I doubt it is a new trend, but lately it seems popular to dunk on/razz/make fun of the apostles of Jesus. And it makes sense; how many times can Jesus tell you exactly what’s going to happen while you’re still surprised when it happens exactly like he said? The food miracles really get to me. He multiplies a meal for the following crowd once and his disciples are shocked, understandably. Then, they find themselves in the same position no more than a few weeks later and his disciples have no hope that Jesus can do anything to fix the situation. If it were you or me, we would probably just look at Jesus with raised eyebrows and wait for him to get multiplying. But that’s not really true, is it?
Hindsight is 2020. We know things those men did not, and benefit from it. Speaking for myself now: even knowing what I know of God, believing that Jesus did all he claims, and after witnessing his mighty works, I have lost confidence in him in no shorter a time than those disciples. And the problem isn’t always doubt, sometimes it’s actually worse.
Take Peter: he is among Jesus’ apostles, but even better he is part of Christ’s yet-smaller A-team, called with James and John to be alone with Jesus on many occasions, including one where they see his true self. He alone is called out on the water to walk with Jesus, and has the faith to do it. When he is asked, the Spirit tells Peter alone that Jesus is the Messiah. That’s an impressive resume, and yet very soon after 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 the night of his death.
Thank God that this is not the end of Peter’s story, nor yours or mine. Because when Jesus comes back, Peter does too. And when he is commissioned by his Savior, and given the Spirit, he becomes one of the most important people the church has ever known. And his belief never failed him again, leading him all the way to the second most legendary act of martyrdom in our faith.
That is Peter, fully exposed to the person of Jesus yet entirely incapable of becoming like him, and then Peter, filled to the point of spilling with the Spirit, dead to himself and living 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 Christ for years. Leaving that flesh behind, living by the Spirit, is the only way to truly be Christ-like. I know that I am a lot like Peter, and I think you are too.