Introduction to the Life and Teaching of Peter (Post 1)

Welcome to this study that will swirl around Peter, the apostle.  We know a little about him ... but we would love to know so much more!  His life seems to be marked by dichotomy:  there is courage and weakness; we see victory and failure; we observe great passion in juxtaposition against fear of what 'others' might think; there is promise and disappointment.  Sounds a bit like my life ... how about yours?

Our study will divide itself into two sections.  We will fist observe what we can about Peter as a man through the gospels and his interactions with Jesus.  We will go into the book of Acts and see him as a central person in the birth and development of the early Jerusalem church.

The second half of our study will be observing (and listening to) Peter as a pastor - as a shepherd.  We will do this through his letters, 1 and 2 Peter.  You learn quite a lot about a person when you are privy to their correspondence.  What a privilege to have Peter's heart preserved for us through these letters.

Today ... some introductory information ...

First, about the gospels.  Mark was the first one written down - estimated sometime between 60 - 70 CE. Most scholars believe that both Matthew and Luke took their basic structure from the gospel Mark had written down.  John came years - probably at the end of the first century.  We will use all three to gain as well rounded a picture as we possibly can.

Second, about fishing at the time.  In this period, fishing boomed around the Sea of Galilee.  Now it was possible to dry (pickle) fish; thus it could be delivered to regions farther away.  Until the middle of the 20th century CE, fishermen fished there the same way as in the time of the New Testament:  a net was spread between two boats, then pulled together so that the fish were trapped in the area enclosed by the net.

Third, about Peter's hometown, Bethsaida.  The name means "house of fishing" and the town was on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  The first-century historian Flavius Josephus was so impressed by the area that he wrote, 'One may call this place the ambition of nature,'  Josephus also reported a thriving fishing industry at this time, with 230 boats regularly working in the lake.

And lastly, about education.  Young boys in Jewish families were expected to go to the synagogue for some schooling.  We have no reason to think that Peter did not follow this pattern.  So as a boy, he would have first been taught by his parents, and then moved on to the synagogue for instruction by the Rabbi.  The traditional way was by word of mouth and repetition.  We will read that Peter was described as "uneducated" in Acts.  We don't know if he could write.  We do know that he used an amanuenis, which was a scribe or ghostwriter for his letters.  We also know that he had not gone further in the rabbinical teaching ... because he was about the family business ... he was a fisherman.

But first he was just a little boy!

Lord we pray that you will give us insight and wisdom as we study this wonderful and remarkable man.  Help us see his strengths ... and in that strength, find more of our own.  Help us see his weaknesses ... and in those weaknesses by aware of our own.  Help us listen to his wisdom gained from nearness to you and years of experience ... and be willing to make changes in our own lives if those words point out the need for change. Thank you for preserving his story for us.  Thank you for Peter.