Of all the personages in the New Testament, none is more important to the Latter-day Saints, save Jesus only, than Peter — Simon bar Jona by name.
We do not know when Peter was born, only that he was an adult living in Capernaum at the time the scriptures first introduce him. John's Gospel says that Bethsaida was "the city of Andrew and Peter."
Peter was married, and we know that his mother-in-law was staying in his house at Capernaum at the time Jesus healed her of a fever, though we do not know if she was a permanent occupant of Peter's home (see Mark 1:29-30).
Peter was called to the ministry in a series of episodes, each progressively impressing on his mind a fuller understanding of the nature of his call, as well as the nature of the Being extending it, and the need to live in complete harmony with his new calling.
Sometime after Peter's initial call from the Savior, Luke's record indicates that Peter was back fishing in the Sea of Galilee when the Savior again bade Peter to follow Him.
"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.
"And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake." (See Luke 5:2-11).
Though Peter had previous encounters with the Savior, this time he was so impressed and overcome by the dramatic miracle Jesus performed (perhaps precisely in order to get Peter's attention) that Peter not only recognized his own unworthiness in the face of such staggering power and towering righteousness but also forsook his fishing business with wholehearted commitment.
Hence, the object lesson of the increased catch of fish wrought by the Savior's power . . . conveyed a poignantly symbolic message, with the Savior saying, in effect, just as I increased the fish harvest manyfold, the greater miracle is the power I will now give to you to increase the soul harvest.
From this time onward, it appears that Peter and his associates fulfilled their commitment to Jesus and to the kingdom with total devotion.
It was Peter's special privilege to witness powerful miracles performed by Jesus, often in the company of few others. . . . The chief apostle was no stranger to supernatural occurrences, for he was an eyewitness to marvelous manifestations of the powers of faith and priesthood.
On one occasion, immediately following the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus sent the apostles on ahead in a boat across the Sea of Galilee, while he went to "a mountain apart to pray" (John 6:15-16; Matthew 14:23).
When night had fallen, and the waves of the sea became "boisterous," Jesus began walking on the water to the apostles in their boat. . . . The apostles were naturally afraid, believing they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus identified himself and encouraged His disciples to "be of good cheer" (Matthew 14:27).
Certainly the Savior's power to perform mighty miracles was confirmed to Peter, and perhaps emboldened by a demonstration of that incomparable power, Peter requested of the Savior to bid him to come to Him. But once upon the water, and seeing the tumultuous wind and waves all around, Peter began to sink.
We glean from Peter's experience a significant lesson . . . when Peter's focus was taken off the Savior and attracted to the surrounding conditions and great turbulence, he floundered.
How like life for us. We must ever stay focused on the Savior. But if we flounder, as did Peter, we too may be lifted up by the Savior's outstretched hand of help (see Matthew 14:28-30).
I believe Peter learned much about himself as well as the Savior on this occasion.
Of all the episodes associated with the life of Peter, perhaps the most famous and oft-repeated is his denial of the Lord when the [Lord] was being arraigned before the high priest.
The sequence leading up to this scene is important for helping us understand the nature of the denial.
When the Savior finished praying the same prayer for the third time in Gethesemane, the Jerusalem temple police force appeared on the scene ready to arrest Jesus. What happened next is stunning, to be sure, but completely in harmony with everything we know about the boldness, fearlessness and death-defying willingness of Peter to defend the Master.
It must be remembered that Peter's selfless act of protection was done in the face of an armed mob who could have easily overwhelmed the chief apostle. It should be noted that with the retelling of this episode, John highlights a theme woven throughout the evening's happenings: Jesus was extremely protective of His apostles.
All the Gospels report Peter's denial, suggesting to us that this was truly a pivotal event.
What gives us pause is consideration of Peter's motivation. Why did he deny knowing his Master? The reasons usually given range from fear of personal harm, to weakness, to embarrassment, to pride, to indecision or some other reason centering on a flaw or weakness in Peter's character.
