[1] Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. - Acts 3:1 KJV
I like to do character studies of the Bible patriarchs, because it helps me to better understand the context of their stories. A common theme of these character studies is that all the men and women of the Bible were subject to the same passions as we are today.
In Acts 14, Paul acknowledged as much to the people of Lycaonia. These Lycaonians tried to worship Paul and Barnabas like some kind of gods, because God healed the local lame man thru Paul. Paul and Barnabas quickly set them straight.
The Apostle James the son of Alpheus in his epistle tells us that the Old Testament prophet Elijah, “was a man subject to like passions as we are.”
The patriarchs being just like us today had personalities that ran the gamut from introvert to extrovert! It should be of note that many Bible characters operated as teams much of the time. One of my favorite New Testament teams is Peter and Paul.
In my personal studies, I often do in-depth character studies with scripture and other references, however most of my studies begin with a simple outline. Below is a simple breakdown of Peter and John’s commonalities and differences.
Things that Peter and John had in common:
They both ran family-owned fishing businesses.
Each of them had a brother whom Jesus also called to be an Apostle. (Andrew and James respectively)
Both Peter and John left it all to follow Jesus.
Both Peter and John were part of Jesus’s inner circle.
Ways that Peter and John are different:
They have vastly different temperaments and personalities.
Peter was an outright extrovert and John was at the very least somewhat reserved.
John knew that Jesus loved him, plus he had almost no problems in trusting in Jesus. (To illustrate this John often referred to himself as “that disciple whom Jesus loved.”)
Peter, on the other hand, had to learn the hard way that Jesus loved him and only developed a deep trust after much trial and error.
Results of Peter and John’s character traits:
Peter and John’s common heritage, plus their different personalities, allowed them to learn from each other and both became foundational stones in Christ’s church.
Who are you working with to advance Jesus’s church? Are you more like Peter or John?