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“Whom Say Ye That I Am?” Peter’S Witness of Christ

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“Whom Say Ye That I Am?” Peter’S Witness of Christ 2 “Whom Say Ye That I Am?” Peter’s Witness of Christ Terry B. Ball Terry B. Ball is a former dean of Religious Education and a professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. he Apostle Peter is beloved by believers—perhaps because he seems so au- Tthentic and approachable to us. We can understand him. We can empa- thize with him. We admire his courage as he forsook all, “straightway” leaving his nets as the Master beckoned, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18–20; see also Luke 5:1–11). We understand his confusion over the meaning and message of parables (see Matthew 15:15–16). We feel the desperation in his cry, “Lord, save me,” as his feet and faith faltered on the turbulent waters that night on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:22–33). We appreciate his awe at the Transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1–13; Mark 9:2–9; Luke 9:28–36). We weep with him for the shame of his thrice-made denial (see Matthew 26:69–75; Mark 14:66–72; Luke 22:54–62; John 18:15–27), grieve with him at Gethsemane (see Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 33–37), and join in his joy and wonder at the empty tomb (see John 20:1–10). Perhaps the Gospel writers want us to make this personal connection with Peter. In their accounts they appear to purposely preserve more of his experiences and conversations with Jesus than with any of the other original Twelve.1 Many of us assume that so much attention is given to Peter in the Gospels because he 14 Terry B. Ball became the spokesman and chief among the Apostles. But perhaps Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John also speak so often and intimately of Peter’s association with Christ because they hoped that as we come to love and understand Peter, we will be more ready and able to accept his special witness of Christ—a testimony that he seems to have been carefully prepared to bear. Peter’s Preparation As Peter accompanied Jesus through his mortal ministry, the Apostle’s witness and testimony that the Master was the Messiah seems to have been acquired through the intellectual, practical, and revelatory experiences afforded him. That is to say his testimony, like ours today, came through his head, his hands, and his heart. Reason alone could have provided ample intellectual evidence to Peter that Jesus of Nazareth was more than a mere man, for if he were an imposter, if he were not the very Messiah, how then could he give sight to the blind, cleanse the leper, cause the lame to walk, or raise the dead (see Matthew 11:4–5; see also John 2:11; 10:25; 20:30–31)? His logical affirmation that Jesus was the Christ would have been regularly bolstered by what he learned as he acted upon the Master’s directions. He learned that if he cast his net as the Savior directed, he would gather a great multitude of fishes (see Luke 5:1–9; John 21:5–7), that if he stepped forward with faith when the Savior bid him “come,” he too could walk on water (Matthew 14:22–33), and that if he passed the meager loaves and fishes to the multitude as the Savior in- structed, the miracle of multiplication would happen under his very hands (see John 6:1–14). Those witnesses to his head and his hands would have significantly supple- mented the most powerful witness provided Peter—the witness revealed to his heart. Jesus helped the humble fisherman recognize the source of that witness. As he questioned his disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matthew 16:13), they rehearsed the common conclusions of their contempo- raries. “Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias [Elijah]; and others, Jeremias [Jeremiah], or one of the prophets” (16:14). Personalizing the query, the Savior then asked, “But whom say ye that I am?” (16:15). Without hesitation, Peter avowed, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not re- vealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (16:16–17). The Savior may have been employing an instructive play on words by using Peter’s full Aramaic name on that occasion. “Simon Bar-jona” means “Simon son of Jona” or “Simon “Whom Say Ye That I Am?” 15 begotten of Jona.” Jona can be understood to be the Aramaic form of the Hebrew name “Jonah” and appears to be the actual name of Peter’s father. In Hebrew, the word “Jonah” literally means a dove.2 Thus, in using the name Bar-jona, Christ may have been not only speaking of Peter’s biological parentage but also further explaining how his testimony had been conceived—not revealed through “flesh and blood,” but through the Spirit of God, born of the dove, the very sign in which the Spirit of God descended at Jesus’ baptism (see Matthew 3:13–17).3 On another occasion, Peter bore a similar Spirit-inspired testimony. Many who had followed Christ were confused, shocked, and even offended by his bread of life sermon given at the synagogue in Capernaum (see John 6:48–65). John records that “from that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (6:66). Testing the depth of their conviction, Jesus there turned to the Twelve and asked, “Will ye also go away?” (6:67). Speaking for all, Peter faithfully reasoned, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (6:68–69). Peter’s preparation to be a special witness of Christ included several some- what private experiences with Jesus. Only he and one other disciple, likely John, followed the multitude taking the Savior from Gethsemane to Caiaphas’s pal- ace so that they might witness and know what would happen to the Master (see Matthew 26:58; Mark 14:15; Luke 22:54; John 18:15).4 With James and John alone he was brought by the Savior to witness the raising of the daughter of Jairus from the dead (see Luke 8:49–56; Mark 5:35–43) and to the Mount of Transfiguration, there to receive special priesthood power and keys (see Matthew 17:1–13; Mark 9:2–9; Luke 9:28–36).5 These same three Apostles were asked to “watch with” Jesus as he bore the atoning sorrow and suffering at Gethsemane (see Matthew 26:36–46; see also Mark 14:33–37). In answer to their questions, the three, joined by Andrew, also received privileged instruction from Jesus concerning the signs that would precede the Second Coming (see Mark 13:1–37). Peter’s testimony was often informed by such personalized counsel and direc- tion when he approached the Savior with questions or whenever Christ perceived this Apostle needed further training. When Peter asked how often he should for- give his brother, Christ taught him that there should be no limit to our forgive- ness of others, and that as we forgive, we can expect to be forgiven (see Matthew 18:21–35).6 When he asked Jesus what reward he could expect for faithfully fol- lowing him, the Savior promised him a great reward but then told the parable of the laborers hired throughout the day, in part perhaps to help the Apostle under- stand that he should focus more on the privilege of laboring for the Master than on the reward, lest he end up offended or disappointed (see Matthew 19:27–20:26).7 16 Terry B. Ball When Peter asked if the parable of the well-prepared servants was meant just for the disciples or all, Jesus taught him that anyone wishing to be a servant of the Master should be ever prepared for his coming (see Luke 12:31–49).8 Once, recog- nizing a lack of understanding in the disciple, Jesus taught Peter that as the Son of God he was not obligated to pay the annual tribute to the temple collected to maintain his Father’s house, but lest they offend those who likewise lacked under- standing, he had Peter catch the fish carrying the coin (see Matthew 17:24–27).9 At the Last Supper when Peter protested the Savior’s condescending to wash his feet, he learned of the cleansing power of the ordinance and then willingly offered his all to the Master’s will (see John 13:6–19). Although Peter’s witness of Christ grew as he accompanied Jesus day by day through his ministry, the disciple seems to have struggled to comprehend the fullness of the Messiah’s mortal mission of which he was to be a witness. Near the end of his ministry, Christ attempted to help the disciples understand the sacrifice he was to make, clearly warning that “the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). Peter panicked at the thought of Jesus being killed and tried to dissuade him, for which he received a not-too-gentle rebuke from the Master: “Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God” (Mark 8:32–33).
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