The second timeline in this series discusses events in Peter's life from Jesus' last Passover through the day the Lord ascended into heaven up to the Day of Pentecost. The last timeline of Peter's life covers his ministry from Pentecost in 30 A.D. to his death as a Christian martyr.
Late October 26 A.D.
Initial Contact
Jesus, after his baptism and temptation by the devil, makes initial contact with Peter and several other disciples at Bethabara (John 1:28 - 46). Sometime after this initial contact the Lord and his disciples attend a Cana wedding celebration (John 2:1 - 21).
April to May 27 A.D.
Baptism Training
Jesus trains Peter and the other disciples by having them baptize people in Judea (John 3:22, 4:1 - 3).
June 2, 27 A.D. to Early 28 A.D.
First Galilean Tour
Jesus, after Pentecost in 27 A.D., moves to Capernaum in the fulfillment of prophecy (Luke 4:31, Matthew 4:13 - 17). He then calls Peter and other disciples to accompany him on his first preaching tour throughout Galilee (Mark 1:16 - 20, Matthew 4:18 - 22, Luke 5:1 - 11) that will begin in Capernaum.
After Jesus preaches in a Capernaum synagogue he heads for Peter's house where he finds the apostle's mother-in-law with a high fever. The Lord merciful rebukes the fever, enabling her to serve the group (Matthew 8:14 - 15, Mark 1:29 - 31, Luke 4:38 - 39).
Mid-April to Early Summer 28 A.D.
Apostles Are Selected
While in Galilee the Lord goes up a local mountain and prays all night. He then officially selects and ordains Peter and eleven other disciples to be apostles (Mark 3:13 - 19, Luke 6:12 - 16).
Then He went up into the mountain and called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him. And He ordained twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them to preach,
And to have authority to heal diseases and to cast out demons. Then He chose Simon and added to him the name Peter . . . (Mark 3:13 - 16).
October 28 A.D. to Early 29 A.D.
Training Mission
Peter and the other apostles are sent by Jesus, in pairs, on an evangelistic training mission.
And He (Jesus) called the twelve to Him and began to send them out, two by two; and He gave them authority over unclean spirits . . . And they went out and proclaimed that all should repent (Mark 6:7, 12, see also Matthew 10:1 - 33 and Luke 9:1 - 6).
Raising the Dead
A synagogue ruler begs Jesus to heal his twelve year old daughter who is near death. While He and the disciples are traveling to the man's house they are informed of her death. Undeterred, Jesus takes with him only Peter, James and John on the rest of the journey (Mark 5:35 - 37).
Arriving at the ruler's house, the three disciples witness the Lord raising the little girl from the dead!
And taking the child by the hand, He said to her, "Talitha, cumi"; which is, being interpreted, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" And immediately the little girl arose and walked . . . (Mark 5:41 - 42).
April - May 29 A.D.
A Stroll on the Water
Peter and the disciples, as they are sailing across the Sea of Galilee, find themselves in the middle of a strong storm! The late night winds and large waves batter and push their vessel off-course. Jesus, who was on land when the storm came upon the lake, decides to walk on water toward his disciples.
Peter, as the Lord approaches the boat, makes the impulsive decision to ask him if he can walk on the water as well. Jesus grants Peter's request. The apostle's immature faith, however, soon causes him to begin to sink!
Then Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, bid me to come to You upon the waters." And He said, "Come." And after climbing down from the ship, Peter walked upon the waters to go to Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was, he became afraid; and as he was beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:28 - 31).
Jesus' Followers Abandon Him
Jesus, in Capernaum, teaches not only that he is the living bread from heaven but also that those who seek to live forever must eat his flesh and drink his blood.
"I am the living bread, which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is even My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world . . .
"Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves" (John 6:51, 53).
Many of Jesus' followers offend themselves over his words and decide not to follow him anymore (John 6:66). Turning to his twelve disciples, he asks them if they too will leave. Peter, who is almost never at a loss for words, affirms the group's commitment to him and their belief in his deity.
Therefore, Jesus said to the twelve, "Are you also desiring to go away?"
Then Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; And we have believed and have known that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:67 - 69).
May to Mid-September 29 A.D.
Jesus Is God!
Jesus and the disciples travel to an area near Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27). After quizzing his disciples regarding who do people think he is, Peter confesses he is the Christ.
He said to them, "But you, who do you declare Me to be?" Then Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:15 - 16).
The Lord then proclaims that only God the Father could have revealed this information to Peter. Jesus then states that although the apostle is a small stone, he will build his true church upon himself (Jesus) and not upon any human being (Matthew 18:17 - 18)!
