The most fascinating location associated with Peter in Galilee is found amid the ancient settlement of Capernaum. The ruins of the town lie on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Here Peter lived with his wife and mother-in-law, and the household probably included children and extended family. Capernaum became the primary base of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry, and the Gospels indicate that Jesus stayed at Peter’s home. Mark describes this site as the “home” of Jesus (Mark 2:1; 3:19). Jesus and his disciples would leave Capernaum on their extended journeys and then return to the village when the missions were complete. Upon their return, Jesus and Peter, and possibly some of the other disciples, would stay at this house, with Peter’s wife and mother-in-law offering meals and hospitality for their rest.
No ancient texts prior to the Gospels mention Capernaum, but archaeological excavations have uncovered evidence of first-century dwellings. The town supported a synagogue, and it profited from fishing, as indicated by the many fishhooks and net weights found there. It was a modest Jewish village with about a thousand inhabitants at the time of Jesus. It possessed none of the civic structures associated with the larger cities of the time—no theater, bathhouse, or constructed agora or marketplace. Market days were held in tents or booths on the open unpaved areas along the shore or outside private houses whose owners traded their wares and sold their catches of fish. None of the small streets were paved with stones, and the layout of the town was crooked and curved without centralized planning. As a Jewish town, it contained no statues or imagery.2
When I first visited Capernaum in 1980, archaeologists were in the final stages of uncovering the town. Only the ruins of the village and a Franciscan church called the Church of Saint Peter’s House were on the property. The most important discovery was a structure identified as the house of Simon Peter. Evidence suggests that it was a simple family home at the time of Jesus. Later in the first century, the walls of the house were plastered, and Christians began inscribing prayers on the walls, indicating that it served as an early house church. Invocations in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Syriac indicate that it served as a place of pilgrimage. Egeria, a fourth-century pilgrim, wrote in her travel diary, “In Capernaum a house church was made out of the house of Peter, and its walls still stand today.”
In the fifth century, an eight-sided church was built around and over Peter’s house. This octagonal style was popular in the Byzantine period and allowed worshipers to form a procession around the holy site. Its ceiling was supported by eight columns and the floors were covered with mosaics. The ceramics discovered at the site indicate a shift from household cooking wares to increasingly fine lamps, plates, and cups, indicating that the Eucharist was celebrated there.
As I gazed into this strange maze of foundations from five centuries, I saw a diagram next to the ruins that divided the findings into three distinct layers: the simple courtyard house from the first century, the house church that developed into a shrine, and the octagonal fifth-century church. There is little doubt, from an archaeological point of view, that this is the house of Peter, the place Jesus called home, and where he worked some of his most significant miracles. More than any other sight in Galilee, this represents for me the historical Jesus.
Houses at the time of Peter consisted of two or three rooms and storage areas around an open courtyard. Rooms were dark with windows set high, designed more for ventilation than scenic views. Most of life in good weather was lived outdoors and in the courtyards shared by extended families. Rooms were used mostly for sleeping, storage, and shelter from the weather. During the cool rainy season, people went indoors for meals and family time.
The floors and walls of Peter’s house and those of his neighbors were made of black volcanic rock called basalt, the most common building material of the area. These sturdy supports held up roofs made of beams or branches covered with mud and thatch. When violent storms came off the lake, the stone houses would stand steady, though the roofs demanded frequent replacement.
The entrance to these houses often consisted of a hewn threshold and doorjamb holding a wooden door with some type of locking device. The doorways within the house were made of wooden doorframes and usually covered by a simple curtain or straw mat. Most cooking was done in the courtyard. Fragments of clay ovens, grinding stones, and olive presses have been found. Locally made pottery consisted of cooking pots, water jars, mugs, bowls, dishes, and lamps.
The stone house of Peter reminds me of Jesus’ teachings about a house built on rock.
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. (Matthew 7:24–25)
Jesus says that the wise builder uses rock as the foundation of his house. When a house is constructed on rock rather than on shifting sands, it is able to withstand the onslaught of violent weather. The metaphor suggests the importance of building a life based on the words of Jesus and putting those words into action. The Gospel references to the house of Simon Peter and the importance of building on rock form the background for Jesus’ later designating Peter (a name which means “rock”) as the foundation of his church. He would be the solid base on which Jesus’ church would stand, despite all the evil and violent forces aligned against it.
Peter witnessed Jesus proclaiming that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15) through both his teaching and healing. Jesus’ teaching describes what the kingdom is like, primarily in parables; by working miracles Jesus personally demonstrates that the kingdom is breaking into the world to bring wholeness and abundant life. In Capernaum we see Jesus ministering first in the synagogue and then in the house of Peter.
