Peter, the Servant of God

Peter, the Servant of God

 

By Sara Stoner

      

Peter addresses his second letter to the churches as this:  “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ”.  Notice that he addresses himself first of all as Christ’s servant. In the three years he walked with Christ, at times he seemed to be one step ahead of the Lord. Where is the man who confidently said to Jesus shortly before His betrayal, “Although all shall be offended, yet will not I”?  And when Jesus confirmed, “…before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice”, Peter spoke the more vehemently “If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise”.  And this spoke all the disciples  (Mark 14 29-31, Matt 26:35).  And where is the man who took up the sword in the garden, singlehandedly defending Jesus against the Jews who would take Him?  That man has died, and in his place is the new man, Peter, the rock, upon whose confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Church would be built: Peter, the servant of Jesus Christ. He well defines himself as a servant, one who is no longer acting in the strength of his own flesh, but willing to listen to His master’s commands, willing to do Jesus’ will rather than his own, willing and now able to follow in His master’s steps, even unto death.

     

To be a servant of God and of Jesus Christ is a very high calling.  Those who desire to be God’s servants and Christ’s servants are in good company.  Moses is several times mentioned in scripture as ‘the servant of God’.  God asked Satan to consider, ‘my servant, Job’, ‘a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil’.  Daniel was ‘the servant of the living God’, as was Abraham, Jonah, Elijah, Isaiah, James, Jude, Paul, Epaphras, Phebe, and many others specifically named in the Scriptures. Israel as a nation was and is God’s servant. God said, “This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise” (Isa. 43:21).

 

When we consider God’s servants, we must consider God’s primary servant, the One sent from the Father to do His will. “Behold, My servant, whom I uphold; mine elect in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.  He shall not cry, nor lift up, or cause His voice to be heard in the street.  A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.  He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth:  and the isles shall wait for His law” (Isa. 42:1-4). There are none to compare to this servant. That is why we must behold Him. Paul wrote to the Philippian church to have this same mind of servant hood in them as was in their Lord Jesus Christ. “Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3).  How are they able to do this? – By beholding God’s Servant.  “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus (because we have been given the mind of Christ), who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2: 5-8 ESV).  Peter had beheld this suffering, dying and now risen Servant. Now as Peter, the servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, he wrote to the church, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility one toward another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you…” (I Peter 5: 5-6 ESV).

 

There is yet to come a day of reckoning for all of God’s servants.  In Jesus’ parable of the talents, the men who were faithful and increased what they were given received the same joyous welcome, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy lord”. But the servant who hid his talent, Jesus considered a wicked and slothful servant and was cast into outer darkness. Jesus said of His servants, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor” (Jon 12:26).  Paul encouraged the Colossian slaves who worked to please the Lord that “of the Lord, ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:24).  Those servants who have been ill treated and whose blood has been shed for the sake of the gospel will be avenged. We have much to look forward to in the world to come, as John saw in the Revelation, “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him, And they shall see His face: and His name shall be in their foreheads” (Rev. 22:3-4).