New Identity

What was Simon Peter like before Jesus called him to be an apostle?

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. - Luke 5:1-11

Peter would go on to become the head of the church, but here, in the beginning, when Jesus already had a following, Simon Peter described himself as a sinful man.

We don't think of him that way, do we?

It may be fitting that Jesus gives him a new name, so that people who knew Simon the fisherman, might come to know him as someone new, Peter, the apostle.

We don't know much about his past, why he called himself a sinner and felt unworthy.  But that doesn't matter to Jesus, he calls him anyway.

He offers him a new identity and a new life.

In Christ, we are all given a chance to become someone new, to leave behind all we have been and done and find a new meaning for our lives.

If the goal of Christ's ministry is to find the lost souls and sinners, then who better to do the job than lost souls and sinners?

When we start to think of ourselves as righteous and others as sinners, we miss the point of God's love and mercy.  We are all called to follow, like Simon, and God knows who and what we are.

So, we should set aside our prejudices and see ourselves as Jesus sees us.  We may be surprised how much better our lives can be when we walk with him.

More to come...