Months (years?) ago I set out to write this post, and only half succeeded. I think the idea can be much clearer communicated, so this is version 2.0 of that blog.
Simon Peter is a legend. He was among Jesus’ apostles, and even further he was part of Christ’s yet smaller A-team, called with James and John to be alone with Jesus on many occasions, including the transfiguration (Matthew 17). He alone is called out on the water to walk with Jesus, and has the faith to do it at least for a short while. When asked, the Spirit reveals to Peter alone that Jesus is the Messiah. That’s an impressive resume, and yet very soon after these things we see Peter declaring that he is chief among the disciples, cutting off a man’s ear, promising his fealty to Christ, and then denying him on the night of his death.
That is the story of a man, living in the flesh, who traveled with the living Son of God for three years, observing powerful signs and wonders, being taught firsthand the secrets of the Kingdom, and still being as broken and messed up as he ever was. In Peter we see so clearly the fundamental truth for any who seek to follow Jesus: exposure to His beautiful, mighty, and perfect truth, even in the most unfiltered sense, is not enough to change a human heart. Instead that requires yet another extraordinary gift from the Father; His Holy Spirit.
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” • Romans 8:5-8
It is not that Peter was not trying hard enough; in fact he, like many of us, was trying as hard as he physically could to please his master. Instead the truth is that it is literally impossible for the mind governed by the flesh to submit to God. It cannot do so. To do that we need the Spirit of God himself within us
The night of Jesus’ crucifixion is not the end of Peter’s story, nor yours or mine. Because when Jesus came back, Peter did too. And when he is commissioned by his Savior, and given the Spirit, he becomes one of the most important people in the history of the church. And his belief never failed him again, leading him all the way to the second most legendary act of martyrdom in our faith.
Peter of the flesh was fully exposed to the person of Jesus yet entirely incapable of becoming like him. Peter filled to the point of spilling with the Spirit was dead to himself, living through Christ with the Kingdom alone on his mind and as his mission. Living by the flesh, none of us could have done better than Peter even when walking side by side with Jesus for years. Leaving that flesh behind, living by the Spirit, is the only way to truly be Christ-like.