Peter had been restored to his apostleship, but the honor and authority he received from Christ had not given him supremacy over his brethren. This Christ had made plain when in answer to Peter's question, "What shall this man do?" He had said, "What is that to thee? follow thou Me." Peter was not honored as the head of the church. The favor which Christ had shown him in forgiving his apostasy, and entrusting him with the feeding of the flock, and Peter's own faithfulness in following Christ, won for him the confidence of his brethren. He had much influence in the church. But the lesson which Christ had taught him by the Sea of Galilee Peter carried with him throughout his life. Writing by the Holy Spirit to the churches, he said:

Peter havde fået sin apostelværdighed tilbage, men den ære og myndighed, han modtog af Kristus, havde ikke givet ham myndighed over hans medbrødre. Dette klargjorde Kristus, da han som svar på Peters spørgsmål: "Hvordan skal det gå ham" svarede: "Hvad angår det dig Følg du mig!" Peter fik ikke værdigheden som menighedens overhoved. Den gunstbevisning, som Kristus havde givet ham ved at tilgive ham hans frafald og ved at betro ham at vogte hjorden, og Peters egen trofasthed til at følge Kristus vandt ham hans brødres tillid. Han havde stor indflydelse i menigheden; men den lærer, som Kristus havde givet ham ved Galilæas sø, førte Peter med sig gennem hele sit liv. Da han ved Helligånden skrev til menighederne, sagde han: