Simon, and he suffered himself to be brought at once to Jesus. The salutation with which the Redeemer greeted the man who was to be the leader of his consecrated host, was strikingly prophetical and full of meaning. His first words were the annunciation of his individual and family name, (no miracle, but an allusion to the hidden meaning of his name,) and the application of a new one, by which he was afterwards to be distinguished from the many who bore his common name. All these names have a deeply curious and interesting meaning. Translating them all from their original Aramaic forms, the salutation will be, "Thou art a hearer, the son of divine grace—thou shalt be called a rock." The first of these names (hearer) was a common title in use among the Jews, to distinguish those who had just offered themselves to the learned, as desiring wisdom in the law; and the second was applied to those who, having past the first probationary stage of instruction, were ranked as the approved and improving disciples of the law, under the hopeful title of the "sons of divine grace." The third, which became afterwards the distinctive individual name of this apostle, was given, no doubt, in reference to the peculiar excellences of his natural genius, which seems to be thereby characterized as firm, unimpressible by difficulty, and affording fit materials for the foundation of a mighty and lasting superstructure.
The name Simon, (
Hebrew characters) was a common abridgment of Simeon, (Hebrew characters) which means
a hearer, and was a term applied technically as here mentioned. (For proofs and
illustrations, see Poole's Synopsis and Lightfoot.) The technical meaning of the
name Jonah, given in the text, is that given by Grotius and Drusius, but Lightfoot
rejects this interpretation, because the name Jonah is not fairly derived from (Hebrew characters)
(which is the name corresponding to John,) but is the same with that of the old
prophet so named, and he is probably right in therefore rejecting this whimsical etymology
and definition.
With this important event of the introduction of Simon to
Jesus, and the application of his new and characteristic name,
the life of Peter, as a follower of Christ, may be fairly said to
have begun; and from this arises a simple division of the subject,
into the two great natural portions of his life; first, in his
state of pupilage and instruction under the prayerful, personal
care of his devoted Master, during his earthly stay; and second,
of his labors in the cause of his murdered and risen Lord, as his
preacher and successor. These two portions of his life may be
properly denominated his discipleship and his apostleship; or
perhaps still better, Peter the learner, and Peter the teacher.
