Or onto a boat, which he did on a regular basis, owing to the fact that he fished for a living. If he were alive and well today here on planet earth, he would likely be living in some cove in Newfoundland or British Columbia.
I will not embarrass Peter by recalling some of his most outrageous moments (even though unauthorized biographies often do just that). Suffice to say, he was an ardent follower of someone called Jesus of Nazareth, along with eleven others. Where Jesus went, they went; where Jesus slept and ate, they slept and ate; where Jesus – well, you get the picture.
The three years of public service and private mentoring came to a sudden, albeit temporary, pause one day when there was a crucifixion. The Romans had Palestine as part of their ever-expanding empire at that point in time, and death by crucifixion for common and religious prisoners was the most common form of execution.
Whether He was considered a common or religious prisoner, Jesus was put to death by crucifixion. Serious students of history do not deny there was a Jesus of Nazareth that was crucified just outside Jerusalem around 30 AD. While there is no disputing that fact, the greater debate arises with His claims to divinity, and even greater dialogue occurs over this event called the Resurrection.
Those who call themselves Christians will argue the point that with every other significant religious leader, there is a tomb with a body, but with Christianity, there is a tomb but no body. Those who call themselves Christians will argue that the scores of Roman soldiers who guarded Jesus' tomb with their lives (literally) would never let their captive escape – unless something supernatural prevented them from doing so. And those who call themselves Christians would also argue that a trip to the right tomb by even the rightful owner, Joseph of Arimathea, would produce the corpse of Christ.
And then there's Peter. Remember him? The one who denounced and denied Jesus in the very moments He needed him most? Well, he saw the empty tomb, along with the folded grave clothes; he had deep conversations with the resurrected Christ, both by the seashore and in the upper room. And he was one of over 500 people who interacted with Him for forty days after the resurrection.
Because Peter encountered a resurrected Jesus, his life was drastically changed. The Peter before the resurrection and the Peter after the resurrection were very different from each other. Tradition has it that he himself ended up being crucified - only in his case, it was upside down.
The Peter after the resurrection blazed a preaching trail throughout certain parts of the Middle East. Would he have lived for a lie? He ended up dying as a martyr. Would he have died for a lie? If he knew, in fact, that there was no resurrection, would his life and the other ten disciples' lives, plus the millions upon millions of followers, live and die for a lie?
It is Easter in a few days. There will be chocolate bunnies, Easter eggs, school breaks, and colouring contests to 'celebrate' Easter. There is no connection whatsoever between these things and the real meaning of Easter. Granted, it is presumptuous to maintain the historical, biblical rationale for significant annual events (Christmas being the other main one) in a culture that has essentially turned its back on these things, but it still is worth the effort.
The Resurrection – a term I prefer over 'Easter,' simply for word association – is a past event that significantly impacts both our present and our future. In other words, it is a life-changing and eternity-determining event. For serious students of history, it is worth looking into. Look through every available archive – that is, more than just the Bible. You may be shocked at the facts.
Just ask Peter.
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