Simon Peter – His Life and Its Lessons
HIS CONVICTION
So, our introduction to Simon Peter (John 1) is brief, though meaningful. “Andrew first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”
This provides no record of any spiritual work by Simon. We are told his old name and new name; but there is no allusion whatever to those deep exercises of soul that we know he possessed. For these we must turn to Luke 5. “And it came to pass that, as the people pressed upon Him to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships standing by the lake; but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And He sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.”
Notice especially the moral grace – the kindness – that shines forth here. “He prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land.” Though Lord of all creation, Possessor of Heaven and earth – Jesus nevertheless graciously and courteously respects Simon’s proprietorship, asking, as a favor, that he would move out a little from the shore. This was morally lovely, and we can assume that it had an effect on the heart of Simon.
“Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” Simon was about to be well paid for the loan of his boat. “And Simon, answering, said unto Him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless, at Thy word, I will let down the net.” Words of power and grace. “And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes; and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.”
Neither their nets nor their ships were able to sustain the fruit of divine power and goodness. “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Here is an example of the great practical effect the combined action of grace and power produced in Peter’s soul. He sees himself in the light of Divine presence. Simon had heard the Word of Jesus addressed to the multitude on the shore. He had witnessed the sweet grace and moral beauty of the way Jesus had treated him. He had marked the display of Divine power in the astonishing draught of fish. All this fell powerfully on his heart and conscience, causing him to bow before the Lord.
This is a genuine work of conviction. Simon is in the place of true self-judgment – a place from which all of us must start if we are to be useable in the Lord’s work – if we are ever to exhibit much depth or stability in the divine life. We will never possess any real power or progress until there is a deep and solid work of the Spirit of God in the conscience. Someone who rapidly passes into what the world calls peace is apt to pass out of it just as rapidly. It is a serious thing to see ourselves in the light of God’s presence, to have our eyes opened to the truth of our past history, our present condition, and our future destiny. Simon Peter found it so in his day, and so have all those who have been brought to a saving knowledge of Christ. Hearken to Isaiah’s words, when he saw himself in the powerful light of the divine glory. “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” So also in the case of the patriarch, Job. “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
These glowing utterances reveal a deep and genuine work in both the patriarch and the prophet. No doubt our apostle occupied the same moral ground when he exclaimed, from the depths of a broken heart, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” If Simon is to be called Cephas, he must be thoroughly broken up – brought to the end of self. If he is to be used to catch men, he must learn man's true condition. If he is to teach others that “all flesh is as grass,” he must learn in his own heart the application of this great truth.
This is always true. Look at Saul of Tarsus. What is the meaning of those three days of blindness, during which he did not eat or drink? No doubt they were serious days, perhaps the most serious thus far in the life of this remarkable man. They were surely days in which he was led to the most profound depths of his moral being, the deepest roots of his history, his nature, his character, his conduct, his religion. He was led to see that his whole life had been a terrible mistake, an awful lie; that his career as a religious man had been one of mad rebellion against the Christ of God. We can assume that all this passed in solemn and soul-subduing review in the heart of this deeply convicted man. His repentance was no superficial work; it was deep and thorough; leaving its profound impression on his life, character, and ministry. Like Simon, he, too, was brought to the end of himself, where he found that Jesus not only met his deepest need, but perfectly satisfied the cravings and aspirations of his renewed being.
Let us return to the lake of Gennesaret, and dwell for a moment on the lovely way our Lord dealt with Simon Peter. The work of conviction was deep and real. The arrow had entered the heart, going to its very center. Peter felt and confessed that he was full of sin. He felt he had no right to be near Jesus; yet he did not want to be anywhere else. He was sincere when he said, “Depart from me,” though it is unlikely that he really believed the blessed One would actually do so. Jesus never departed from a broken-hearted sinner. It was His richest, deepest, joy to pour the healing balm of His love and grace into a wounded soul. It was His delight to heal the broken heart. He was anointed for that work – His meat and His drink.
“And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” Here was the divine response to the cry of a contrite heart. The wound was deep, but the grace was deeper still. The soothing hand of a Savior-God applied the precious balm. Simon was not only convicted, but converted. He saw himself to be full of sin, but saw the Savior to be full of grace. There is enough grace in the heart of Jesus; enough power in His blood, to cover the chief of sinners. “Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed Him.”
This was real work – a bona fide case of conviction, conversion, and consecration.