All three synoptic Gospels describe the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law as one of Jesus’ earliest recorded miracles. Mark tell us that Jesus entered “the house of Simon and Andrew” (Mark 1:29); Matthew says he entered “Peter’s house” (Matthew 8:14); and Luke says he entered “Simon’s house” (Luke 4:38). This house of Simon Peter may have been shared with Andrew’s family, or more probably, these two brothers and their families shared a common courtyard with neighboring rooms. Clearly this is the place that Jesus called home when he was ministering in Galilee.
Jesus’ movement from the synagogue to the house does not at all express a rejection of the synagogue. Later we see that the Jewish synagogue was central to the early church’s life. However, the new young church also modeled its communal life on the household and families. Within the domestic setting they called one another brothers and sisters, and centered their communal life on table fellowship. Because the home was assumed to be the domain of women in ancient culture, the function of women in roles of ministry became more significant there than in the more institutional settings of Judaism.
This family home of Simon Peter was the setting for some of Jesus’ most significant actions early in his ministry. Simon’s mother-in-law remains anonymous, but, as was customary in the culture, she was identified by her closest male relative. Since she was identified with Peter, it is possible that she had no sons and that her husband had died. And although the text does not explicitly say that she lived in the house, we can assume that she lived with the family of Peter.
Mark’s Gospel tells us that Jesus entered the house where Simon’s mother-in-law lay in bed with a fever. When the inhabitants of the house told Jesus about her, he “came and took her by the hand and lifted her up,” a description that stresses the physical touch of Jesus as a Spirit-empowered healer (Mark 1:31). As Jesus lifted her up, “the fever left her, and she began to serve them.” Evil spirits and all powers that impede the fullness of life flee at the touch of Jesus. Luke’s Gospel says that Jesus “rebuked the fever” (Luke 4:39), demonstrating the authority of Jesus over all the powers of evil.
Each Gospel account states that Peter’s mother-in-law got up and began to serve. On one level of meaning, we can assume that she got up to cook a meal and offer the hospitality she would have offered her guests had she not been ill. The verb here, however, suggests “to serve” or “to minister.” It is the same verb Jesus used when he told his followers that he came “not to be served but to serve.” Simon’s mother-in-law was not only the first woman to be healed by Jesus but is also a model for all people who are lifted up by Jesus for the life of his kingdom, and who respond to this new life by serving in his ministry.
Although Peter’s wife is not mentioned in this passage, Paul indicates in his writings that Peter’s wife accompanied him in his missionary travels during the period of the early church (1 Corinthians 9:5). Even though she too remains nameless, her service must have been significant—both during the life of Jesus, when her house became the headquarters for his ministry in Galilee, and also decades later when she and her husband traveled to proclaim the gospel to distant lands.3
This house of Peter and his family was the setting for many other miracles of Jesus. After relating the story of the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, Mark’s account states this:
That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. (Mark 1:32–34)
The Gospel notes that the crowds did not bring their sick and possessed to Jesus until sundown. Previously we are told that it was the Sabbath, the day of rest, which extends from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. When the sun sets, the Sabbath prohibitions against traveling and carrying burdens are lifted. So at dusk the people bring all who are in need to Jesus. The description of the crowds—“the whole city was gathered around the door”—indicates the growing reputation of Jesus and the multitude that gathered at the door of Peter’s house.
Perhaps bringing them into the house, one by one with their friends and family around them, Jesus cured the sick and possessed. He demonstrated his complete authority over illness and demons, using it to bring health and wholeness to many. This house of Peter must have been a place filled with great joy and gratitude for what God was doing to bring the kingdom near to them.
In 1990 the Franciscans built a church over the ruins of Peter’s house. Although some people complain about its rather modernist design, I think it is a brilliant means of preserving the ruins of the first-century house and creating a space for worship. The church is built upon pillars directly over the ruins. In the center of the church, a glass floor allows visitors to look into the excavations below and stand over the place Jesus called home.
Like its fifth-century predecessor, this new church is octagonal in shape. As befitting the location on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, the art on its walls features fish, waves, and fishing nets. Above each of its eight supporting pillars is a wood-carved scene from the life of St. Peter.
I love to bring pilgrims here to celebrate the Eucharist. As we worship, we are able to feel the human life of Jesus as close as anywhere on earth. Standing over the house of Peter—this place where Jesus almost certainly ministered, this place of healing and joy, this house church of the early Christians, this place of pilgrimage for believers through the ages—I rejoice at the rich tradition that binds disciples to Jesus throughout the centuries in this place.
