The Gospels of Peter & Paul ...a Creative Tension
- Livinginbetweenall-Terry
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
Reflections from Rome, 65 A.D. and or times
Devotional: from 07/01/25 970 days of sobriety
Scripture: I Peter 3:18, Romans 3: 22-25, 5:2, 6-8, 10, I Peter 3:19-20, Romans 5:12, 14-16, 18, I Peter 3:18-22
Context:
Peter's Gospel 1—unlike his first sermon on Pentecost, as remembered by Dr. Luke—this letter is expansive; reaching into the ancient past of Noah's time and forward to the future and soon to be revealed triumph of Jeshua's reign of Shalom.
Scribbled on Roman parchment as a circular letter to Jesus sheep scattered throughout the provinces of Rome, Peter has finally caught up with the brightest mind of the Church, Saul of Tarsus, Paul of the Church. What Peter lacks in eloquent and precise theological language he more than makes up in sheer Presence of Person, the one chosen by God's own Son to "feed..." Christ's "sheep" (John 21:17d).
As shall become apparent these two, at times contentious pillars of Christ's house, have come to the heart of the Empire, Rome itself. Peter could no more be defined only as an "Apostle to the circumcised" [the Jews] (Gal 2:8a), than Paul could ever imagine a gospel for the whole world, indeed the Cosmos, without that same gospel assuring that "all Israel will be saved"2 (Romans 11:8a). Just as Paul's circuitous route to Rome came by way of his legal appeal to Caesar's court in escaping a mob in Jerusalem intent on killing him, so too, Peter's history was inevitably linked to Rome's seat of power as he ministered to the Jewish and Gentiles believers who were scattered throughout the empire as they, like Peter "would be lead" to "where you don’t want to go"3 (John 21:18c). Peter's letter reflects the times and place to which Jesus prophecy likely pointed, the fires of Nero's Rome.
Searching for Peter & Pauls' Jesus
These two men share in heart a love for Jesus and each gave us Jesus.
The brief inter-action of these two by way of their writings and an imagined meeting in Rome, is enhanced by the symbiotic, yet very different telling of their Story; Peter's pastoral, experiential narrative and Paul's mind as he envisions "Salvation History" as no other.
Note then how Peter's circular letter of say 63-65 A.D. corresponds perfectly to Paul's more developed thesis to the Roman Christians of the same period. Each very different. Each led by The Spirit to city of God's choosing, Rome, their final destination in this life.
Their Writings
I Peter 3: 18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
Roman's 3: 22-25
“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—”
Romans 3:22-25 NIV
Romans 5:2, 6-8,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
Romans 5:2, 6-8, 10 NIV
Q: In its rawest form Jesus suffering is the epicenter of their story. Why?
Q: What role did Peter's betrayal and Paul's seeking to rid Jerusalem of these Jesus followers play in their own need of Jesus?
Q: Is there a moment in your life when you needed 'atonement' for what you could not fix?
I Peter 3: 19, 20
...in which he (Jesus) went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.
Romans 5:12, 14-16, 18
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.”
Q: How is Jesus death and resurrection pictured by Peter, then Paul, as impacting peoples in a past/future motif?
Q: The cross in Peter and in Paul resets everything for everyone... describe it for each.
Q: In your own journey, do you and i yet see Jesus Christ stretching back in time, forward in time, effecting everything, everywhere?
I Peter 3: 21
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”
Romans 6: 3-11
"...don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Q: Peter ties Baptism directly to Jesus resurrection and his priestly function at The Father's right hand, praying for us, that we may live good lives (good conscience or integrity). Your thoughts on Peter's use of water baptism as saving?
Q: Paul ties Baptism to Jesus death and our death with him, in him. Its as if he argues, in baptism we dies to sin, so live dead, to sin, but alive to God. Stated differently, make real what is already true. Your thoughts?
Q: Do each of these pillars treat Baptism as more than a witness of what God has done, popularly described as "an outward sign of an inward work of grace"? Yes or no?
Imagined Story: Two of a Kind"
"Peter, my beloved." Paul looks upon his friend, '...well, not exactly, friend,' Paul corrects himself in his thoughts. They had not spoken ten words since Saul of Tarsus had scoriated Cephas of Bethesda to his face and before the church of God in Antioch (Galatians 2: 11-21). It was not their finest hour.
