“Peter- Stubborn as a Rock”  Mathew 16:15—23; Acts 10:1-16,34  9/16/07

The Chevrolet Truck commercial comes on and Bob Segar sings the lyrics:

Like a rock. standin arrow straight
Like a rock, chargin from the gate
Like a rock, carryin the weight
Like a rock

Jesus told Peter that what he said, and by implication he himself was a rock- strong, solid, reliable.  Peter said, “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God.”  This confession was a life changing moment for Peter and for the church.  Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter that day.  It was like he said your name is rock and upon this rock of a confession I’ll build my church.  I believe that this confession was the rock on which the church is built- that Christ is the messiah- the Son of God.  When we say that Jesus was just another teacher or a really good man, we leave the very nature of the church.

But it is also true that while Peter ended up reliable, he wavered a good bit.

The problem with the church is that we waver a good bit.

There is a really strong and rapidly growing idea in our society that anyone who has any values at all is a hypocrite. 

Larry Flint, the publisher of Hustler magazine, sees his job as exposing anyone with values who doesn’t keep those values perfectly as a hypocrite.  I believe what Larry Flynt would like for us to do is to be consistently evil because we are all sinners.  There are a growing number of people who believe if you hold up anything as truth or hold up any values saying that this is good for all people, then you are automatically a hypocrite because who keeps values perfectly?  A week ago someone wrote me a really hateful letter and called me a hypocrite- not because they knew me, but because I held up a particular value.   I say this to simply argue that if people call us hypocrites simply because we have values at all, then I would rather be a hypocrite than a devil who doesn’t believe in any laws or standards at all.  If our choice is to have values but only keep them 70% of the time, or to be a devil with no values at all- I would make the world a 70% better place than a 100% selfish evil place.

Peter is an example of Christian failure but also Christian forgiveness and hope.  I am so glad Simon Peter failed, and I am so glad that he was restored.  I am so glad because what it means for you and me is that there is hope when we fail—and let’s face it we all fail.

Let’s look at some of his failures-

            First he failed right after he made his famous confess.  It was amazing.  It was like a sign of things to come from Peter.  One minute he was being commended as the rock of the church, and the next thing he was called “Satan!”  To me, this is not just an image of Peter, it is an image of the church and really all human beings.  One minute we do something great and wonderful.  The next second we fail totally and utterly.  Peter was called Satan because he didn’t want Jesus to go to the cross.  It was in some ways a decent desire.  Jesus was wonderful, and we wanted him to stay like that forever. Yet, without the cross, there would be no sacrifice, no forgiveness, no sign of love for all who trust in it.  Peter wanted the good things of this life to continue forever.  In our secular culture, this is what we too want.  We want our houses to last without needing repair.  We want our cars to always run and never get a flat tire.  We want our bodies to never get sick or die.  Jesus rebuked Peter for thinking about human- this-life ways. 

            Another triumph and failure of Peter was found in the Transfiguration.  Peter was honored along with James and John and taken up to the Mount of Transfiguration.  There Peter saw Jesus in a glorified state, along with Moses and Elijah.  Peter was the one who wanted to keep it like that forever.  He said, “Let’s build shelters for all of us so we can just stay up here on the mountain.”  It is like those of us who go to Montreat on a retreat, and we get really inspired and we say, “Let’s just live in Montreat forever.”  But for the greater good Peter, James, John, and yes Jesus had to come down off of the mountain.

            Another triumph and failure was when there was a storm.  Jesus came walking to them on water in the midst of the storm.  Peter got so excited, he said “Let me walk on the water” he got out of the boat (everyone else stayed).  This was Peter’s triumph.  He, at least, got out of the boat.  There’s a book written by Presbyterian John Ortberg that says, “If you want to walk on the water you’ve got to get out of the boat.”  Peter took a few steps, but then he started looking around at the wind and the waves, and his feet that had been walking on water, now started sinking.  When Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he could do amazing things.  But when he started worrying—looking at all that might go wrong, and all the problems of life, he started sinking like a rock!  When you and I put our focus on our problems instead of Jesus- we sink too!

            Peter later on failed the Gentiles in the church. Peter preached Pentecost- gospel for all.  In Acts it records Peter went to the gentile’s house, the house of Cornelius.  He had a vision that all foods were clean.  Peter, really, more than anyone, opened up the way for the gentiles to be grafted and welcomed into the church.   But Paul later rebukes Peter for not wanting to eat and drink with Gentiles because he said Peter gave into pressure from other Jews (Galatians 2:11,12). 

            But perhaps the greatest triumph and tragedy of all is his courage and betrayal at Jesus’ death.  He said before Jesus was arrested- though everyone else leave you, I will not.  Jesus prophesied that he would betray him three times before the rooster crowed.  In the garden when they came to arrest Jesus- Peter was brave- took a sword and was going to fight and even cut off a servant’s ear.  But he finally fled.  He was brave in that he went to the courtyard where Jesus was being held.  He was a coward in that when he was asked if he knew Jesus- he swore and said he did not- not once but three times.

            When Jesus rose from the dead, he purposefully sought Peter out.  Peter ran to the tomb and made sure it was empty and not just some wishful thinking.  Jesus asked Peter three times by the Lake of Galilee- do you love me--  One time for each betrayal.  Peter knew this.

The good news for us all is that this impulsive guy who showed tremendous courage sometimes and terrible cowardice others was restored by our Lord Jesus.  When you fail miserably as a child, in your work, in your faith as a Christian.

            Peter went on to preach the sermon on Pentecost in which 4,000 came to Christ.  He still failed, but became the leader he was designed to be.

            John 21:18 indicates the kind of death Peter was to die. Jesus told Peter after his restoration, “When you were younger you could of where you wish, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.”  Verse 19 says, “He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.” I Peter claims to be written from Rome, and most scholars believe Peter wrote this and that Peter was tied to the church in Rome toward the end of his life.  St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, is the largest Christian church in the world.  It is built on the site of Peter’s supposed death, which is the former circus maximus of Nero.  Nero killed many Christians and in 65 A.D. he wanted to crucify Peter.  But Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he said he was unworthy of dying like his Lord.  Finally, in the end, Peter’s courage and faith won out over his wavering cowardice and failures.  In that sense, Peter is an example to us all.