My name is Simon Peter. I am one of the companions of a man called Jesus. In fact, I am the leader of the group known as the Twelve. I am a fisherman by trade. A number of years ago Jesus invited me to follow him. This was a very difficult thing for me to do. It was not easy to leave my family and my nets. After all, my family meant so much to me and I was a good fisherman. But there was something strangely attractive about Jesus. He inspired me; he believed in me; he recognised my potential. He offered me and my companions a new vision of life. There were words of comfort and hope in his message and he treated all who came to him with respect and dignity. And then there were his miracles. Jesus had a power within him that never ceased to amaze me.
As time went by Jesus started to speak about his suffering and death. This was something I and my companions didn’t want to hear. It was obvious that Jesus disturbed some people, especially the priests and the Pharisees, but the majority of the people were in admiration of him. Then it happened! On a visit to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival the Jewish leadership grabbed their opportunity. Through the cooperation of one of our own group they arrested Jesus, accused him of blasphemy and asked the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate, to sentence him to death. Pilate was reluctant to condemn Jesus, but eventually he gave in to pressure and ordered Jesus to be crucified. I was devastated, distraught. What is more, my heart was broken. The very night Jesus was arrested I publicly denied knowing him. It was an awful thing to do and I wept bitterly. I suppose I was frightened. It was certainly fear that lead me and my companions to hide, to lock ourselves away in a secret place until all the commotion around Jesus’ death died down. I can vividly remember the atmosphere in that secluded room. It was a mixture of sorrow, grief, remorse, anxiety, loneliness and disappointment.
On the third day in hiding there was a knock on the door. We were reluctant to answer, but we did. It was Mary Magdalene, a woman known to Jesus and to us. She had extraordinary news. She had been to the tomb of Jesus only to discover that his body was not there. And as she came running away from the tomb in a panic she met a man who spoke to her, who said her name – ‘Mary.’ It was Jesus. He was alive! He had risen from the dead. To be honest, I and my companions were sceptical. Even though Jesus had spoken about rising from the dead, I wondered if Mary’s story was a phantasy. But before the day was out I was to discover, once again, that I was wrong, that Mary’s experience was completely true. Because Jesus came into our hidden room and sat among us. He showed us the wounds in his hands and his side and he ate with us. I was amazed, overjoyed. Furthermore, Jesus’ risen presence took away the guilt and fear I was feeling and filled me, instead, with peace and courage.
I am so happy to be able to tell you that Jesus rose from the dead, that I saw him, touched him, spoke to him and ate with him in his risen body. And even though I now no longer see him, I know that he is with me, living in me and working through me.