The apostle Peter is the keeper of the keys of paradise. The Life of the Apostle Peter

The life of the Apostle Peter is filled with holiness and service to God. Thanks to this, an ordinary fisherman who believes in the truth of the existence of the Lord becomes an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Life before the Messiah

The Apostle Peter, who once had the name Simon, was born in Palestine, in the city of Bethsaida. He had a wife and children, engaged in fishing on the Gennesaret Lake. Simon's work was truly dangerous: the tranquility of the waters could suddenly be replaced by a storm. Thus, the future apostle could spend days on a fly fishing, thereby earning a living for his family. Such work brought up the will and perseverance in him, which later came in handy: after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, hungry and tired Peter wandered through the earthly expanses, spreading the true faith.

The road to the Lord was opened to Simon thanks to his brother Andrew. A fiery love for Christ was kindled in him for the rest of his life. For his devotion and loyalty, the Lord more than all the apostles brought him closer to himself.

At the right hand of Christ

Many Bible stories are associated with the apostle Peter. One of them tells how Simon and his comrades engaged in fishing all night, but they could not catch anything. And only in the morning, when the Lord entered the boat of the future apostle, ordering again to throw fishing nets, he received a big catch. Pisces was so much that part of the catch had to be located in the neighboring ship of his comrades. Simon Was horrified by the unprecedented number of fish. With a heartfelt thrill, he turned to the Lord and, falling to his knees, asked Him to leave the boat, believing himself unworthy is next to Jesus Christ. But the Lord, having chosen Simon for himself as his faithful disciple, raised him from his knees and proclaimed, not only "a fisher catcher, but also people." Under the weight of the catch, both boats began to sink, but the Lord helped the fishermen pull the ship ashore. Leaving everything, the man followed Christ, becoming an apprentice disciple along with John the Theologian and Jacob.

Why did Simon deserve the special position of the Lord?

One day, while he was with his disciples, Christ asked them what they thought of him. The apostle Peter, without hesitation, answered that He is the true Son of the Lord and the Messiah, about whom the prophet Elijah spoke . For this recognition, Jesus Christ proclaimed him worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven, handing him the keys of paradise. Do not understand these words of the Lord literally. Jesus Christ meant that from now on the holy apostle Peter is the helper and intercessor of people who "lost" in view of human infirmity, doing lawlessness, but repented and corrected. Peter, a disciple of Jesus, sinned more than all the apostles, but he always confessed his misdeeds, as evidenced by the pages of Holy Scripture.

Once, when the Lord stepped on the water, Peter wanted to approach his teacher and asked him to help make the same miracle. Stepping on the sea surface, the apostle went on the water. Suddenly, feeling a strong wind, he became frightened and began to sink, calling on the Lord to save him. Jesus rebuked Peter in disbelief and, handing him his hand, pulled him out of the deep sea. Thus the Son of God delivered the apostle from death and despair, which was the result of a lack of faith.

The Great Sin

While still faithful to Jesus, the holy apostle Peter heard from the Son of God a bitter prediction that he would deny Christ before the rooster crows. Not believing these words, Peter always swore in his loyalty and devotion to God.

But one day, after being arrested after betraying Judas Christ, the apostle and another disciple followed the Lord to the very court of the high priest, where they were going to interrogate the Son of God. Many accusations were heard by Jesus in his address. The false witnesses beat him and spat him in the face, but Christ endured all the suffering. At that moment, Peter was in the courtyard and warmed himself by the fire. One of the servants of the house noticed him and said that the apostle was with Jesus. Fear, which took Peter's heart, did not allow him to admit it. The apostle, frightened for his life, denied the Lord and said that he did not know this man. Another maid, who saw Peter leaving, confirmed that she had seen him with Jesus. The apostle swore that he had never known Him. The nearby slaves of the high priest said with certainty that Peter was one of the disciples of Christ, but the latter continued to deny this in fear. Hearing a cock-crowed cry, the saint remembered the prophetic words of the Son of God and left the house in tears, bitterly repenting of what he had done.

This biblical story is very allegorical about the human soul. Thus, some theologians believe that Peter's conviction by the servant is nothing but the manifestation of the infirmity of the human spirit, and the rooster's cry is the voice of the Lord from heaven, which does not allow us to relax and helps us to keep awake.

In the Gospel of John the Theologian Jesus Christ completely restores Peter as his disciple, asking three times about his love for God. Three times having received an affirmative answer, the Son of God instructs the apostle to continue grazing his "sheep", that is, to teach the people the Christian faith.