With pilgrims I always choose the Gospel text of the healing of the paralytic. Let us imagine that we are in this Church of St. Peter’s House, listening to the proclamation of the Gospel according to Mark.
When [Jesus] returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” (Mark 2:1–12)
When people discovered that Jesus was “at home,” word spread quickly and a large crowd gathered in the house. The house was so packed that many remained outside the door of the house as Jesus spoke “the word” to them, the good news of God’s kingdom.
The paralyzed man was unable to come to Jesus himself, so he was carried by four faithful friends. Incapable of approaching Jesus in the house because of the impenetrable crowd, the intrepid four took the paralytic up to the roof. Typical of homes at that time, this house of Peter probably had an outside stairway leading to the roof, which was normally a place to relax and get away from the bustle of the streets below. The friends simply dug out a couple of the earth and straw panels of the roof and carefully lowered the paralyzed man with ropes down to the feet of Jesus.
Whenever I am standing in the Church of St. Peter’s House, I can easily imagine the four men on the roof. I look down through the glass in the floor and can visualize the paralyzed man at the feet of Jesus. I wonder what the others in the room with Jesus were saying as they saw the clay falling from the ceiling, interrupting Jesus’ teaching. I’m sure some complained about the commotion, considering it a disruption of the teachings they were listening to so closely. Others were probably shocked at the destruction of this house as the sun began to stream down from the jagged opening in the roof.
Jesus could have responded in any number of ways to this spectacle. Yet he reacted with total affirmation to this implicit request for healing because “Jesus saw their faith.” The faith that Jesus witnessed was not just the trust of the paralytic, but the faithful and fearless deed of the four friends.
The narrative shows us that one of the deepest expressions of friendship is to bring another to Jesus. People are often incapable of coming to Jesus by themselves. Some are afraid, others need encouragement, and some simply don’t know how. All of us are paralyzed in some way by the effect of sin. None of us in our own strength and ability can achieve the wholeness for which we long.
Having already demonstrated Jesus’ power to heal, the passage leads its readers to a deeper understanding of his authority. Jesus’ words to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven,” are not what the man or his friends were expecting to hear. But Jesus, evidently seeing deeply into the man’s heart, knows that forgiveness is his greatest need. Sin is an illness more dangerous than physical sickness. Guilt is a paralysis that prevents us from coming to God. For this man, forgiveness was the precondition for his being healed from his enslaving disability.
Of course, the religious authorities quickly confronted Jesus’ claim to forgive the man’s sins. “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” The scribes assumed that Jesus, by claiming the prerogative of God, was speaking blasphemy—a serious charge punishable by death in Jewish law.
But in response to their suspicions, Jesus asked them, “What is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’?” It might seem easier to speak the words of divine forgiveness, because forgiveness cannot be outwardly displayed; whereas words of healing require an immediate demonstration. So, to prove to them that he had authority to absolve sins, Jesus did what was “harder,” as a sign of his power to do what seemed “easier.” Jesus cured the man’s paralysis as an outward sign of his authority to forgive sins. The walking paralytic returning home to begin a new life was a visible demonstration that Jesus possessed the divine authority on earth to forgive sins.
Standing in the Church of St. Peter’s House, we can imagine the amazement of the crowd as the healed man stands up, takes his mat, and leaves the house. “We have never seen anything like this!” we can say along with that crowd from long ago. Jesus has the same authority over our lives. He wants each of us to receive from him the forgiveness that only God can bring. He wants to heal us and make us whole. He wants us to bring near the kingdom of God. As Jesus lived closely with Peter in his own house, let’s welcome Jesus anew into our lives so that he can bring us joy and the fullness of life.
About the same time as the fifth-century Byzantine church was built over the house of Peter, the Jewish community of Capernaum built a large limestone synagogue only a block away. This synagogue has also been excavated, and today its white stones stand in stark contrast to the dark basalt stones of the town that surrounds it. It contains two rows of columns with ornately decorated capitals. Stone-carved decorations found at the site include the shofar (ram’s horn), an incense shovel, a menorah (seven-branched lamp), and a representation of the Ark of the Covenant.
The first-century synagogue, frequented by Jesus and his disciples, was made of black basalt stones. The foundation of this structure is presumably found beneath the white limestone of the present ruins. A marker at the site, situated just above the line where the black and white foundations meet, alerts us to the reality of this sacred place—“White Synagogue” built upon the remains of the “Synagogue of Jesus.”
