Introduction

When you learn to kayak in rough waters, you’re taught not to focus on the obstacles you want to avoid. If you keep looking at a rock in the water, you’ll end up steering toward it. Instead, you should focus on the path you want to follow.

Fear works similarly. It draws our attention to what we most want to avoid. When that happens, fear starts to guide our choices. We might think we’re being practical or realistic, but it’s really our fears that are in control.

Today, I want to talk about how fear affected Peter’s life. Peter truly wanted to be faithful to Jesus, but there were times when he fell short. Fear took hold of him, and he lost sight of the person he hoped to become.

But Peter’s story is also one of hope. Even though he failed, he eventually learned to trust God, and that faith gave him strength where fear once ruled. His example reminds us that we all have a choice between fear and faith.

Background on Peter

Before we talk about Peter’s mistakes, it helps to understand where he came from. Peter didn’t start out thinking he was important. He lived in Capernaum, a small fishing town in Galilee, far from Jerusalem. He likely expected to spend his life as a fisherman, not as someone famous or influential. 

But meeting Jesus changed everything for Peter. At first, he followed Jesus because he was an interesting teacher who invited Peter to join him. As time went on, Peter realized Jesus was no ordinary teacher. Peter began to wonder if Jesus might actually be the Messiah—God’s promised king.

People in Peter’s time hoped the Messiah would end the shame the Jews had felt since being conquered by Babylon six centuries earlier. A new king would mean freedom from Roman rule, something Peter probably wanted his whole life. If Jesus was really the king, Peter, as a close friend, might even have an important role in this new kingdom. Suddenly, a fisherman with simple dreams was imagining a much bigger future.

Peter was filled with hope and excitement when Jesus asked a fateful question. So we come to the first of three episodes of Peter’s failure: He rebuked Jesus.

Peter’s Epic Meltdown

Rebuking Jesus (Mark 8:31-33)

Towards the end of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus asked his disciples the question that had been on their minds for the preceding three years. “Who Am I?” He asked who People were saying Jesus was. The crowds could see there was something different about Jesus, even if they couldn’t put their fingers on it. People mused that he could be the reincarnation of John the Baptist (who had recently been murdered by Herod Antipas), or the second coming of Elijah or another of the prophets of old. But then Jesus asks who the disciples think he is, and Peter finally gives voice to what he had only dared to hope. He says that Jesus is the Messiah.

Oddly, Jesus’ response is to swear the disciples to secrecy. Why? What he says next sheds some light on it.

³¹ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again (Mark 8:31, NIV).

Wait! Killed!? That didn’t make sense to Peter. The Messiah was supposed to be king, and Kings don’t reign after they’re dead. It was like Peter had finally allowed himself to hope, only to have those hopes dashed. So Peter decided to speak up.

Peter took him [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke him. 

³³ But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” 

³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it (Mark 8:32b–35, NIV).

I’m sure Peter thought he was talking sense to Jesus, who seemed to him to be speaking nonsense. But deep down, it was Peter’s fear talking.

He had hoped his nation’s shame would end and his own life would change for the better. Jesus’ words about dying threatened all of that. Peter was afraid that God wouldn’t do the things he wanted God to do. He worried that God’s plan didn’t line up with his dreams— where the Jews would defeat the Romans, and Peter would get a big promotion. Peter isn’t alone in this struggle.

How often do we talk about trusting God, but the subtext is that we trust him to do what we want? I trust God to make sure my marriage is always wonderful, to make me successful at work and recognized for that success, or to keep me healthy and prosperous. We might not say it out loud, but sometimes our prayers are really something like, “My kingdom come. My will be done on earth as Yours is in heaven.” 

We want Jesus to help us get the life we dream of. But Jesus didn’t come to give us an easy path—he calls us to follow him, even when it’s hard. Fear can make us ignore or misunderstand that call. Jesus told Peter and the other disciples three times what was going to happen, but each time, Peter’s fear kept him from understanding God’s plan. Many of us can probably relate to his story.

Disowning Jesus (Mark 14:27-31, 66-72)

We see fear at work in a different way at the very end of Jesus’ ministry. At the last supper, Jesus explains to his disciples what’s about to happen.

²⁷ “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: 

“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’ 

²⁸ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 

²⁹ Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” 

³⁰ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” 

³¹ But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same (Mark 14:27–31, NIV).

Jesus told his disciples they would all fall away, but also promised he would rise and meet them again in Galilee. Peter was sure he would stand by Jesus, even if everyone else left. He insisted he would stay loyal, even if it meant dying.

Jesus saw through Peter’s bravado. He knew Peter was afraid, even if Peter didn’t realize it himself. So Jesus told Peter directly that he would deny knowing him three times before the rooster crowed twice.

After dinner, Jesus led them to the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked Peter, James and John to pray, but they fell asleep. It was there that Judas arrived with soldiers to arrest Jesus. Peter tried to defend Jesus with a sword, but Jesus told him to stop. Later, Peter followed the crowd to see what would happen, but when things got dangerous, his fear took over.

⁶⁶ While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. 

“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. 

⁶⁸ But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. 

⁶⁹ When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” ⁷⁰ Again he denied it. 

After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 

⁷¹ He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” 

⁷² Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept (Mark 14:66–72, NIV).

It’s easy to understand why Peter was afraid. The authorities had just arrested Jesus, and as one of his key followers, Peter could be seen as a threat too. He had also attacked a servant during the arrest, so if he was recognized, he could be in serious trouble. Peter could have run away, just as Jesus said would happen. But Peter was sure he would act differently.

Peter was no coward. Even though it was misguided, drawing his sword to defend Jesus was a dangerous thing to do. But bravery is one thing when we feel like our fate is in our own hands. It’s a lot harder to be brave when we feel out of control. Peter was willing to go out in a blaze of glory, but to trust his fate to God alone was harder.

The hardest time to follow God is the time when we have to surrender control and trust in God’s faithfulness. That was when Peter’s fear took over. When we feel out of control, we must choose to trust that God is in control, or our fear will take over.

Chances are, we won’t face deadly violence for our faith. But there are times when following God means we will have to give up control. And that can fill us with crippling fear. I’d like to think that I trust God, but I remember second-guessing that trust when the stakes were real. When I went to Seminary, I remember wondering how we’d make our mortgage payments. I remember thinking, “God, if you don’t come through for us, we could lose our house.” Suddenly, trust involved possible serious consequences, and I realized how it’s not always easy. It’s easy to justify compromise in those moments.

Peter probably thought he was taking sensible steps to protect his safety, not hurting Jesus. But after the rooster crowed and he remembered Jesus’ words, he saw how empty his promises had been. Fear had made his earlier confidence meaningless.

What could Peter have done differently? In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had warned Peter, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). The Spirit of God gives us strength, but the flesh—our old, untransformed nature—is weak. Jesus’ solution is prayer: In prayer we see Jesus surrender his will to the Father, and the Father strengthens him. This is how Jesus overcame his fear and stayed faithful to God. But Peter slept instead of praying, so when the test came, fear won. If we don’t pray, fear will win in our lives too. But if we stay connected to God, as Jesus showed us in the garden, we can hope to stand firm in faith instead of giving in to fear.

Breaking Fellowship with Gentiles (Gal. 2:11-16)

The third story from Peter’s life takes place in the years after Jesus’ ministry. The early church began as a Jewish group, but God used Peter to bring the gospel to non-Jews. An angel told a Roman centurion named Cornelius to send for Peter. When Peter came and preached, Cornelius and his friends believed and received the Holy Spirit, showing God accepted them as his own, even if they didn’t practice Jewish customs. Still, most Christians kept the gospel within Jewish circles until some people in Antioch, who apparently hadn’t got the memo, started preaching to Gentiles.

Eventually, the church leaders in Jerusalem heard about this and sent Peter to check it out. He was happy to see Gentiles coming to faith and ate with them, which showed acceptance. In that culture, sharing a meal showed you accepted someone. This is remarkable because for Jews, eating with Gentiles was taboo.

Later, more people arrived from Jerusalem, sent by James, Jesus’ brother, and some were unhappy that Gentiles were being accepted without following Jewish customs. Instead of standing up to them, Peter gave in and stopped eating with the Gentiles. This led to a public disagreement with Paul, which Paul describes in Galatians 2.

A note: Paul uses the name “Cephas,” which is Peter’s name in Aramaic. “Peter” is the Greek Translation.

¹¹ When Cephas [Peter’s name in Aramaic] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. 

¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? (Galatians 2:11–14, NIV).

Once again, Peter let fear guide him. He wanted to avoid conflict with other Christians. While it’s good to avoid needless arguments, some issues are too important to ignore. By backing down, Peter was sending a message that Gentiles were second-class in God’s kingdom. Instead of arguing with the visitors from Jerusalem, Peter ended up in a public dust-up with Paul.

