I’ve been thinking about the disciples lately, particularly Peter. And although I know what Scripture says about favoritism, I can’t help but admit that of the Twelve – Peter is my favorite. Maybe it’s because in some unique way, Peter makes me feel better about my own faith. (And not that I’m comparing my faith with his, by no means!)
And not because he’s careless or shallow. But because he’s real. His faith doesn’t move in a straight line, it zigs and zags. One moment he sounds like a theologian, the next like a man who hasn’t thought things through at all. Sometimes he speaks when silence would’ve been wiser. Sometimes he nails it, and sometimes he absolutely doesn’t.
And yet, Jesus keeps him close.
Two of Peter’s statements, spoken at very different moments, highlight this beautifully.
In John 6, many disciples walk away from Jesus. His teaching is hard. Offensive, even. The crowds thin out, and Jesus turns to the Twelve and asks a pointed question: “You do not want to leave too, do you?”
Peter answers: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
It’s such a perfect response. Peter doesn’t claim to understand everything Jesus just said. He doesn’t pretend it all makes sense. He simply acknowledges that there’s nowhere else to go. No backup plan. No alternative source of life.
That sounds like deep faith. And it is!
But then there’s Matthew 19. The rich young man has just walked away from Jesus, unwilling to part with his wealth. Jesus speaks about the cost of discipleship. And Peter – again speaking for the group – says:
“We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Same man, same loyalty. But a very different tone.
Now Peter is counting the cost… measuring the sacrifice. Wondering about the return on investment.
Chronologically, it seems that Peter’s response in John 6 happened earlier, and his response in Matthew 19 came later, closer to Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem. If so, that disrupts a neat spiritual narrative. We might expect Peter’s faith to grow steadily deeper and less self-focused over time.
But that’s not how it works. Not for Peter, and not for us.
Peter can say, “You alone have the words of eternal life,” and still later ask, “So… what do we get out of this?”
Those aren’t contradictions really… they’re coexisting realities in an unfinished disciple.
And Peter is nothing if not unfinished (at least at this stage of his life). This is the same man who will confess Jesus as the Christ – and moments later be told, “Get behind me, Satan.”
The same man who will walk on water – until he doesn’t. The same man who will swear loyalty unto death – and then deny Jesus three times before sunrise.
There’s no straight line here. But there is something else:
Genuineness.
Peter doesn’t posture. He doesn’t hide behind polished language or spiritual clichés. He says what he’s thinking – sometimes to his credit, sometimes to his embarrassment. And Jesus, remarkably, doesn’t discard him for it.
That’s worth thinking about.
Because how many of us have had moments where our faith sounded like John 6 – “Lord, where else would I go?” – and other moments where it sounded a lot more like Matthew 19 – “Okay, but what does this cost me… and what comes back?”
Which one reflects “true faith”?
Maybe both.
Maybe faith often begins with recognition before it matures into surrender. Peter knows early on that Jesus is indispensable. But it takes much longer for him to accept that following Jesus will cost him everything – without guarantees he can calculate in advance.
That kind of maturity doesn’t come through hours of lectures. It comes through failure. Through waiting. Through loss. Through restoration.
And eventually, through the Spirit.
Because after the resurrection, after the ascension, after Pentecost, we see something different in Peter. Not perfection, but steadiness. Courage. A willingness to suffer without asking what he’ll get in return. The man who once asked about reward becomes the man who tells others not to be surprised by suffering. The fire he helps ignite in the early church wasn’t sparked by flawless faith – but by a faith that had been tested, corrected, humbled, and grown.
Some of us read our Bibles and ask, “Why wasn’t Peter more consistent?” Perhaps a better question would be, “If Peter wasn’t always consistent, how on earth can I expect myself to be?!”
Peter reminds us that faith often develops in fits and starts. That you can “get it” one day and struggle the next. That Jesus doesn’t seem nearly as bothered by our uneven progress as we often are.
Maybe that’s the encouragement we need some days… those moments when we make a royal hash out of things and wonder why God even bothers continuing to look after us.
Jesus isn’t looking for disciples with straight-line faith.
He’s molding disciples who keep coming back. Even when they stumble, or speak too quickly, or don’t fully understand what they’re committing to yet.
Peter stayed.
And over time, staying changed him.
Maybe that’s enough for now. I just wanted to share some thoughts about a faithful guy in the Bible that I’ve come to appreciate more and more as I walk with Jesus in my own faith journey.
Former Blackout Artist 