Perhaps when Andrew took his brother Simon to meet Jesus, they wondered what he would say to them. The time that Andrew had spent with Jesus on the previous day had thrilled him because he had realised that he had found the Messiah. He had spent the previous evening with the One whom Abraham had looked forward to seeing, whom David had sang about, whom Isaiah had prophesied about. And there they were, he and Jesus, and probably John, speaking back and fore with one another. The time passed much too quickly.
Given what we know of Simon’s character, he may have said to Andrew, ‘I would like Jesus to speak with me soon.’ Whether he said that or not, he did meet with Jesus very quickly because the first thing that Andrew did was arrange for that meeting. No doubt, Simon had met many kinds of people previously, but none had ever spoken to him in the way that Jesus did.
What did Jesus say to Simon? He basically said to Simon, ‘I am going to make you into a different man.’ Jesus indicated this by giving to Simon another name – the name Peter. This new name meant that one day Peter would be like a rock. When we think of rocks, we may think of boulders. But Jesus perhaps had in mind the large rocks you can see in the desert that people can climb up and so be safe from wild animals and other forms of danger.
Simon the fisherman would become Peter the apostle. Instead of providing fish for people to eat, he would be remembered for his spiritual activities. Throughout his life on earth, despite his occasional failings, he would be one who would lead Christians into a deeper knowledge of what it is possible for Christians to know. He would spend his life explaining who Jesus is and what he did and does. Simon the fisherman would even become a biblical writer, with two books from his pen in the Word of God, and in them he shows the place of spiritual safety.
What is the message of Simon Peter? It is that no-one knows what Jesus can enable a person to become. In order to find out, we have to follow him.
