Day 19
CHALLENGE
“Peter was not the first pope. Even if Jesus appointed Peter as leader of the apostles, he would have been disqualified later by his sins—particularly when he denied Jesus.“
DEFENSE
Jesus foresaw Peter’s denial, took it into account, and afterward confirmed him in his office. Peter’s denial was very grave. According to John, he denied being a disciple of Jesus (John 18:25). That was a public denial of the Faith (albeit an insincere one, since Peter did not abandon the Christian movement). Despite this, Jesus had foreseen Peter’s denial and told him in advance to take a pastoral role with respect to the other apostles after he repented, saying: “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32). He did not say this to any of the others. Jesus thus envisioned Peter continuing to have a unique leadership role among the apostles even after his denial. It is thus questionable whether Peter lost his leadership role even temporarily, but lest there be any doubt, Jesus afterward publicly confirmed Peter in office. In the presence of the other disciples, he asked Peter three times whether he loved him (mirroring the three denials). Jesus emphasized Peter’s unique pastoral role among the disciples by initially asking him, “Do you love me more than these”—indicating the other disciples. When Jesus then told Peter three times to feed his sheep, the other disciples are included in that group (John 21:15–17). If Peter’s denial had cost him his office, it likely wouldn’t have prevented him from being the leader of the apostles, but from being an apostle altogether. Yet this clearly did not happen. Peter continued to function as an apostle for decades. What’s more, the New Testament continues to portray him as their leader. In Acts 1–12, where he served as the focus of the book, Peter is the leader and the central figure in almost every event recorded. The Gospels also were written in the decades after Peter’s denial, and the fact that three of the Gospels contain passages in which Jesus formally confers a leadership role on Peter (Matt. 16:18; Luke 22:32; John 21:15–17) indicates his leadership was still relevant in these decades