Today Devotional 1st August 2025, Friday Message
TOPIC: Rocky
SCRIPTURE READING — John 1:35-42
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[a]).
KEY VERSE: Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon. . . . You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). — John 1:42
“Buster,” “Scout,” “Ace,” and “Sunshine” are all great nicknames. Some nicknames are humorous, some are affectionate, and some reveal character traits. Jesus gave Simon a nickname that we could translate as “Rocky.”
In the book of John we meet Andrew, who began following Jesus after John the Baptist called him “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Filled with excitement, Andrew later brought his brother Simon to meet Jesus as well. And when Jesus met Simon, he looked at him and gave him a new name: Cephas. This Aramaic word means “Rock,” or “Rocky,” and in Greek it translates to Petros (“Peter”).
This nickname carries a lot of weight, and Peter becomes a major figure in the New Testament. Sometimes he speaks with courage and faith, like when he says Jesus is the “Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). At other times, though, Peter shows that he can be remarkably weak, like when he denies even knowing Jesus (John 18:15-27).
What should we make of this towering yet flawed figure in Jesus’ inner circle and in the early church? All of Jesus’ followers are a bit like him—sometimes strong and other times weak. The good news for Peter, though, is that Jesus never abandoned him but called him to serve despite his flaws. The good news for us, too, is that Jesus will never leave us and that he equips us to serve despite our failures.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for your faithful love. Help us to serve you in all we do. Amen.
About the author — Kurt Selles
Kurt Selles is the director of ReFrame Ministries and serves as the Executive Editor of Today. He is a graduate of Calvin College and Seminary, and received his PhD from Vanderbilt University. Before coming to ReFrame, he served 19 years in Taiwan and China with CRC World Missions. Kurt later taught missions at Beeson Divinity School, where he also acted as the director of the school’s Global Center. Kurt and his wife, Vicki, reside in Grand Rapids and have three adult children.