10-25-2019

Good Morning All, 

    Mark 14:37; “And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?” 

     Gentlemen, have you ever noticed how when your mother, then your wife, get upset with you that your name gets longer?  For example, if your name is William Robert Smith, everyone will call you Bill or Will or Smitty.  But leave the toilet seat up once and you will hear WILLIAM ROBERT what did you do?  It happens every time.

     Our verse has an element of that.  Peter starts out as Simon; actually, he is Simon bar-jonah.  This means Simon the son of Jonah.  Now if you look at Scriptures there are a lot of Simons.  There is another disciple who is Simon.  There was a Simon who was a leper, Simon of Cyrene carried the cross, there is a Simon the magician.  There are lots of Simon.  But after a profession of faith, Jesus begins to call Simon Peter.  Sometimes he is Peter, sometimes he is Simon and sometimes he is Simon Peter.  What gives?

     The name Simon is used when they speak of his secular life like his fishing business or his house.  He is called Peter when he is professing faith in Jesus most elegantly.  Then there are times when we aren’t quite sure which Peter is there so he is called Simon Peter.  So, it would appear that when Peter is faithful and living his life according to God’s will, he is called Peter.  When he lapses back into his sinful, pre-disciple nature, he is called Simon.  When he is kind of both, he is Simon Peter.  Notice in our verse he starts as Peter but when Jesus rebukes him it is as Simon.

    The thing about Peter is that despite his stature in the Bible as the leader of the church for most of the early years, despite the fact that he is among the closest of Jesus’ disciples, he stills falls back every once and a while and reverts to Simon.  Just like you and I do.  That is one thing I hope you see as you read the Bible, even the “heroes” of the bible are human; they still fall into sin.  They still have their “Simon” moments.  In fact, all of us are really the “Simon Peter” we are sinners and yet the same time we are justified saints. 

    God calls us to be Peter to boldly proclaim Jesus’ death and resurrection and the saving grace we receive because of it.  Sometimes we do a decent job but sometimes we fail.  Sometimes we fall flat on our face.  There have been times in our lives when we have failed miserably yet God calls us back just like he did Peter.  God continually calls us back by his grace.  Even as we slip back into our “Simon” mode from time to time, we are still God’s children; he still holds us as Peter.  He still holds as his beloved.

Gracious Father, we continually fall back into our old sinful nature yet through your grace you call us back into your family.  Give us the strength to remain faithful to you.  Lead us to boldly proclaim your message of forgiveness and reconciliation to a broken world.  This we ask in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret