First Peter: A Commentary
by Hunter Irvine
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
I Peter 1:1(a) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,... (NIV).
The first time I ever began a study of the book of I Peter, I had a sense of awe realizing I was studying Scripture which was written by the Apostle Peter whose enthusiasm, outgoing nature, and leadership gifts put him at the forefront as an apostle in the narratives of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Being at the forefront was not always a positive. Yet even in his worst hour, the hour when he lied and said he did not know Jesus, Peter soon responded by weeping “bitterly.” And we get to see a transformation of Peter. From a man swift to act according to his emotions, carrying out acts such as cutting off an ear of a servant of the high priest at the arrest of Jesus, Peter becomes a man who preached the Gospel with steadfast conviction after believers in Jesus were baptized with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
Though Peter is a person with a major focus in the first twelve books of Acts, the author, Luke, then completely shifts his attention to the ministry of Paul. This was soon after Peter grasped the fact that the gospel of Jesus is for Jewish people and everyone else also. Peter stated: “…that everyone who believes in [Jesus] receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43 NIV). Thus Luke was probably flowing with the theme of how Jesus came to be the Savior and Lord for Jewish people and Gentiles, people who were not Jewish, by shifting to a focus on the immediate ministry work of Paul to Gentiles. And how important to remember that the Gospel of Jesus today is still for Jewish people and everyone else. So after Acts 12:19, no more is said of Peter. What did happen to Peter? Luke does not tell us. Fortunately, I Peter does. Written by Peter years later, we can learn of what was on Peter’s heart first hand. Other Scripture gives narrative about Peter. In his two letters, we learn straight from the man himself.
Now before Peter ever wrote I Peter, he had already influenced the production of Scripture. The book of Mark bears the witness of Peter. Early Christians make it clear the author of Mark was a companion of Peter. Personally I have the rare view that Mark was a physical son of Peter, (I add I had the wrong name written here for years, which was an unfortunate typo. I apologize for that!), based on I Peter 5:13. If you really want to know about my unique thesis on that, I outlined my thesis within my overview of the book of Mark in 2008:
https://hunter-ntintro.blogspot.com/2008/09/mark-background.html
However most think the author of Mark was the person in the Bible called ‘John Mark.’ Early Christians state Mark wrote down much from what he heard from Peter. Apostolic authority was acknowledged to the book of Mark because of Peter.
https://hunter-ntintro.blogspot.com/2008/09/mark-background.html
However most think the author of Mark was the person in the Bible called ‘John Mark.’ Early Christians state Mark wrote down much from what he heard from Peter. Apostolic authority was acknowledged to the book of Mark because of Peter.
I think my interest was increased considering the two epistles by Peter seemed neglected in the churches I was a part of during for years as a Christian, probably since many of us Protestants, as my Roman Catholic friends would surely agree, are a tad leery of the apostle. Reason for hesitation by some Protestants is based on a theological argument which has gone on for around 1800 years concerning whether or not Peter was the vicar of Jesus. He was not. A commentary on Matthew would be a place for an examination of this issue. Instead I will start this introduction by saying what Peter was: Peter was a man who went from being a fisherman to being a man who was a minister for Jesus as an Apostle of Christ for around thirty years. Yes Protestants and Catholics on the whole agree on precisely what is written in this epistle; Peter was an apostle. For thirty plus years he served the Messiah in this world! Jesus had told Peter that if he followed Him, then he would be made into a fisher of people. Peter did follow, and a fisher of people he became indeed, just like the other apostles, minus Judas.
What is an apostle? The word means “sent forth.”(1) “The Jews so called those who carried about letters from their rulers.”(2) This definition comes from a classic Bible dictionary. It dispels the idea that an apostle is some sort of ruler. Instead, an apostle has a message from the King, who is Jesus. And regarding a specific attribute of an apostle: “It seems to have been essential to this high office, 1. That they should have seen the Lord, and have been eye and ear witnesses of what they testified to the world (John 15:27; Acts 1:21).”(3)
Before I dive in, I have to affirm the authenticity of this book of Scripture by early Christians. Both Irenaeus and Papias quoted or referenced I Peter according to Eusebius.(4) Papias was an early disciple of Christ, who knew people who had interacted with certain apostles. I can tell you where I was when I first read a quote of Papias, which was given by Eusebius. Listen to what Papias said: “But if I met with anyone who had been a follower of the elders anywhere, I made it a point to inquire what were the declarations of the elders. What was said by Andrew, Peter, or Philip. What by Thomas, James, John, Matthew, or any other of the disciples of our Lord. What was said by Aristion, and the presbyter John, disciples of the Lord; for I do not think that I derived so much benefit from books as from the living voice of those that are still surviving.”(5) Papias! I like this guy! He wanted to talk with the people who had talked with the Apostles. He wanted to hear the stories first hand. He was after the truth. Now Papias wanted to talk with people face to face, and I think he would dislike email if he were living in this day and age, but even he recognized the value of books, writing a book in five volumes himself, according to Irenaeus from an account by Eusebius. Unfortunately all of those book volumes have been lost. Boy would I love to read just one of those volumes. Yet we have something better before us. We have the writing of Peter, an apostle of Jesus, who was inspired by God to write this letter. This personal epistle can be read with such interest as you would read any letter from a friend who is willing to make an attempt to walk on water. Yet it should also be read with reverence and discernment, looking for the messages of the Holy Spirit, which we can listen to right here and now.
Hunter
Footnotes:
(1) Smith’s Bible Dictionary (Philadelphia: A.J. Holman Co.,
1901), 20.
(2) Smith’s Bible Dictionary (Philadelphia: A.J. Holman Co.,
1901), 20.
(3) Smith’s Bible Dictionary (Philadelphia: A.J. Holman Co.,
1901), 20.
(4) Eusebius, Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, trans. C.F. Cruse
(Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 164 and 106.
(5) Eusebius, Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, trans. C.F. Cruse
(Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 104.