Luke’s Gospel notes that the first-century synagogue was built by a Roman centurion (Luke 7:5). When his servant was on the verge of death, the centurion sent for Jesus. A man of great trust and humility, he said to Jesus, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; . . . only speak the word, and let my servant be healed” (Luke 7:6–7). Jesus was amazed at the faith of this Gentile army officer, presented him as a model of faith to his Jewish followers, and healed his servant.
Jesus taught in this very synagogue with an authority that his listeners knew was from God:
They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Mark 1:21–22)
This was the synagogue that Peter and his family attended on the Sabbath. This was the place Peter listened to the Scriptures of Israel proclaimed throughout his life. Here he heard rabbis teach the meaning of these texts and express hope in the coming Messiah. Then Peter met Jesus and listened to him. Jesus’ authority as a teacher was like the authority his listeners found in the Torah and the prophets. In this synagogue, Jesus healed a man possessed by an unclean spirit. The unclean spirit convulsed the man and shouted to Jesus, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24). The demon’s supernatural power recognized the authority of Jesus as he rebuked and drove out the spirit from the man.
Along with the other Jewish listeners, Peter must have been astounded at the authority expressed in Jesus’ verbal and visible proclamations of the kingdom of God:
They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. (Mark 1:27–28)
The close proximity of Peter’s house to the synagogue in Capernaum reminds us that Peter was a Jew throughout his life, from birth to death. Although he was a follower of Jesus and came to believe that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah, he would have understood his faith in Jesus as a completion of his Jewish faith, not as a new religion. Like Jesus his Master and all the other apostles, Peter was a Jew both by blood and in spirit.
Peter must have been born into a Jewish family and circumcised eight days later, binding him to the ancient covenant. Circumcision was an act of separation from the nations and consecration to the God of Israel. At that time he was given his Hebrew name—Simon or Simeon—the name of one of the twelve sons of Jacob, the patriarch of Israel, and a common name for Jews of the time.
Imbued with the Jewish culture and tradition, Simon Peter began his sacred studies in his childhood and became a full member of the people of Israel with an initiation ritual similar to today’s Bar Mitzvah. Every morning he recited the Shema (“Hear, O Israel”), and throughout his life he studied the Torah and prophets and he sang the psalms of his people. And looking back on his life at a later date, Peter proclaimed that he had always kept the Jewish kosher laws: “I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean” (Acts 10:14; 11:8).
Peter honored the Sabbath, consecrating the seventh day of the week to God. The liberating Lord gave the people of Israel this gift shortly after he freed them from slavery in Egypt. Rather than doing constant work, God’s people were to rest and enjoy the divine gift of leisure at the end of every week. So, when Peter witnessed Jesus’ healing of the man with the unclean spirit in the synagogue on the Sabbath, he might have been just as shocked as the religious leaders. But Peter gradually understood why Jesus seemed to prefer healing on the Sabbath. This day was a sacred moment that anticipated the messianic time. The world to come would be one long Sabbath. So Jesus healed on this day, Peter came to understand, to demonstrate that God’s kingdom was near, that the long-awaited Day of the Lord had arrived.
Peter would have traveled often throughout his life to Jerusalem and the temple for the three pilgrim feasts: Pesach (“Passover”), Shavuot (“Weeks”), and Sukkot (“Booths” or “Tabernacles”). He also journeyed to Jerusalem with Jesus and the other disciples to participate in sacrifices and liturgical worship in the temple on these feasts. Like all Jews of the time, Peter considered the temple in Jerusalem to be the one place in all the earth to worship God with the prescribed offerings. However, for religious instruction, prayer, and reading of the Scriptures, he and his fellow Jews gathered regularly at their local synagogue.
The Gospel of John informs us that Peter and Andrew were originally from Bethsaida (John 1:44), another location that is being rediscovered archaeologically. Among the many treasures yielded from the ruins is a fisherman’s house, identified by stone net weights, an anchor, a fishhook, and even a needle for repairing nets. Like Capernaum, Bethsaida was a fishing village, and possibly a center for drying and salting fish to export. But unlike Capernaum, Bethsaida was a town in which Jews lived together with Gentiles.
This interesting detail of Peter’s background means that he would have associated freely with Greek-speaking Gentiles throughout his early life. It should also be noted that fishing was a profitable business in first-century Galilee, especially for those who owned boats and could hire help. These details indicate that Peter was not necessarily the poor, illiterate Jewish fisherman he is often made out to be. It is more likely that Peter was a middle-class entrepreneur. He certainly spoke Aramaic, probably read Hebrew, and quite possibly also spoke and read Greek, the language of trade and commerce at the time.