Transfiguration

Before Jesus Christ was arrested and then crucified on the cross, he appeared to his three disciples (Peter, James and John) in God's guise on Mount Tabor. At that moment the apostles also saw the prophets of Moses and Elijah and heard the voice of God the Father instructing the disciples. The saints saw the Kingdom of Heaven, not yet bodily dead. After the miraculous Transfiguration, the Lord forbade his disciples to talk about what they saw. Again, the apostle Peter was called to see the greatness of God, thereby even closer to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Pass to Paradise

The apostle Peter is the keeper of the keys of the Kingdom of God. Having sinned before the face of the Lord more than once, he became a guide between God and people. After all, who, like him, knew the whole infirmity of the human essence and himself was once plunged into this impotence. Only thanks to Christian faith and repentance Peter was able to comprehend the Truth and enter the Kingdom of God. The Lord, seeing the devotion of His disciple, allowed him to be a guardian of Heavenly Paradise, giving him the right to let in those souls of people whom he deemed worthy.

Some theologians (for example, St. Augustine the Blessed) believe that the gates of Eden are protected not only by the Apostle Peter. The keys to paradise also belong to other disciples. After all, the Lord always turned to the apostles in the person of Peter as the chief among his brothers.

After the resurrection of Christ

The main of the apostles, Jesus was the first after his resurrection. And after 50 days, the Holy Spirit, who visited all the disciples, gave Peter an unprecedented spiritual power and an opportunity to preach the word of God. On this day, the Apostle was able to convert 3,000 people to the faith of Christ, pronouncing a fiery speech filled with love for the Lord. A few days later, by the will of God, Peter was able to heal a man from limping. The news of this miracle spread among the Jews, after which another 5,000 people became Christians. The power that the Lord bestowed on Peter came even from his shadow, which, when it covered the hopeless sick lying on the street, healed.

Escape from the dungeon

During the reign of Herod Agrippa, Saint Peter was caught by the persecutors of Christians and imprisoned with the apostle Jacob, who was later killed. Believers in Christ incessantly prayed for the life of Peter. The Lord heard the voice of the people, and the Angel appeared in prison to Peter. Heavy shackles slept from the apostle, and he could escape from prison without being seen.

Each of the disciples chose their own path. Peter preached in Antioch and on the Mediterranean coast, worked miracles and converted people to Christianity, and then went to Egypt, where he also talked about the coming of Jesus Christ.

The death of the disciple

The apostle Peter knew, by the will of God, when his death would come. At that time, he was able to convert 2 wives of the Roman emperor Nero into the Christian faith , which caused an unprecedented wrath of the ruler. The Christians, who were persecuted and exterminated during that period, persuaded the apostle to leave the city in order to avoid death. Going out of the gate, Peter met Christ on his way. The astonished apostle asked the son of God where He was going, and he heard the answer: "To be crucified again." At that moment Peter realized that it was his turn to suffer for the faith and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He humbly returned to the city and was captured by the Gentiles. The death of the apostle Peter was excruciating - he was crucified on the cross. The only thing he managed to do was persuade the executioners to execute him upside down. Simon believed that he was not worthy to die the same death as the Messiah himself. That's why the inverted crucifixion is the cross of the apostle Peter.

The Crucifixion of the Apostle

Some confuse this symbolism with satanic trends. In the anti-Christian doctrines, it is precisely the inverted cross that is used as a mockery and disrespect for the faith of Orthodox and Catholics. In fact, the crucifixion of the apostle Peter has nothing to do with this. As such, it is not used in worship, but it has a place to be as a historical fact. In addition, the cross of Peter is carved on the back of the throne of the Pope, as this apostle is considered the founder of the Catholic church. Nevertheless, the wider dissemination of this crucifixion causes many disputes and disagreements among many, mostly unbelievers and ignorant people in church affairs. So, for example, when the Pope arrived in Israel with a Petrovsky (inverted) cross, many regarded it as his hidden accessory to Satanism. The image of this crucifix on the epitrachelion (church attire) of the head of the Catholic church also causes ambiguous associations among atheists condemning the deed of the disciple of Christ. Nevertheless, it is impossible for a common man to judge fairly about Peter, who was able to recover from human infirmities and rise spiritually. Being a "poor spirit", the apostle Peter, whose biography is complex and multifaceted, did not dare to take the place of Christ. But, in defending his faith, he dies in torment, just as the Son of God was once.

Petrov's Tread

In honor of Peter the Orthodox Church established a period of fasting, beginning one week after the Trinity and ending on July 12 - the day of Peter and Paul. Fasting proclaims the "firmness" of the apostle Peter (his name means "stone" in translation) and the prudence of the apostle Paul. Petrov fasting is less strict than the Great - food can be eaten as vegetable food and butter, and fish (except Wednesday and Friday).

Peter, the disciple of Christ, is a great example for many who are lost, but who desire repentance. For those who correct their sinful life, the apostle Peter will certainly open the gates of Eden with those keys that the Lord commanded him to possess.