Primacy of Peter, Our First Pope

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The_Holy_War_11

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When I was talking to my dad about the primacy of Peter, my dad responded with…

“Jesus told them (niw this isn’t the exact words I can’t remember them) ‘The greatest among you is the one who serves the most’ (something along those lines). Then Jesus washed all their feet.”

So he was trying to tell me there’s no ‘greatest’ among them, besides Jesus. I showed him how Peter was the first to proclaim Jesus as God, and he was chosen to walk on water, and he had the strongest faith, and that he is the rock (of course Protestants say the rock is faith) and he was stumped, but when he said that I was stumped.
 
The_Holy_War_11 said:
When I was talking to my dad about the primacy of Peter, my dad responded with…

“Jesus told them (niw this isn’t the exact words I can’t remember them) ‘The greatest among you is the one who serves the most’ (something along those lines). Then Jesus washed all their feet.”

So he was trying to tell me there’s no ‘greatest’ among them, besides Jesus. I showed him how Peter was the first to proclaim Jesus as God, and he was chosen to walk on water, and he had the strongest faith, and that he is the rock (of course Protestants say the rock is faith) and he was stumped, but when he said that I was stumped.
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I don’t see how this means there was no greatest among them. But I think yor Dad is taking the quote a little bit out of context. It is simply saying that the those who serve others in humility serve Christ and the more you serve others the greater your devotion to Christ. (Remember Christ says that what you do to the least of these is what you do to me; or something along those lines. He also tells us that the two greatest commands are love God and then Love your neighbor.) In fact, one of the titles the Pope has is the Servant of the servants of Christ. Hope this helps.

These might help you…

catholic.com/tracts/peters-primacy
catholic.com/tracts/origins-of-peter-as-pope
 
The_Holy_War_11 said:
When I was talking to my dad about the primacy of Peter, my dad responded with…

“Jesus told them (niw this isn’t the exact words I can’t remember them) ‘The greatest among you is the one who serves the most’ (something along those lines). Then Jesus washed all their feet.”

So he was trying to tell me there’s no ‘greatest’ among them, besides Jesus. I showed him how Peter was the first to proclaim Jesus as God, and he was chosen to walk on water, and he had the strongest faith, and that he is the rock (of course Protestants say the rock is faith) and he was stumped, but when he said that I was stumped.
Click to expand...
With the very words of Jesus, your dad answered the question. The greatest among them is the greatest servant. Peter is named 195 times in the New Testament. Next, is John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. How many times is John named? 29. The rest? Even less.
 
I believe that I have found the passage of Scripture that you are looking for:
Luke 22:24-34:

24 Then an argument broke out among them about which of them should be regarded as the greatest.
**
25 He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as ‘Benefactors’;

26 but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.**

27 For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves.

28 It is you who have stood by me in my trials;

29 and I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me,

30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
**
31 "Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat,

32 but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers."**

33 He said to him, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.”

34 But he replied, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Code: 
 Up to verse 31, Jesus is addressing all of the apostles.  He tells them that among them, the leader must be as the servant.

 Starting at verse 31 he is addressing Peter (as Simon).  Verse 32 foreshadows his failure to die with Christ.  He is addressed as a leader in that he must strengthen his brothers.

 I think that by saying "Simon" and not "Peter" here, Christ is establishing the person himself as the leader of the apostles, avoiding the tricky "the man or his act of faith" controversy.

 Having said that, Jesus also makes it clear that the leader is to be the servant in verse 26 and 27.
Hope this helps and God Bless,

Jack Handy
 
po18guy said:
With the very words of Jesus, your dad answered the question.
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That’s totally what I was going to say. Does the dad think Jesus was therefore not the head? I bet, like Catholics, he believes one can be both servant and master… That’s the positive approach I would take with him.
 
MarcoPolo said:
That’s totally what I was going to say. Does the dad think Jesus was therefore not the head? I bet, like Catholics, he believes one can be both servant and master… That’s the positive approach I would take with him.
Click to expand...
One thing that has infected modern thinking is a “zero-sum game” mindset, in which there is only so much room within any particular concept. Thus, it must be either this, OR that. We must expand our thinking in matters divine, as our thoughts sometimes attempt to limit an infinite God. In so many points of discussing our faith, it is a situation which includes both this and that.
 
The_Holy_War_11 said:
When I was talking to my dad about the primacy of Peter, my dad responded with…

“Jesus told them (niw this isn’t the exact words I can’t remember them) ‘The greatest among you is the one who serves the most’ (something along those lines). Then Jesus washed all their feet.”

So he was trying to tell me there’s no ‘greatest’ among them, besides Jesus. I showed him how Peter was the first to proclaim Jesus as God, and he was chosen to walk on water, and he had the strongest faith, and that he is the rock (of course Protestants say the rock is faith) and he was stumped, but when he said that I was stumped.
Click to expand...
The Rock is Peter’s faith? So Jesus’ changed Simon Bar-Jonah to Cephas because it meant faith? His change of name goes a lot deeper than just his faith. Ask your dad how many first century Jewish men had the name of Cephas?

Does your dad know what happens when God changes one’s name?
 
po18guy said:
One thing that has infected modern thinking is a “zero-sum game” mindset, in which there is only so much room within any particular concept. Thus, it must be either this, OR that. We must expand our thinking in matters divine, as our thoughts sometimes attempt to limit an infinite God. In so many points of discussing our faith, it is a situation which includes both this and that.
Click to expand...
If Luther grasped that, who knows what history would have been!
 
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