Peter: The Outspoken Apostle and His Transformation
Knowing Your Apostles — Part 2
As previously announced, this is a fun, lighthearted series intended not necessarily to teach, but to spark conversation. Consider this an open invitation to share what you know, like, dislike, or simply find interesting about any of the apostles. This is a judgment-free zone, so feel free to share your thoughts and opinions.
Series Second Question
The second question of this series is: Who’s the apostle you’re most likely to get along with and why?
My Answer: Apostle Peter
Peter is the apostle, I believe, I can very much get along with—and here is why.
A Few Biographical Facts
Like John, my favorite apostle, Peter was a fisherman, along with his brother Andrew, and the two were close associates.
He was from the town of Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew, Philip, and possibly James and John (John 1:44). Bethsaida was among the cities Jesus later denounced for their unbelief, along with Capernaum, His home base, because He had performed many mighty works there (Matthew 11:20–24).
Peter is the only apostle whom Scripture explicitly identifies as married, although Paul suggests that the other apostles may also have been married (1 Corinthians 9:5). We know this from the account of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:29–31).
Peter, along with James and John, formed Jesus’s innermost circle. There were the Twelve, and then there were these three. They alone accompanied Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–8), were present when He raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead (Luke 8:51–56), and were with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32–42).
Peter was also the author of 1 and 2 Peter.
Paul characterized Peter, along with James—the Lord’s brother—as apostles to the Jews, while he was an apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7–9).
Why Apostle Peter
There’s so much that’s endearing about the apostle Peter.
One thing that quickly strikes you about him is his outspokenness and curiosity. He’s the one quick to ask or answer questions. His most famous answer came when Jesus asked who the Son of Man is:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16)
He also asked if he needed to forgive his brother only seven times, and Jesus replied no—70 times seven, effectively an unlimited number of times (Matthew 18:21–22).
Peter’s outspokenness also shows in how he sometimes speaks or acts rashly. When Jesus said He would be killed, Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him:
“Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Matthew 16:22)
Jesus responded immediately:
“Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23)
Peter even stepped out onto the water to come to Jesus but began to sink when fear of the wind and waves overcame him (Matthew 14:28–31).
Taken together, these moments paint a candid portrait of Peter. Where some may see someone rash, I see someone genuine. Peter was rash but never brash—there’s a difference. Someone who speaks their mind is usually open, unpretentious, and not phony. You usually would never have to guess what’s on their mind.
There are many phony people in the world, even among Christians. I will take, any day, someone authentic who speaks their mind, even if it doesn’t always come out perfectly. Peter is that kind of person.
Peter is a foundational apostle—a first-class apostle, in fact, an apostle of apostles. But you may not know it because he was refreshingly humble, unassuming, and human.
When members of the circumcision party challenged his decision to visit and eat with Gentiles in Cornelius’ house, he did not dismiss their criticism or assert his authority as an apostle. Rather, he responded calmly and explained his decision (Acts 11:1–18).
Similarly, when Paul rebuked him for withdrawing from table fellowship with Gentiles in Antioch—an episode I’ll return to in a later part of this series—he received it without argument or condescension (Galatians 2:11–14).
In these cases, he acted with the mind of Jesus:
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death…” (Philippians 2:6–8 NIV)
In my view, Peter exemplified the kind of leaders that are generally lacking in the church today. In their place, there are leaders who are unaccountable to, contemptuous of, and lord it over God’s people. Peter is the kind of leader I can follow and get along with.
Finally, Peter’s Loyalty
Finally, Peter embodied the kind of loyalty you expect in a family member or friend. You may ask, didn’t he deny Jesus? Yes, and Jesus had predicted it and warned him:
“…Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail…” (Luke 22:31–32)
Yet Peter, overconfident, boasted:
“…Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death” (v.33)
He meant it sincerely and later demonstrated his loyalty by cutting off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant (John 18:10).
Peter faltered and ultimately denied Jesus as predicted—his most well-known failure. But I believe it was not a betrayal like Judas, which was deliberate. His came from fear, highlighting his human weakness. Many of us have acted or spoken out of fear at some point.
Nonetheless, he recovered from this failure and became a loyal and fearless follower of Jesus, to the point that even the Jewish council noticed his boldness (Acts 4:13).
He remained loyal to the very end, reportedly (recorded in extra biblical tradition) requesting to be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.
Peter’s Transformation
Peter’s story is less about his failures and more about his conviction and unwavering loyalty to Jesus. The defining character of his life is his transformation: the disciple who was often rash and sometimes fearful became a disciplined and formidable leader of the early church after Jesus’ resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).
Jesus’ questioning and commissioning of Peter in John 21:15–19 is his ultimate seal of approval.
Peter is a kindred spirit and an apostle I can get along with.