Simon Peter and Women’s Day

by Jolly Mokorosi

rockI woke up having some interesting thoughts about Peter the apostle and Jesus in the context of Women’s day. I bet you are wondering how they could be connected. I should be having thoughts of these amazing women of God –right?  Read on. When we encounter Peter he is called Simeon or Simon – meaning, “that hears or obeys; that is heard.” So from the onset Peter is seen as an answer in a sense to prayer on the part of his parents – he is the one who hears or obeys. But Jesus has something even better in mind for him. He proclaims that Simon is Peter – the rock on which He, Christ, will build His church. In other words when I am gone you will take over and be the foundation. Jesus is called a chosen and precious cornerstone – 1 Peter 2:6. So this is no light exhortation or feel good statement.

Think back to the parable Jesus tells on building your house on sand verses a solid foundation. As beautiful as the house may be it needs to stand against the storms of this life. But this is not always so for Peter. Simon has a less noble interpretation, the name can also mean reed. A fragile and hollow plant the bows and sometimes breaks when the winds pick up strength. We see Peter succumb to this interpretation of his name when he denies Christ 3 times and eventually hides himself in shame. Christ predicts this in John 13:38 a while before it happens. Despite this I would not be surprised that Christ had full knowledge of this when he said “Your name is Simon son of John, you will be called Peter.” John 1:42. In the end Peter does not disappoint and indeed goes on to be the Rock that Christ builds His church on. The rest of the world celebrates Women’s day in about March annually.

In South Africa we choose to commemorate the day on the 9th of August – the day in 1956 when a bunch of ordinary women marched to the Union builds and lent their voice to the struggle against an oppressive government regime. Women who might have been seen to be ‘obedient’ and ‘compliant’ members of society, wives, sisters, daughters, workers and so on wrote history that day and changed the destiny of a nation. They looked around and said no more. Today they are known rocks and thus the cry Wathinta abafazi, wa thinta imbhokoto (if you strike women you strike rocks). Like Peter, we are not born heroes, neither will we be most days of our lives but we are not called to be reeds. We might have been called ‘reeds’ by our parents; we might have become ‘reeds’ in our own eyes or that of others due to hand life has dealt us. You might be feeling it is too late for you. You have slipped too far back, given up too much of yourself, you are in too deep or feel like you have done things to others and are not worthy of a fresh start (please do not forget that David, aka friend of God, murdered someone so that he could sleep with his wife). But to the Father that is never the end of the story. He calls us to so much more and believes in us to be just that. We are called a royal priesthood and chosen generation. In His eyes we are already more than conquerors. We may have been called this or that by others or ourselves but you are better than ‘this’. Whatever that ‘this’ may be for you. Remember first and foremost you are called a child of God.

God bless.

This post has also appeared on the following http://www.leadtransform.org/content/?p=280&preview=true.

About the Author

SMokorosi39Jolly is the Founder and CEO of Mokorosi Financial Consulting, in the recent past she was acting CEO of the Municipal Councillors Pension Fund. She has a passion for members’ rights in the pension fund industry and a desire to see women shine in the business arena. She is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she resides with her husband, Sam. They have five children and several pot plants.

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