The life of the Apostle Peter is filled with holiness and service to God. Thanks to this, an ordinary fisherman who believes in the true existence of the Lord becomes the apostle of Jesus Christ.
Life before the Messiah
The apostle Peter, who once had the name Simon, was born in Palestine, in the city of Bethsaida. He had a wife and children, engaged in fishing on Lake Hennisaret. Simon's work was truly dangerous: the calm of the waters could instantly be replaced by a storm. Thus, the future apostle could fly fishing days, thereby earning a living for his family. Such work nurtured will and perseverance in him, which later came in very handy: after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the hungry and tired Peter wandered through the vast expanses of the earth, spreading true faith.
The road to the Lord was opened to Simon thanks to his brother Andrew. A fiery love for Christ was kindled in him for the rest of his life. For his devotion and faithfulness, the Lord brought him closer to himself than all the apostles.
On the right hand of Christ
There are many biblical stories connected with the apostle Peter. One of them tells about how Simon and his comrades were fishing all night, but could not catch anything. And only in the morning, when the Lord entered the boat of the future apostle, ordering again to throw fishing nets, he received a big catch. There were so many fish that part of the catch had to be located in the next vessel of his comrades. Simon was overwhelmed by the horror of an unprecedented amount of fish. With trepidation, he turned to the Lord and, falling to his knees, asked Him to leave the boat, considering himself unworthy, is next to Jesus Christ. But the Lord, choosing Simon for himself as his faithful disciple, lifted him from his knees and proclaimed not only "a fisherman, but also people." Under the load of the catch, both boats began to sink, but the Lord helped the fishermen pull the ship ashore. Leaving everything, the man followed Christ, becoming a close disciple along with John the Theologian and James.
Why did Simon deserve the special favor of the Lord?
Once, being with his disciples, Christ asked them who they considered him to be. The Apostle Peter, without hesitation, answered that He is the true Son of the Lord and the Messiah, which the prophet Elijah spoke of . For this recognition, Jesus Christ proclaimed him worthy of the kingdom of heaven, giving him the keys to paradise. These words of the Lord should not be taken literally. Jesus Christ meant that from now on the holy apostle Peter is the helper and protector of people who are “lost” due to human weakness, creating lawlessness, but repented and corrected. Peter, the disciple of Jesus, sinned more than all the apostles, but he always confessed to his misconduct, as the pages of scripture attest.
Once, when the Lord stepped on water, Peter wanted to approach his teacher and asked him to help him perform the same miracle. Stepping on the sea surface, the apostle went on the water. Suddenly, sensing a strong wind, he became frightened and began to sink, urging the Lord to save him. Jesus rebuked Peter in lack of faith and, giving his hand, pulled him out of the depths of the sea. Thus, the Son of God delivered the apostle from death and despair, which was the result of lack of faith.
Great sin
While faithful to Jesus, the holy apostle Peter heard from the Son of God a bitter prediction that he would renounce Christ before the rooster crows at dawn. Not believing these words, Peter always swore allegiance and devotion to God.
But one day, when they arrested Christ after Judas betrayal, the apostle and another disciple followed the Lord to the court of the high priest, where they were going to interrogate the Son of God. Jesus heard many accusations against him. False witnesses beat him and spat on his face, but Christ bore all torment. At this moment, Peter was in the yard and basking in the fire. One of the servants of the house noticed him and said that the apostle was with Jesus. The fear that wound Peter's heart did not allow him to confess this. Frightened for his life, the apostle denied the Lord and said that he did not know this person. Another servant who saw Peter leaving was confirmed that she had seen him with Jesus. The apostle swore that he never knew him. The slaves of the high priest who were nearby said with confidence that Peter was one of the disciples of Christ, but he continued to deny this in fear. Hearing the cock cry, the saint recalled the prophetic words of the Son of God and in tears left the house, bitterly repenting of their deeds.
This biblical story is very allegorical of the human soul. Thus, some theologians believe that Peter’s conviction as a servant is nothing more than a manifestation of the weakness of the human spirit, and the cry of a rooster is the voice of the Lord from heaven, not allowing us to relax and helping us to keep awake.
In the Gospel of John the Theologian, Jesus Christ completely restores Peter as his disciple, asking three times about his love for God. Having received the affirmative answer three times, the Son of God instructs the apostle to continue to shepherd “his sheep,” that is, to teach the people the Christian faith.
Transfiguration
Before Jesus Christ was arrested and then crucified, he appeared to three of his disciples (Peter, James, and John) in God's guise on Mount Tabor. At that moment, the apostles also saw the prophets Moses and Elijah and heard the voice of God the Father instructing the disciples. The saints saw the kingdom of heaven, not yet being bodily dead. After the miraculous Transfiguration, the Lord forbade his disciples to talk about what he saw. And again, the apostle Peter was called to see the greatness of God, thereby even closer to the kingdom of heaven.
