The Weakness of Our Heroes

I’m always encouraged when I read the Bible and see how the Spirit was pleased, through human authors, to point out the weaknesses of the heroes. David’s sin with Bathsheba and his execution of her husband so he could cover his own sin is glaringly clear. Abraham would pass on to his son his own proclivity for calling his wife his sister, so men would like him and not try to kill him. In unvarnished pride, the “sons of thunder” asked to sit on Jesus’ right and left hand in glory. The Bible never dabbles in hagiography as so many other works of religion do. This gives us confidence in the text, but it also gives us clarity that these lauded so highly in scripture were, after all, still human.

Peter seems to lead in this area. He would rebuke Jesus, later turn his back on him, and would be called out by Paul because he would start to deny the gospel through his refusal to sit with Gentile believers. But he would also repent, turn back to the truth, and would be a pillar of the early church. Peter knew failure, but he also knew the grace of God in helping him get back up and keep walking on. The Bible says Peter was known for being “common and uneducated” (Acts:4:13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
See All...). If we were picking men to lead the first wave of Christianity, he would not be on that list. But God seems pleased to use the ordinary and unremarkable.

—Brooks Buser (President of Radius International, missionary teacher, Brooks and his wife Nina planted a church among the Yembiyembi people in Papua New Guinea.)