The Different Orbits of the Apostle Peter

Peter was one of the closest followers of Jesus. He was one of the ‘three’ - that subgroup of the Twelve (the disciples) who followed Jesus into special situations like the healing of Jairus’s daughter and up to the mount of transfiguration. Peter spent time in that close orbit for a while.

But Jesus knew that Peter would rotate out of that orbit, and indeed Peter did. At the end of Jesus’s life he forecasted that Peter would sort of drift away, and as it turned out Peter did both deny Jesus the next day and then spent a while going back to fishing instead of seeking God in the temple courts as some others seemed to have done.

Jesus said this:

I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your siblings. - Luke 22:31-32

There’s not recrimination or shaming, there’s not blaming or criticizing - Jesus is acknowledging that Peter’s orbit is going to widen for a while and then he will ‘turn back’ to a closer orbit.

Are you in a near orbit or a far orbit right now? Perhaps one way to tease out that question is to ask whether you’re orbiting near or far from connecting with God, with community and with your own heart and soul and mission. You may find yourself feeling closer in one area and further in another. Take a few breaths and look honestly at these things without blame or defensiveness or even criticizing yourself. What do you learn?