Although born and raised in Bethsaida, Peter lived in Capernaum during the ministry of Jesus. Perhaps he and his family moved there to be closer to the lake. Capernaum was Aramaic-speaking and exclusively Jewish from all that we can tell. Peter’s Jewish identity was formed by two different experiences: the nationalistic fervor of faithful Jews in Galilee and the more multicultural articulation of Judaism that he experienced growing up in Bethsaida. This mixed cultural heritage prepared Peter well for his role in the ongoing mission of Jesus and his church. Peter was faithful to his tradition and knew the Hebrew Scriptures well; but he was also equipped with a knowledge of Greek culture and language, which allowed him to imagine the good news of Israel’s Messiah reaching out into the world. When Peter was gradually persuaded by his missionary calling after the resurrection of Jesus, he was able to take the first steps that would lead the church from Jerusalem to Antioch and Rome. He would proclaim an international gospel to Jews and Gentiles everywhere.
In the Gospel of John, a true disciple of Jesus is described as one who believes in him, follows him, and most especially “remains” or “abides” in him. Many come to believe in Jesus and follow him for a time, but only those who continue to follow, remaining through the struggles of discipleship over the long haul, are truly his disciples. Many people believe in Jesus after hearing his words and witnessing his wondrous deeds; yet, an undeveloped faith is often unsure and tentative. Jesus invites such believers to genuine discipleship, saying, “If you continue [remain/abide] in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31). This singularly important Greek verb, meno, is translated into English in many ways: “to remain, to abide, to continue, or to stay.”
Because the teachings of Jesus cannot be embraced quickly or easily, Jesus encourages his emergent believers to live with his word so that his revelation will gradually change the direction and mission of their lives. Believers and followers will truly become disciples as they abide in the word of Jesus, creating space for his word and living with that word so that it transforms their lives.
One of the most significant expressions of Jesus’ word in John’s Gospel is the “Bread of Life” discourse, which Jesus delivers in the synagogue at Capernaum. Jesus declares that he is the bread of life who satisfies the world’s deepest hungers and thirsts. As the religious officials challenge Jesus for declaring himself the bread that came down from heaven, he reiterates in graphic terms that the bread given for the life of the world is his own flesh. The way that disciples will “abide” (meno) in him is by eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. (John 6:53–59)
The writer of this Gospel certainly used eucharistic language that would have been meaningful to the church he was addressing; by this time in the young church’s history, sacramental practices were firmly in place. Through their celebration of Eucharist, the community of John’s Gospel knew that they would abide in Jesus and he would abide in them. The lifting up of Jesus on the cross is the moment of his total self-gift for the life of the world, when his body is broken and his blood poured out. The eucharistic memorial of his saving death and resurrection offers eternal life in each generation. His disciples abide in him as they worship him in word and sacrament, giving thanks for the gift of eternal life, while eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
Up until this moment in the ministry of Jesus, he had been successful and well received. But here is the turning point in John’s presentation of the gospel. Many of his disciples began complaining about what Jesus had taught and they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” (John 6:60). They found his teaching difficult and even offensive because it did not conform to their human expectations. So Jesus confirmed that the only ones able to accept his teaching are those who are granted the gift of the Spirit and are drawn to Jesus by the Father.
Peter is held up in John’s Gospel as a model disciple. He is one who believes, who follows, and who abides in Jesus. This section of the Gospel concludes with this rich and beautiful scene in the synagogue of Capernaum, the spotlight focused on Peter:
Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66–69)
Responding to the question Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Peter answers on behalf of all the others. His confession of trusting faith affirms that Jesus is the only one to whom they can go to find real and lasting life. They have come to believe that Jesus is the Holy One of God, and, even though they do not completely understand his teachings, they trust him enough to know that their understanding will grow as they remain with him and abide in his word through the struggles of genuine discipleship that lie ahead.
What is the lesson for you in Jesus’ instructions about the importance of building on rock? What is its message for your home life, marriage, or ministry?
In what ways was the Jewish family and household the model for the early church? How is it important that family homes were the earliest Christian churches?
What new understandings did you gain from exploring the healing of the paralytic in the house of Peter?
Peter was a Jew from birth to death; how does taking this fact into account help you understand him better?
Peter’s background from both Bethsaida and Capernaum prepared him for his ministry in the community of disciples and the early church. How has your background prepared you for whatever ministry or service exists in your life today?