Still, that was then. Now, Paul is in a dungeon below the main prison kept for the political prisoners of Rome. Paul is slowly dying and knows his departure into Christ's Presence was drawing near. And before him stood his Bishop, Shepherd of Rome. Somehow what each holds in common overwhelms any unwelcome memories of ages past. Paul, uses his hands to straighten himself with great pain filling every movement. He stares into his brother Peter's eyes. 'Brother,' Paul's mind adapts faster than his frame. 'That sounds about right'.
Paul points to a flat rock next to him, inviting Peter into his home, dungeon. "My Bishop, Patriarch over God's house, for both Jew and Gentile." There, he said it and both knew that Paul's humility was genuine and removed from between them, any tension that lingered. "In Rome at last." Paul spoke softly, even breathing was difficult. the result of the 40 + 1 lashings he had taken, just yesterday. Now looking deeply into Peter's eyes he noted the Saviors heart. 'It remains' he thought to himself. Leaning now into Peter's wide and open arms, gently extended.
"Nonsense!" Peter retorted with a laugh and a not so subtle rejoinder. Contrary to your self-confessed humility, you talk Paul. as you write. You could have been a diplomat were it not for that sharp witt and passionate frame". Peter giggled briefly as he continued. "May God be as quick to defend you as you did the flock under your care in Antioch, lest they be hurt by the delegation representing our Lord's brother James, and my own hypocrisy, I should add." Peter's eyes were filled with the light of a tease, a sarcastic grin across his face.
Paul felt slightly better just in the warmth of Peter's spirit and started to acknowledge he might of overstepped Jame's and his..." Peter lifted his hand, cutting off Paul, adding. "I'll hear none of it my friend." 'Friend?' Emotion welled up within eliciting tears, in part from sheer exhaustion. In part because Paul needed a friend, especially this one, in this time. He was so deeply moved.
Peter once again shattered the heavy stale air of Roman suffering with his own, generous honesty. "Listen, you spoke the truth and Jesus brother and i deserved your rebuke, like 'oil on my head' (Psalm 141: 5b). Peter stopped his light hearted riff, and feigned a more serious pause. Though Paul noted the mischievous twinkle in his friend's eyes remained. Putting his hand ever so gently next to Paul's body, he quietly added. "...uhm, reading your letter to the Corinthians, I did think ..." Paul's body stiffened for just a second, till he noticed the tell tale grin. "...seriously, Paul, I thought your wishing our Jewish elders might go all the way and castrate themselves was bit much."
Peter was grinning ear to ear the laugh ready to boil up, when Paul erupted in laughter, then choking, as his body reminded him he could not afford the pleasure. Still it was pleasure.
Then Peter came to the point, dead serious. Paul, I've been speaking with Rome's Magistrate, over this district. We think we can get your sentence commuted to house arrest. The church will make all the arrangements. Brother, our prayers...my prayers are rising before our Father."
The next two hours were a sweet medicine to Paul's heart; especially word of Dr. Luke's making arrangements to come in the summer of 65 A.D., God willing.
Paul simply looked into his Bishop's, ...'no,' he thought, 'my friend's eyes.'
T: We know from tradition and scripture two things:
1) Peter and Paul lived in a creative tension in the early Church.
At critical moments Peter supported Paul's mission, appreciating his effective communication of the gospel and how he simultaneously liberated Christianity from the Jewish practices while tieing the Jesus narrative back into a Jewish faith.
2) Each were critical to the 1st and later generations of the Church.
Paul gave the intellectual foundation of communicating the gospel beyond Judaism and within Greek culture. He founded, by sheer gift and will power many of the church communities that took form. Yet he was never a pastor, save Corinth. His personality was just too toxic. He made friends. He mad fiends and just as many enemies.
Peter was a pragmatic. It just needed to work. It was Peter's communal instincts that allowed the church to evolve, to live within culturally diverse communities, the sheer presence of his personality the dna holding it together.
Q: Your observations:
Blessings! Terry
1 Note: Gospel was a word reser5ved to the emperor. Whatever the emperor said was "gospel, reality, true of not. If the emperor said it, it was 'good news,' the emperor s news and could not be ignored. So when the early church, at some political risk, attached it to Jesus.
2 "I have great sadness and constant pain in my heart. I wish I could be cursed, cut off from Christ if it helped my brothers and sisters, who are my flesh-and-blood relatives. They are Israelites. The adoption as God’s children, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises belong to them.”
Romans 9:2-4 CEB
3 “He asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” He replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. I assure you that when you were younger you tied your own belt and walked around wherever you wanted. When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and another will tie your belt and lead you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to show the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After saying this, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.”” John 21:17-19 CEB
Comments