Bible Study Series: Peter the Apostle
Peter's introduction and first lessons in ministry
by Fraser Gordon
We're going to continue with our study into the Apostle Peter. Last time we looked at the first encounters Peter had with the Lord Jesus Christ and today we're going to look at the first lessons he had as he followed his Rabbi.
Jesus’ authority
Mark 1.21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus was asked to teach on the Sabbath and the result was that they were astonished at His teaching. So where did Jesus get His authority from? He was the Holy One of God, the Son of God. Isaiah 50 is a messianic passage where we are given a little insight into it. It's amazing to think that when Christ came into the world as the second equal member of the Trinity He had to learn. But such was the case that when He took on humanity He laid aside His right to act and live as God.
Isaiah 50.4 The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned. 5 The Lord God has opened my ear; And I was not rebellious.
Hebrews talks about Jesus being perfected through suffering but here in Isaiah He learned from the Father which is where His authority came from. This is why He had a word in season to those who were weary. The Father spoke through Him and it all came out of a relationship. In Mark the people were astonished at His teaching because He taught with an authority which was different to the scribes. The scribes offered nothing for hungry souls. They taught using quotes from other rabbis but never what the word of God actually meant. When Jesus taught there was authority in His teaching. There was life, people's hearts were quickened and conviction came. It is similar in seminary today, one professor says this about a passage and another says that. This pastor teaches the passage this way and another one teaches it differently. When Christ came He spoke with authority because He was the Word become flesh. He had learned from the Father, His ear was opened and He had spent time in the scriptures. The result was that people’s hearts were quickened, they were convicted and astonished at His teaching. Jesus spoke with authority and it was all the difference in the world between the old scribes and this new Man among them.
The first lesson - Jesus authority over demons
Mark 1.23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!"
When the Word came and preached there was an instant reaction in the demonic world. This demon recognised who Jesus was and cried out in the service, Let us alone! Interesting that he said ‘us’ because it is collective. When Jesus starts His ministry there is a threat to the whole demonic realm. They had been given free reign up till now but when the Son of God came into the world they were put on notice. Did you come to destroy us? It's collective again. This man may have been going to the synagogue his whole life and the demon never manifested itself. He might have been sitting quietly but as soon as the presence of the Holy One came there was a direct confrontation with the demonic world. They knew that a day of judgement would come with this man Jesus of Nazareth. Just as it will for all men.
Jesus never let demons speak.
Mark 1:25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." 28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.
First the people were astonished at His teaching and then astonished at the authority He had over the demonic realm. What new doctrine is this? In times past people would have long superstitious ceremonies to bring out demonic oppression but at one word this demon was silenced and at one word he was cast out. They were amazed. What is this? What new authority is this? This is the effect Jesus had straight away. What was the first lesson for the disciples and Peter? That Jesus had authority over the demonic realm. The demons were afraid that judgment was coming and at one word this man, who had probably been sitting silent for a long time in the synagogue services, had the demon cast out. The rabbi that Peter and the other disciples had come into a relationship with and were now following as the Messiah was calling them to warfare. The demonic realm would be judged in Jesus' name.
Ephesians 6 talks about us not fighting and struggling with flesh and blood but with powers and principalities in the heavenly realms. It talks about putting on the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand against the devil and his methods. Later on Peter also had these instructions from Jesus in Matthew 10.8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give, and also in Luke 10.19, Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. For Peter and the disciples this was the first glimpse of their calling - they would engage the enemy, Satan's realm. Jesus has all authority over the demonic realm and this is their very first lesson.
The second lesson - Care for others
Mark 1:29 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.
The synagogue service is over and you’d think that Jesus would go back for a quick feed and maybe watch a game of football. But no, He went to Peter's house. To all the Catholics who look at Peter as the first pope - well he had a wife and also a mother-in-law. So the first pope was married and his mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Look at the way Jesus responded to her. A fever would have left in time but Jesus chose to do something very gently. He came and took her by the hand, didn't speak a word, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. We see the gentleness of the Lord Jesus Christ that He chose to heal Simon Peter's mother-in-law. He didn't have to but she was suffering and Jesus chose to do it. Peter did not know at the time but after Christ's resurrection he would do very similar things.
Act 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.
Jesus took Peter's mother-in-law by the hand, lifted her up and healed her. Peter also did the same thing here as he lifted this man up who was lame. This is a wonderful little picture of the gospel of grace. Simon's mother-in-law is lying sick with a fever, the result of being in a fallen world of sin. All of us suffer from the effects of a fallen world. We're all born in sin and we all suffer from the sickness of a fallen nature. Just as Jesus took her by the hand He takes humanity by the hand and raises us up. Isn't this a wonderful picture of what He's done for you and me? Only Jesus can do this work for humanity.
Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Those wonderful words of Paul in Ephesians explain it all. Jesus has taken us by the hand. We were dead in our sins and fallen nature and He has raised us up in the Lord Jesus Christ that we may sit in the heavenly places. This is only a work that Jesus Christ can do. He has come into this world to rescue and to restore sick sinners. Those that are depraved and whose lives need restoration and the forgiveness that only Christ can give. He has raised us up. We see that after Peter's mother in law’s fever left her she immediately served them. The purpose for which Christ raises the dead and comes into our life is that we may be a blessing to others. Instantly Peter’s mother in law served the Lord Jesus Christ and those with Him. There was a purpose for her healing and straight away she went to work. Isn’t that true of us? He’s taken us by the hand and lifted us up and the responsibility we now have is toward Him. To serve Him and serve others, becoming His servants for good works. This passage is a neat picture of Christ taking someone by the hand and they become a blessing to those around them.