Paul saw that Peter’s fear was causing him to compromise on a key truth: Jesus is Lord of everyone, not just the Jews. This story might surprise us because Peter seemed so changed after Pentecost. But it shows that even when God has worked in our lives, we can still fall into fear. We need to stay alert to this danger. Like Peter, we can fall into the same trap.

Today, people argue about almost everything. Christians fight over baptism and communion, ways of reading the Bible, spiritual gifts, the place of women, or whether or how to include LGBTQ people in the life of the church. These may be issues about which we feel passionate, but none of these is really an issue of salvation; some central issues will always be non-negotiable.

This was really about whether Gentiles were welcomed, so it had huge implications. So going along to get along does tremendous real-world harm. We face the same challenge. We know not every fight is one worth having, but we’re not sure which fights are essential.

Do we stay silent when people use Christianity to harm or exclude others? I’ve heard lots of stories of US Pastors, cowed into silence, when their congregations became rabidly anti-immigrant. Other forms of Christianity degrade the poor, or those who have struggled with mental illness. These are issues worth speaking up about—not to win an argument, but to help others see the harm being done. Remember, we argue to persuade our brother or sister of wrong, not to virtue signal to the people who see things the same way we do. We need wisdom to pick the right fights, and not to allow the fights to embitter us. But Fear can keep us on the sidelines.

Peter’s Epic Redemption

Up until now we’ve focused on Peter’s failures, but he was also someone who could learn from his mistakes. 

Peter Fights for Gentile Inclusion (Acts 15:7-11) 

An example of this happened a year or two after Peter’s disagreement with Paul. Church leaders met in Jerusalem to decide if Gentiles had to become Jews to be Christians. While Peter had avoided taking a stand when he was in Antioch, this time he spoke up and supported including Gentiles.

⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are” (Acts 15:7–11, NIV).

Peter could have taken a contrary position to Paul just to defend his pride. Instead, He listened to the criticism, humbled himself, and showed courage where he hadn’t before.

Peter’s Death

The second anecdote that shows Peter’s redemption is how he responded to mortal danger years after his failure during Holy Week. After Peter’s failure, he had an encounter with Jesus where Jesus restored him to his position of leadership. At the end of that exchange, Jesus says something a bit odd:

¹⁸ Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”(John 21:18–19, NIV).

Jesus was predicting that Peter would one day follow Jesus on the literal way of the cross. The Bible doesn’t narrate the story of Peter’s death, but church tradition is unanimous that he was crucified in Rome under Nero around AD 64.

Peter’s death might seem like a sad ending, but it actually shows how much he changed. On Maundy Thursday, fear overcame Peter’s devotion to Jesus, just as Jesus predicted. But later, the risen Jesus said that next time, Peter’s faith would be stronger than his fear. If the church traditions are correct, then that’s exactly what happened.

Conclusion: Fear or Faith

So what can we learn from Peter? Fear can undermine our faith. If we let it control us, we might end up working against God, denying his work, or staying silent when we should speak up. If we don’t face our fears, we can end up heading straight for the problems we wanted to avoid.

But Peter’s story also shows that God can change us. Even if fear has led us to fail before, we can learn and grow. With God’s help, we can be transformed. Peter went from ignoring Gentiles to defending them, and from denying Jesus to standing firm, even when it cost him his life.

I encourage you to be honest with yourself about times when fear has led you to fail. Maybe you hesitated to follow God because you were afraid of missing out. Maybe fear kept you from trusting God with important things, or from speaking up against injustice.

Many will say that people don’t change, and often that’s true. But God’s Spirit can change us. Peter’s failures show how powerful that change can be. Our past mistakes don’t have to stop us from future success. So if fear is speaking to you today, remember to focus on where you want to go, not on what you’re afraid of.

Remember especially the power of prayer—Peter neglected to pray, and he failed because his flesh was weak. In Prayer, Jesus surrendered to the Father, and because he did, he found the power to stand firm. Even though that meant giving up his life. In prayer, Jesus remembered that death wasn’t the end of the story. The God who sent Jesus to the cross had promised to raise him to new life.

That same God may ask us to make sacrifices, maybe our lives, our reputations, our livelihoods or our agendas. But the one who loses their life for the sake of the gospel will save their life. Everything we fear is temporary, because if we belong to Christ, our destiny is resurrection to new life. So choose not to fear; rather, choose to believe.