Peter lives in the shadow of Paul. When we think of the early church, when we think of the Apostles, when we think of the doctrine of the New Testament, our minds probably go first to Paul. And perhaps rightly so, since he is responsible for the majority of the didactic parts of the New Testament.
Yet it was Peter, not Paul, who was a friend of Jesus and one of his followers from the beginning of his earthly ministry to his ascension. It was Peter who was called “Rock,” Peter who witnessed Christ’s transfiguration, and Peter who served as a clear leader among the earliest Christians. With all this in mind, we overlook Peter to our detriment.
Derek Thomas recently made a long study of the life and ministry of Peter and the result is The Life of Peter: Molded in the Master’s Hands. In it, he examines Peter’s life from the accounts in the Gospels and the book of Acts. He also draws occasionally from Peter’s two epistles. There are gaps, of course, since Peter disappears from the biblical narrative after Acts 15. Though his name subsequently appears a couple of times in Paul’s epistles, it is history that picks up the trail again and tells of his execution by Nero in around 64 AD.
Still, the biblical data provides lots to work with, and Thomas does a great job of telling Peter’s life beginning with the time we meet him at around 30 years of age. At that time he was an unknown small-town businessman who owned a fishing operation with his brother Andrew and two of their friends. He and his brother heard about a man named John the Baptist who was preaching in the wilderness and offering a baptism of repentance. At one point Andrew and an unnamed friend (possibly John) heard the Baptist identify Jesus as “the Lamb of God.” Andrew ran to his brother to tell him “We have found the Messiah.” And neither Peter nor the world was ever the same.
Thomas’ account progresses through Peter’s life, pausing often to draw lessons and provide application. This is not mere biography, but biography drawn from Scripture and, therefore, profitable for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Each of those features prominently in the book, making it almost devotional in nature.
The Life of Peter is a relatively brief book, but one that covers its subject well. Thomas meant for his book to be helpful to Christians and, indeed it is. It is helpful in tracing the life of one of Scripture’s key characters, helpful in informing the reader’s mind, and helpful in challenging and encouraging the reader’s heart.