However, this seems to contradict everything else we know and have read about Peter . . . and his single-minded resolve to not allow anyone to harm the Savior, especially evil men.
In every instance where the impending arrest or death of Jesus had come to Peter's attention, he had been both quick and forceful to say that he would not let such a thing happen and he would protect Jesus at all costs, even at the peril of his own life, which is what we saw happen in Gethsemane when the armed forces of the chief priests could not intimidate a chief apostle who was ready to battle them all (Matthew 16:21-23; John 18:7-12).
Now we are to believe that in the face of a challenge initially put forward by a slave girl, the most unimportant person imaginable in Jewish society, Peter denied even knowing Jesus for fear of being exposed as a follower?
"Do we understand the circumstances of Peter's denial as well as we think we do?" asked President Spencer W. Kimball.
To what then might we attribute Peter's denial? Simply, to Jesus Himself — to the Savior's request that Peter deny knowing the Savior, not deny the Savior's divinity but deny knowing the Savior.
Why? To ensure His safety as chief apostle and to ensure the continuity and safety of the Quorum of the Twelve.
By the time of His arrest, Jesus had become very protective of His apostles, and the safety of the Quorum had become a major concern for the Savior.
Jesus did not want, and could not let, anything happen to those who were ordained to take over the earthly leadership of the Church.
It is apparent that Jesus knew of Peter's fearlessness in defending Him. He had seen several manifestations of Peter's unswerving, almost reckless commitment to prevent any physical harm from coming to the Savior. And this was something Jesus knew could get Peter into trouble if not tempered.
Therefore, when Jesus told Peter he would deny Him thrice before the cock crowed twice, it was not a prediction; it was a command.
In my view, Peter's denial adds to his stature — not detracts from it.
No doubt Peter endured some awful moments during and just after the Savior's horrible Crucifixion, but the joy of seeing for himself his risen Lord again and knowing that all the messianic promises were truly fulfilled in the Being he had followed the previous three years surely must have made up for the anguish.
After His Resurrection, the Savior appeared to Peter at the Sea of Galilee (called Tiberias in John 21:1) to reinforce the most important lessons of Peter's life. . . . Peter and his associates may have been frustrated, struggling to find their niche during this challenging period of transition.
What else was there to do besides return to their old profession now that things had changed so radically after the Resurrection and they weren't sure exactly how to proceed with the work of the Lord?
After the group had fished all night and caught nothing, Jesus appeared on the shore, told them where to cast their nets, and watched them gather a miraculous harvest.
When Peter realized it was Jesus, he became so eager to be reunited with his Master that he jumped into the water to hurry to shore. There he found that the Savior had fixed a fire and cooked breakfast for him and his associates. What a scene it must have been, and what emotions must have swelled within the disciples. They were cold and tired and hungry. They needed help, and once again there was the Savior to minister to their needs.
We must be clear about this. The Savior of the universe had already performed an eternity's worth of service to them and all humankind through the infinite Atonement. He was God! And yet it was not beneath His dignity to care for their personal needs, to demonstrate His personal concern for their economic circumstances, to warm them and make them comfortable, and even to cook for them.
In this atmosphere of total service and against the backdrop of His personal example of selfless concern of others, Jesus was able to teach Peter what he must do for the rest of his life — feed the Savior's sheep as the Savior had fed him that morning (see John 21:9-17).
Few men in history had the experiences that Peter had. Fewer still refined their understanding of the things of God and honed their spiritual sensitivity as did Peter. Even fewer served the Savior and the kingdom from start to finish with such unflagging courage and selfless dedication as did Peter.
Peter made it clear that Christlike love is the ultimate measure of spiritual progression.
This article was excerpted from Andrew C. Skinner's address given during the 2002 Sidney B. Sperry Symposium at BYU. Brother Skinner serves as dean of Religious Education at BYU.