Peter Rebukes Jesus!
In a jaw dropping change of events, Peter goes from being the first disciple to acknowledge Jesus' divinity to the only one recorded rebuking the Lord for fulfilling his role as man's Savior!
From that time Jesus began to explain to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem, and to suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised the third day.
But after taking Him (Jesus) aside, Peter personally began to rebuke Him, saying, "God will be favorable to you, Lord. In no way shall this happen to You."
Then He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, because your thoughts are not in accord with the things of God, but the things of men." (Matthew 16:21 - 23).
Late September 29 A.D.
The Transfiguration
Jesus, just before the Feast of Trumpets on September 27, takes his disciples to Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13, Mark 8:27). He then takes Peter, James and John on a short journey to an area likely around Mount Hermon.
The three disciples, probably on or just after the Feast of Trumpets, witness the Lord's glory as a member of the Godhead.
And He was transfigured before them; and His face shined as the sun, and His garments became white as the light. Then behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him.
And Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You desire, let us make three tabernacles here: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (Matthew 17:2 - 4).
Peter's comments concern building temporary shelters that were used to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. The apostle late wrote about what he saw in 2Peter 1:16 - 18.
Mid-November 29 A.D.
The Temple Tax
Jesus and the disciples, after observing the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, make their way back to Capernaum.
While in Capernaum Peter is approached by those collecting the temple tax and asked if Jesus was going to pay it (Matthew 17:24 - 27). The tax, which was voluntary in the first century A.D., was requested of every Israelite male twenty years old or older.
Peter, after informing Jesus of the tax, is told to cast his fishing line into the Sea of Galilee. The fish he catches miraculously has a coin in his mouth which he uses to pay the tax for both of them!
Unlimited Forgiveness
Peter, after Jesus' discussion on how to resolve difficulties between people (Matthew 18:15 - 20), asks how often a person should forgive someone.
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times?" (Matthew 18:21).
Jesus' response is that a person should be forgiven as many times as is needed (Matthew 18:22).
February to Late March 30 A.D.
Leaving Everything
Jesus takes Peter and the other disciples to the city of Ephraim in order to avoid Jewish religious leaders (John 11:54). After his encounter with a rich young man asking how he could live forever, he teaches the disciples not to trust in worldly riches (Matthew 19:16 - 26, Mark 10:17 - 27, Luke 18:18 - 27).
Peter, astonished at the Lord's answer, responds that the disciples have given up everything to follow him.
Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and have followed You. What then shall be for us?" (Matthew 19:27).
Jesus reassures the disciples that their sacrifices were not in vain and that all those who suffer loss to follow him will be richly rewarded (Matthew 19:28 - 30).
Friday, March 31
Cursed Fig Tree
Jesus, less than a week before his death on April 5, travels with his disciples into Jerusalem. Hungry, he finds a fig tree with only leaves on it and curses it (Mark 11:12 - 14). The next day (the Sabbath) Peter is astonished to find the tree had completely dried up and died!
And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. Then Peter remembered and said to Him, "Look, Master! The fig tree that You cursed has dried up."
And Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith from God . . ." (Mark 11:20 - 22).
Sunday, April 2
Mount of Olives Prophecies
The disciples, as they are leaving the temple area, point out to Jesus how magnificent were its buildings. The Lord's response to their praise is to reveal that someday the temple would be destroyed and unrecognizable (Matthew 24:1 - 2).
Jesus then launches into his longest revealing of end time events known as the Mount of Olives prophecies (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21). Interestingly, while Matthew and Luke state that the disciples requested clarification regarding Jesus' return, Mark notes that only Peter and three other disciples asked him, privately, about his Second Coming.
Then Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There shall not be left a stone upon a stone that shall not be thrown down."
And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew came privately and asked Him, "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?" (Mark 13:2 - 4).
Tuesday, April 4
Preparation for Passover
The last full day of Jesus' life as a human was Tuesday, April 4 in 30 A.D. The Bible varies regarding who was sent to ensure that everything was ready for the keeping of his last Passover.
Matthew records that the Lord asked an unknown number of disciples to enter Jerusalem and find the person tasked with Passover preparations (Matthew 26:17 - 18). Mark says two disciples were sent into the city while Luke states it was Peter and John.
Then came the day of the unleaveneds in which it was obligatory to kill the Passover lambs. And He (Jesus) sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us that we may eat." (Luke 22:7 - 8).
This ends the first of three timelines covering the Apostle Peter's life and ministry.
Next Timeline
Peter's Life from
Last Passover to Pentecost