Jesus meets Simon Peter.

John 1.40-42.

After John the baptist had pointed Jesus out to two of his students, Andrew and Philip, the kids followed Jesus, who turned round, recognized their zeal, and decided right there to have them on his team. When they asked Jesus where he was staying, middle eastern hospitality kicked in, and Jesus invited them to stay with him the rest of the day. Jn 1.39

It being the 10th hour of the day (around 4:30pm), and Jewish days ending at sundown, there was only an hour or two left of the day. It may mean Jesus invited them for an overnight stay—it was too late for them to go home without getting mugged—which meant hours of talking about God with the Son of God himself. Or he shooed them out of the place right after sundown so they could get home, but the hour or two they spent with him was just enough for them to realize Jesus is the real deal.

Either way, it got one of the students, Andrew, to go get his brother Simon and bring him to Jesus. Both these young men were looking for Messiah, and Andrew was entirely sure that’s exactly who Jesus is, so of course he brought Simon to him to see for himself. That’s what you’d do, isn’t it?

John 1.40-42 KWL

40 Andrew, brother of Simon Peter,

is one of the two students heeding John the baptist

and following Jesus.

41 This student first finds his own brother Simon,

and tells him, “We found Messiah!” (i.e. Christ).

42 Andrew brings Simon to Jesus.

Looking him over, Jesus says, “You’re Simon bar John.

You’ll be called Kifa” (i.e. Peter).

So here’s where the author of John introduces us to Peter—and tells us Jesus is the one who named him that. Well, named him ܟܐܦܐ/kifá, Aramaic for “a stone, a rock; a stone vessel, stone column, stone idol, or precious stone.” John transliterates that into Κηφᾶς/Kifás (adding the -s ending you’d find in Greek names), and apparently plenty of Greek-speakers knew him by that name; Paul included, who calls him Kifás more than once. 1Co 1.12, 3.22, 9.5, 15.5, Ga 2.9 But John likewise identifies him by the Greek translation of his name, Πέτρος/Pétros, which also means “a stone, a rock.”

I have heard various Christians claim the female variant of pétros, πέτρα/pétra, means a big rock… and pétros meant a small rock, like a pebble. Unfortunately, I believed this garbage and taught it myself. It’s bunk. Besides, Jesus didn’t name him Pétros; he named him Kifá. The Aramaic/Syriac word usually means one of those big giant rocks you take refuge under, Jb 30.6 or build great things on top of.

This, folks, is why it’s important to know historical context as well as grammatical: Even though John was written in Greek, understand Jesus wasn’t speaking and teaching in Greek. It’s why John includes Aramaic words (like “Messiah”) and their translations. Assume everything happened in the Greek language, and you’ll assume Jesus did give Simon a nickname meaning “pebble.” Understand the background, and you’ll realize Jesus intentionally meant “a stone, a rock.”

Jesus wasn’t giving Simon an ironic or humiliating nickname. We do that. Preachers who think it’s funny and harmless to mock their friends, and not at all a character deficiency, do that. Jesus doesn’t trash-talk his followers. He saves the mockery for evil, and proud, unrepentant evildoers.

The name as a prophecy.

Obviously Simon’s nickname was meant as a prophecy. Jesus immediately identified his potential—that this teenage boy would grow up to become one of the pillars of his church. Ga 2.9 True, throughout the gospels he was a headstrong kid, and it’s hard to see him living up to that potential. Especially after Simon denounced Jesus while he was on trial: Why on earth did Jesus pick this kid? He’s all talk, but no spine!

But in Matthew Jesus tells us just why he gave Simon that name:

Matthew 16.18 KJV

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

No doubt you’ve heard the ridiculous interpretation that “gates of hell” means rulers of hell, because ancient middle eastern civic leaders usually hung out at the city gates so people could ask them to judge stuff. So these’d be all the archdemons who work under Satan, who attack and tempt us; and these critters won’t prevail against Jesus’s church.

I don’t know who coined this idea, but it’s also crap. “Hell” translates ᾅδου/ádu, “hades,” i.e. the afterlife. Jesus isn’t talking about Satan, or demons, or the forces of evil; he’s talking about the doors to the place of the dead, and how Jesus’s church is gonna open those doors and defeat death. Because Jesus defeated death. And Simon did raise someone from the dead once, y’know.

Acts 9.40 KJV

But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

Maybe he did it more than once; bible doesn’t say. But that’s how Jesus’s prophecy about Simon Peter was fulfilled. Death doesn’t stop Jesus’s church. Through the Holy Spirit’s power, it’s just the opposite.

Simon Peter goes on to become Jesus’s best student; the one who gets mentioned first in every list of the Twelve; the one who gives the sermon and altar call at the first Pentecost; the one who first brings gentiles into the church, resulting in Christianity being so full of gentiles, we forget Jews started it!

That rock knocked some doors down.