96. Beginner Bible Course: About those two calls of Simon Peter by Jesus...?

EPISODE 96  The simple Bible overview of…ARE THE TWO CALLS OF SIMON PETER BY JESUS CONTRADICTORY? 

We now look at the greatest sermon Jesus ever gave somewhat argue the greatest sermon ever given. But before we do, I want to take another quick lap on the disciples. If you haven't listened to episode 88 on the disciples, please do that as well. At the end of Jesus' first year, he picks up Matthew, his next disciple at a tax booth in Capernum. As far as we know, Matthew is the last disciple he added to his posse of 12. It's now complete, but there's an issue that comes up in the text. In Luke chapter five, we get a peek into an interaction between Jesus and Peter and his brother. Andrew. Remember Luke is a master historian.

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He works hard to get his facts straight. So this is pretty likely an accurate incident in this incident. Jesus is at the sea of Galilee. The crowds are massive. In fact, he's teaching on the shore and they're pushing him almost into the water. There's a pair of fishermen with a pair of small boats. They're on the shore. These guys are washing their nets. Jesus asked them, Hey, could I use your boat as a pulpit, push me out there a little way is so I can talk from the water. They're happy to do so they help the rabbi embark on the boat. And the three of them push out a ways when Jesus has done, he says, Hey guys, let's give fishing another little, try throw your nets into the water.

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Let's give it a shot. Simon. Must've rolled his eyes a bit as if to say you do the preaching. We'll do the fishing. Thank you. He says to Jesus master, we've been out all night. This is the dead sea right now. But if you say so, we'll give it one. Try. The short story is the nets got so full of fish. They could barely get it into the boat at this Simon. Peter says to Jesus depart from me. I'm a sinful man. Oh Lord. Peter knows. This is one of those moments that can't be explained by human or natural powers. It's as if something or someone called those fish to leap into the net at this Jesus replies.

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Don't be afraid. Come on, follow me and fish for men. And this is precisely what causes a problem for some Bible readers. If you've been following along, Jesus meets Andrew and Simon. At the very beginning of his ministry, back at his baptism, the day they meet him, they hang out with him and talk. Then in a few months, Jesus goes home to preach in his hometown Nazareth. And shortly thereafter ends up at Capernum in Matthew chapter four, we see these two brothers on the sea of Galilee casting their nets into the sea. Jesus calls them and they dropped their nets, leave their boats and follow Jesus. And so do James and John to other fishermen.

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But here we have completely different circumstances at a later time in Jesus' ministry. The two most likely conclusions are this first. These are contradictory passages about calling of Andrew and Simon. Peter. In other words, either Matthew or Luke, get it wrong. That presents a real problem in terms of the inspiration of scripture or how these men were carried along by the Holy spirit as they wrote. But there's a second possibility. Simon Peter was called more than once by Jesus. In other words, after that first Matthew four call when he's out fishing drops his nets and follows Jesus. He could have gone back to his occupation of fishing, taking Andrew with him.

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And a few weeks or months later, Jesus could have called him back to his apprenticeship as a disciple with this Luke five. Let me preach from your boat. Massive catch of fish incident personally. I think it's not a contradiction. It's the second option. Simon. Peter had a hard time sticking in there as an apprentice of Jesus. I believe we'll see this later after Jesus' death and resurrection, Simon, Peter says to the disciples, I'm going fishing. I don't think that means I need a day on the water to relax boys. I think that means I'm going back to doing what I know I can do and not fail at.

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We'll see, in John 21, after the resurrection, Jesus has another calling of Peter from the boat moment. And church tradition suggests that right before his martyrdom by Nero, Peter tried to bail out. One more time. Tradition says he tried to escape Rome, but somehow on the way was met by God or prompted by God through his spirit to not bail out on Jesus. Another time tradition says he turned around, went back into Rome and was crucified upside down. Peter like many of us have a hard time hanging in there as an apprentice of Jesus. As Jesus himself said, following him is a narrow Rocky path.

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One other comment about the disciples or apprentices of Jesus Mark chapter three says while Jesus may have collected them like flowers along the way, there was a moment that he kind of formally put them into a bow. Kay, after spending all night in prayer, Jesus chose 12 and then more important still. He explains why Jesus chose those 12 men that they might be with him and that he might send them forth to preach and to cast out demons. I want to drive that home a moment. Why did he choose 12 first that they might be with him if Jesus was Emmanuel God with us.

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And if God's plan for man was, I will be your God. You'll be my people. And we will dwell together. It makes sense that Jesus would want to be with people in an intimate daily relationship. And if that was true, then that would also be true. Now the first objective of being his apprentice is to be with Jesus. That is relationship. The second objective is once with him to go and do our assignment. He gives us in his name to get to work. I asked my students which way do you lean toward being with Jesus or doing stuff for him? Then I challenged them being with comes first and is most important.

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And if doing stuff for Jesus is their tendency to over-correct. If I don't get to it in these podcasts, I'll point you to an example, two sisters, Mary and Martha, look them up and read about them. One had a strong tendency to be with Jesus, the other, a strong tendency to do for Jesus eavesdrop on their conversation. And I think you'll see being with comes before doing okay. So Jesus now has his bow Kay of 12 disciples. It's the beginning of his second year of ministry, Matthew chapter five and Luke chapter six, tell us Jesus then took his 12 Tagalongs up on a gentle hillside looking down on Lake Galilee, a whole bunch of people in the crowd followed them.

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Jesus took them up there on this hillside to teach them. It turned into a sermon, an amazing sermon, a sermon that only took 20 minutes. If he stopped to Pat babies on the head along the way, but a sermon that is mind blowing. The people had been waiting expectantly for the coming promise. Son of David, the King in this sermon, Jesus is going to explain what it's like in this kingdom he would bring and what he expects from its citizens. I encourage you to go to Matthew chapters, five, six, and seven, and read that sermon transcript for yourself. Then come back and I'm going to give you a peek at his sermon notes in our next wordpicture.