The third lesson - prayer
Mark 1.32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.
Jesus never allowed demons to speak and proclaim who He was. It had been a long day and you would think Jesus would be entitled to a sleep in, maybe even a cooked breakfast, something warm to start the day. But in verse 35 we see things are very different.
Mar 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
This becomes a priority for Jesus' ministry. It was a habit of His to be in prayer and draw himself away where He could have time in quietness with the Father. This is another lesson that Peter and the disciples learned. It doesn’t say what time but Jesus went out a long while before daylight. Jesus prayed in the morning and at night, sometimes all night as He did on the mountain in Luke 6. It was always in a solitary place away from people and all the noise where He could be quiet with God. Psalm 46.10 is a well known Psalm which says, Be still and know that I am God. It's hard to be still and quiet with all the noise of the world. We have families, work, and many sources of communication. It's hard to find places that are quiet but it's something we need to do.
Psalm 5.1 …Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation. 2 Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. 3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.
Isn't that the guts of it all? Here David seeks God in the morning but I don't want to get legalistic about when you should pray. People pray in the morning, some pray through the day, others pray at night. What’s important is that we pray and find time to be quiet with God. Jesus chose a solitary place away from the disciples and the demands upon Him. There He went to meet with God. David directed his prayers toward God in the morning and looked up. That is the whole point of it, to spend quiet time with the Father where we can look up. That our thoughts would be raised toward Him and off ourselves. We need to make time for honest unloading of all our joys, sorrows, hurts, dislikes, anger, love of evil, self-love, and vanity in our hearts. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Don’t get legalistic about what time of day you should pray. What is important is that time is made in our lives just as it was for the Lord Jesus Christ. He prayed in the morning and He often withdrew at night, sometimes all night. So what was true of the Lord Jesus Christ had to be true of the apostles and also needs to be true of us. What I've found is that we will always make time to do the things we love. I see that in my own life. Husbands, think about when you were courting your wife, when nothing would stop you from being with her. You'd move all sorts of things around to find the time. Isn't it also the same with the Lord Jesus Christ? If someone phoned me and said, Fras, are you keen on an early morning round of golf? It could be anything, fishing, an early walk at the beach, mountain biking, surfing. I’d do it straight away. We always make time for the things we love. Do we love spending time with the Father? Is it something that we look forward to? It is certainly something we need and more so as the days get closer. God has been speaking to me a lot about this lately and it would probably be one of my greatest weaknesses. He has been showing me that it is vital for our relationship, for our life, and for the power of His Spirit in us.
In the Garden of Gethsemane in His greatest hour of need Jesus said, ‘watch and pray with me’ but when He came back He found the disciples asleep! The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. It takes discipline to put God first. It's not legalism it's a relationship. We need to ask God to work in our hearts so that we love to spend time with Him in the same way that the Lord Jesus Christ did and He will give us rest.
Mark 1:36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."
I don't know if Peter is annoyed but you can imagine when he got up that morning after such a big day the day before - the man freed from the demon, his mother-in-law healed, lunch, then the whole city came and filled the house inside and out. Jesus ministered all that time. Peter would have said, shh, just give Him some time, He's had a big day, don't disturb Him. Then when Peter checked to see how He was doing He wasn’t there. Where on earth is Jesus? They searched everywhere for Him and when they found Him there's a hint of frustration that Jesus had withdrawn and taken Himself away.
I love this about the Lord Jesus Christ because even though there were demands on Him, He never rode the wave of popularity. He wasn't going to be raised up and exalted in this little town where He had just healed everyone. He had spent time with the Father and He said to them in verse 38, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." What was Jesus doing after this busy day? He was getting direction from the Father. What is your will Lord? And the Father's will for Him was to go to the next town. For this purpose I have come forth. Not to ride the popularity wave and be exalted. His purpose was to go into other towns to preach, heal the sick, and deliver demons.
Conclusion
In these first few lessons what did Peter learn and what are the lessons for us? The first thing Peter learned is that demons submit to Jesus' authority and know that judgment is coming. Peter also learned the tender care of the Lord Jesus Christ as He ministered to the man in the synagogue, Peter's mother in law, and then to the whole city. Peter observed the way Jesus dealt with humanity and His great love and compassion for them.
The third thing Peter learned is that prayer is a priority. Time spent with the Father was the power of Jesus' ministry. It was there He received the direction and the power to do the Father's will. Time spent with the Father is above all things and if we're involved in any kind of ministry this is vital. May the Lord give us a heart that puts Him first, to seek Him and love to spend time with Him. Like I said before, we will always make time to do what we love. We need God to work in our hearts so that our relationship with Him is the most vital thing to us far above any ministry. Next time we'll carry on with more lessons that Peter had with his Rabbi.
Father, we thank you for your word and that all authority is under Jesus' name. We thank you for the love He showed toward humanity and the love and care He showed toward his disciples. Father, we ask you to make all these things real in our experience. Above all, Lord, cleanse our hearts and give us love and care for you and for you only. Let us make time, give us discipline and show us Father your great love toward us. In Jesus' name, amen. We thank you for your love.