keys to the kingdom would be given to him.
This in my view almost certainly refers to the church being able to unlock
heaven for all people because Jesus accuses the scribes and pharisees in 13:1
of “shutting up the kingdom against men”. This controversial passage certainly
at least means that Peter is the foundation stone of a church of living stones
with Jesus as the corner stone and all Christian believers who followed become
part of that structure.
This
bypasses all the controversies over whether the Pope’s are successors to Peter
as being the first Bishop of Rome – I want to leave that particular can of
worms undisturbed here.
Peter was
certainly the spokesman – the first amongst equals – of the bunch, and he
exhibits the two sides present in us all and consequently two sides of the
church, because the church is after all made up of flawed people.
Peter has
revealed to him the great insight that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus
congratulates him but a little later puts his foot in it so much Jesus called
him “Satan”.
This is why
Peter is such a favourite figure in the gospels because he is just like us and
we can relate to him.
Both he and
us, are on occasion capable of showing great insight and spiritual wisdom and in
the next moment exhibit clunking feet of clay.
Peter showed
great devotion and ultimately went to his death as a disciple of Jesus, but
when put under pressure showed cowardice and denied Him three times.
The keys to
the kingdom are interesting as well. And sure language like binding and loosing
are used but Jesus accuses the scribes and pharisees of shutting people out of
heaven in chapter 23 verse 1, so Peter being given the keys to heaven would I
say be primarily for unlocking the gates of heaven rather than for locking
people out.
Whatever
your views on the papacy, and the subsequent divisions amongst Christians, St.
Peter does appear to occupy a more prominent position amongst the disciples.
Jesus chose Peter to be a disciple and God revealed this fundamental insight
that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself – the son of the living
God.
This truth,
this faith, is the rock that all Christians whether catholic, protestant or
Orthodox can gather around as a building
of living stones, that Peter was the first to recognise but is built on the
cornerstone that is Jesus Christ as the unique revelation of God to humanity.
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