Pass to heaven
The apostle Peter is the keeper of the keys of the kingdom of God. Having sinned in the face of the Lord more than once, he became a vehicle between God and people. After all, who, no matter how he knew the whole weakness of the human essence, and he himself was once plunged into this powerlessness. Only through Christian faith and repentance was Peter able to comprehend the Truth and enter the Kingdom of God. The Lord, seeing the devotion of His disciple, allowed him to be the guardian of Heavenly Paradise, giving him the right to let in those souls of people whom he considers worthy.
Some theologians (for example, St. Augustine) are convinced that the gates of Eden are not only guarded by the apostle Peter. The keys to paradise also belong to other students. After all, the Lord always addressed the apostles in the person of Peter as the chief among his brothers.
After the resurrection of Christ
To the chief of the apostles, Jesus appeared first after his resurrection. And after 50 days, the Holy Spirit, who visited all the disciples, endowed Peter with unprecedented spiritual strength and the opportunity to preach the word of God. On this day, the apostle was able to convert 3,000 people to the faith of Christ, making a fiery speech, filled with love for the Lord. A few days later, by the will of God, Peter was able to heal a person from limp. The news of this miracle spread among the Jews, after which another 5,000 people became Christians. The power that the Lord endowed Peter, even came from his shadow, which, overshadowing the hopeless patients lying on the street, healed.
Dungeon escape
During the reign of Herod Agrippa, Saint Peter was caught by persecutors of Christians and imprisoned with the apostle James, who was later killed. Believers in Christ prayed unceasingly for the life of Peter. The Lord heard the voice of the people, and the angel appeared in prison to Peter. Heavy shackles fell from the apostle, and he was quietly able to leave the prison.
Each of the students chose his own path. Peter preached in Antioch and on the Mediterranean coast, worked miracles and converted people to Christian faith, and then went to Egypt, where he also spoke about the coming of Jesus Christ.
Student death
The Apostle Peter, knowingly by the will of God, knew when his death would come. At that time, he was able to convert to Christianity the 2 wives of the Roman emperor Nero, which caused the unprecedented anger of the ruler. The Christians who were persecuted and exterminated at that time persuaded the apostle to leave the city in order to avoid death. Leaving the gate, Peter met Christ himself on his way. The astonished apostle asked the son of God where He was going, and he heard the answer: "To be crucified again." At that moment, Peter realized that it was his turn to suffer for faith and enter the kingdom of heaven. He humbly returned to the city and was captured by the Gentiles. Death of the apostle Petra was tormented - he was crucified on the cross. The only thing he managed to do was to persuade the executioners to execute him upside down. Simon believed that he was not worthy to die the same death as the Messiah himself. That is why the inverted crucifix is the cross of the Apostle Peter.
Crucifixion of the apostle
Some confuse this symbolism with Satanic movements. In the anti-Christian teachings, it is the inverted cross that is used as a kind of mockery and disrespect for the faith of the Orthodox and Catholics. In fact, the crucifixion of the Apostle Peter has nothing to do with this. As such, it is not used in worship, but takes place as a historical fact. In addition, the cross of Peter is carved on the back of the throne of the Pope, as this apostle is considered the founder of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, the wider spread of this crucifixion causes many disputes and disagreements among many, mostly unbelievers and ignorant of church matters. So, for example, when the Pope arrived on a visit to Israel with the Peter (inverted) cross, many regarded this as his hidden belonging to Satanism. The depiction of this crucifixion on epitrachili (church garment) of the head of the Catholic Church also causes ambiguous associations among atheists who condemn the act of the disciple of Christ. Nevertheless, it is impossible for a simple person to fairly judge Peter, who was able to recover from human weakness and spiritually rise. Being a "poor spirit", the apostle Peter, whose biography is complex and multifaceted, did not dare to take the place of Christ. But, defending his faith, he dies in torment in the same way as the once Son of God.
Petrov
In honor of Peter, the Orthodox Church established a period of fasting, starting a week after the Trinity and ending July 12 - the day of Peter and Paul. Fasting proclaims the “firmness” of the Apostle Peter (his name means “stone”) and the prudence of the Apostle Paul. Petrov’s post is less strict than the Great Post - you can eat vegetable food and oil, as well as fish (except Wednesday and Friday).
Peter, a disciple of Christ, is a great example to many lost, but willing souls to repent. For those who correct their sinful lives, the apostle Peter will certainly open the gates of Eden with the keys that the Lord commanded him to possess.