One of the profiles in People of the Bible, with every point tied to a chapter and verse you can check.
What Peter is known for
- Leaving his fishing nets to follow Jesus
- Declaring Jesus to be the Messiah at Caesarea Philippi
- Denying Jesus three times on the night of his arrest, then being restored
- Preaching at Pentecost and leading the Jerusalem church in its early days
- The letters 1 and 2 Peter, which carry his name
Peter’s life in order
Brought to Jesus
John 1:40–42
Andrew, a follower of John the Baptist, tells his brother Simon that he has found the Messiah and brings him to Jesus. Jesus looks at Simon and gives him a new name, Cephas, which is translated Peter.
Fishers of people
Luke 5:1–11
After a night of catching nothing, Simon lets down his nets at Jesus's word and hauls in so many fish that the boats begin to sink. Overwhelmed, he falls at Jesus's knees, and then leaves everything to follow him.
Walking on the water
Matthew 14:22–33
When Jesus comes to the disciples across the stormy lake, Peter asks to come to him and steps out of the boat. He begins to sink when he notices the wind, and Jesus catches him.
The great confession
Matthew 16:13–20
Asked who the disciples think he is, Peter answers that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus blesses him and speaks of building his church on this rock, words that traditions have read in different ways.
On the mountain
Matthew 17:1–8
Peter, James and John see Jesus transfigured, with Moses and Elijah beside him. Peter offers to build three shelters, but a voice from a bright cloud interrupts him.
Three denials
Luke 22:54–62
After Jesus's arrest, Peter follows at a distance into the high priest's courtyard. Three times he denies knowing Jesus, and when the rooster crows he remembers Jesus's warning and weeps bitterly.
Restored by the lake
John 21:15–19
After the resurrection, Jesus meets the disciples by the Sea of Galilee and three times asks Peter whether he loves him. Each time he gives Peter the task of caring for his followers, and hints at the kind of death Peter will die.
Preaching at Pentecost
Acts 2:14–41
When the Holy Spirit comes on the believers in Jerusalem, Peter stands up and explains what is happening to the crowd. Acts records that about three thousand people were baptized that day.
The vision and Cornelius
Acts 10:1–48
Through a vision of clean and unclean animals, Peter comes to understand that God welcomes people of every nation. He visits the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and baptizes the first Gentile household described in Acts.
What does the name Peter mean?
His given name was Simon, and he is sometimes called Simon son of John or Simon son of Jonah. Jesus gave him the name Cephas, an Aramaic word meaning rock, translated into Greek as Petros, from which Peter comes (John 1:42).
Jesus plays on this name in Matthew 16:18. The New Testament uses Simon, Peter, Simon Peter and Cephas for the same man; Paul often calls him Cephas.
Key verses
“Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.””
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”
“Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” “Lord, You know all things,” he replied. “You know I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”
“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
“But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect,”
Verse text: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.
What Peter’s story shows
Failure is not the end
Peter's denial is one of the most painful moments in the Gospels, yet it is followed by restoration and a new task. His story has comforted many people who feel they have let others down.
Bold and human at once
Peter speaks first, acts quickly and sometimes gets it wrong. The Gospels do not polish his image, which makes his growth easier to recognize.
Learning to widen the circle
Peter's visit to Cornelius shows a person changing long-held assumptions about who belongs. Even later, Galatians 2 shows he still had to work this out in practice.
Leadership as care
The charge Peter receives in John 21 is about looking after others. His first letter returns to this theme when it urges leaders to serve willingly rather than for gain.
How traditions view Peter
The Catholic Church regards Peter as the first bishop of Rome and the first pope, reading Matthew 16:18-19 as giving him a unique role passed on to his successors. Eastern Orthodox churches honor Peter as the foremost of the apostles but understand his primacy and its succession differently.
Many Protestant traditions read the rock of Matthew 16:18 as Peter's confession of faith, or as Peter in his role as a founding apostle, without a line of succession. All of these traditions agree that Peter was a central leader of the earliest church.
Did Peter write 1 and 2 Peter?
Both letters open with Peter's name, and Christian tradition has long accepted them as his. Many modern scholars question whether Peter wrote 2 Peter, and some also question 1 Peter, noting its polished Greek; others point out that 1 Peter 5:12 mentions Silvanus helping with the writing.
How did Peter die?
The New Testament does not describe Peter's death, though John 21:18-19 points toward it. Early Christian tradition holds that he was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero; the detail that he was crucified upside down comes from later tradition.