From Peter to the Papacy

(From Chapter 1) Peter's Call First call. The first contact Peter had with the Master took place shortly after Jesus' baptism, and apparently in early morning; at that moment the Master scrutinized (emblepsas) Simon intimately with piercing eyes, just as would happen a second time following his denial. On that occasion he announced the future change of his name with the phrase, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (Jn. 1:42). Peter left for Capernaum the next day by way of Cana (which was the birthplace of Nathanael, who might be the apostle Bartholomew; Jn. 2:1,2) with Jesus and the early apostles. Since it was on the third day of a marriage that they went to Cana (Jn. 2:1), we might assume that though the disciples had arrived a few days late it would have given them yet ample opportunity to participate in the nuptials which customarily lasted seven days. The scarcity of wine is the more understandable in such a situation since it had been consumed more abundantly in the earlier banquets than was anticipated. Here Peter personally witnessed the miracle of the changing of water into wine (Jn. 2:11). After a brief stay in Capernaum with Jesus' mother, brothers, and disciples, Peter returned to his own work with the other apostles, but maintained contact with the Master who was beginning his public ministry (Jn. 2:12). Second call. At a later date, Peter was definitively called by Jesus to leave his fishing and to follow the Master in his mission. We have two varying accounts of this apostolic call, a shorter one belonging to the first two synoptics and the longer one presented by Luke. According to Mark and Matthew, Jesus found Peter and Andrew while they were casting a net (amphiblestron) into the sea from the shore and he promised to make them fishers of men. Then, continuing on, he called James and John who were mending the nets (ta diktua) which fell from the boat. The four followed the Master leaving everything for good (Mk. 1:16-20; Mt. 4:18-21). Luke adds details which he had drawn accurately from tradition or from other documents: after the apostles had spent a fruitless night on the sea searching for fish, Jesus began to preach from Simon's boat to the crowd gathered on the shore. He then ordered Simon to go out and cast the nets, which very thing he began to do, not however, without making note of the uselessness of the previous attempts. The catch was so abundant that the nets threatened to tear, so Simon signaled his partners for help. John and James rushed to aid and the two boats were replete with fish. An amazed Simon then knelt before Jesus pleading, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." But Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." After bringing the boats to shore, the four left all to follow Jesus . The differences between the accounts is explained by the diverse psychological choosing of particulars on the part of each evangelist. Rather than concentrating on the call of the four, Luke singles out the marvel which occasions the call and places emphasis on the interchange between Jesus and Peter, leaving the others out. In contrast, Mark, followed by Matthew, forgoes the pivotal miracle in order to describe in more detail the call, "Follow me" (deute opiso mou), directed to the four — which was immediately followed by their obedience. The account of Luke with the miraculous fishing episode is more psychologically harmonious and prepares one for the ready response of the apostles and gives more sense to their abandonment of the fisherman's life to follow the Wonder-worker. It seems that right after this was the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, although it is moot. Third call. Later, Peter was selected among other disciples to comprise the group of the Twelve. This took place after a night of prayer (Lk. 6:12 ff.) up on a mountain held to be a place nearer to God (Mk. 3:13; Mt. 10:1 ff.). As the Twelve were sent out two by two to proclaim the impending advent of the kingdom (Mk. 6:7), they were called "apostles", a word which has the etymological meaning of "envoy" (Lk. 6:13; Mt. 10:2; Mk. 6:30). In all probability Peter had John as companion in the mission as the following arguments will sustain. 1. Even at a later date Jesus sent these two out to prepare everything for the Passover supper (Lk. 22:8). 2. Peter and John appear to be associated often in the gospel story in which they followed Jesus together as he was taken before the Sanhedrin (Jn. 18:15 ff.), and they ran together to the empty tomb of the Risen Christ (Jn. 20:3 ff.). 3. They were close by and had an understanding between themselves at the last supper when Peter wanted to know who the traitor would be (Jn. 13:24). Peter was particularly interested in John in the scene with the Risen Christ, "What about this man?" (Jn. 21:20-21). Even in the book of Acts they are found together in the healing of the cripple (Acts 3:1) and in the Samaritan mission (8:14). 4. Together with James, they made up Jesus' most intimate circle of people as it appears in the resurrection of Jairus' daughter (Mk. 5:37) and at Jesus' transfiguration (Mk. 9:2); on the Mount of Olives they asked when the destruction of Jerusalem would take place (Mk. 13:31); they were also near the Master during the prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk. 14:33). 5. It is to be remembered that Andrew and James are included in the list of apostles between Peter and John (Mk. 6:44 and parallels); binding these two between them and overlooking the usual pairing seems to say that they were all united in the work (Lk. 8:51; 9:28; Acts 1:13).