WHO IS THIS FISHERMAN?

By John Santosuosso

      He must have been a physically strong man. On the waters of Galilee there were no outboard motors or electric starters. You had to depend on your skills with the sails and your stamina with the oars. In all probability, like most of the rest of the population he was illiterate. After all, he did not need to read and there was very little available to read anyway. We know he had a wife whom he dearly loved (Matthew 8:14-15, I Corinthians 9:5) An ancient tradition claims he was a witness to her martydom for the Christian faith. 

      Yes, on one occasion he denied his Lord (Luke 22:55-65), but on another Jesus will declare him the "Rock" (Matthew 16:18) We must respectfully disagree with Roman Catholicism that this made Peter the first Pope (a married Pope?), as it will be several centuries before the institution of the Papacy appears to really emerge. However, he does take on leadership of the original Apostles, and only Mary Magdalene has a more prominent role in the Gospel accounts of witnesses to the empty tomb. 

      The New Testament is silent on exactly when and why he went to Rome, but there is near unanimous agreement that he did and became the first bishop of the Church of Rome. In the year 64, or very close to that date, he died a martyr during the persecutions of the Emperor Nero. Tradition says he was crucified upside down as he declared he was not worthy to die in the way his Lord had given up his life.

      While all of this makes Peter a person we might hold in awe, it is not what may well be the most important step he ever took for the fledgling Christian faith of his day. For some reason unknown to me, it seems to be largely overlooked despite its importance. We have only one resurrection account actually written by the person who experienced it. That of course could not be Peter. As we have already noted, he most likely was illiterate. It was that of the Apostle Paul (I Corinthians 15:1-9). While this is important, remember that Paul, unlike Peter, never knew Jesus before his crucifixion. Paul must have felt there were some pieces still to be added to what he had experienced, because three years later he felt compelled to make a trip to Jerusalem. There he met with only two people, James, brother of our Lord, and Simon Peter. Both knew Jesus before his crucifixion, and both had witnessed the resurrection. Paul claims he spent fifteen days with Peter. Oh, how wonderful it would be if we had a transcript of their conversations. Undoubtedly Peter was able to reassure Paul of what they both had witnessed and give him an account of the life of Jesus. In effect, Simon Peter put his seal of approval on Paul's resurrection account!

      We claim Simon Peter as our Patron Saint. We can take genuine pride in that, but with the pride comes tremendous responsibility. If we claim Peter as one of our own are we ready to bring honor to his name by following in the footsteps of the one Peter followed? If so, then as Albert Schweitzer wrote years ago, in our own time, just as Peter did, we will come to know just who He is.