With Peter this Holy Week
I was reviewing the passage I’m to read for Good Friday at my church, and was happy to see Peter’s name in that passage.
I’ve came to feel a particular affinity for Peter in my early 30s. I’ve deconstructed the caricatures of him that I knew from my youth (i.e., loud, buffoonish, cowardly, maybe a little dumb, impulsive) and I’ve found an intense, vulnerable man with a strong sense of justice who is willing to take risks for what he cares about. This man and his relationship with his faith, the church and culture have been a beacon for me, inviting to know and love and follow Jesus.
This week, I’m going to pay special attention to where Peter is located throughout the Holy Week stories here on my Substack. (regularly scheduled programming will resume next week)
I’ll share a passage of Scripture for the day, then I’ll ask two main questions: What does this story of Peter show us about Jesus? How might this passage help us make sense of our own stories? I’ll answer those questions maybe by quoting a commentary or other source, but also maybe by offering my thoughts. We’ll see.
Along the way, I might share how Peter’s story and relationship with his Lord has encouraged me (truly, put courage in me) and comforted me in my story of faith.
I’ll begin tomorrow, but by means of introduction, I offer the sonnet below by (you guessed it) Malcolm Guite.
Portrait of St. Peter by Vladimir Paun-Vrapciu
St. Peter // by Malcolm Guite
Impulsive master of misunderstanding
You comfort me with all your big mistakes;
Jumping the ship before you make the landing,
Placing the bet before you know the stakes.
I love the way you step out without knowing,
The way you sometimes speak before you think,
The way your broken faith is always growing,
The way he holds you even when you sink.
Born to a world that always tried to shame you,
Your shaky ego vulnerable to shame,
I love the way that Jesus chose to name you,
Before you knew how to deserve that name.
And in the end your Saviour let you prove
That each denial is undone by love.