The Apostle Peter is the obvious spokesperson for the Twelve. He was one of the first men chosen to follow and represent Jesus. Church tradition says that John Mark recorded Peterâs sermons in Rome and turned them into a Gospel for the Romans. Mark appears to have been the first written Gospel because its basic structure is used by both Matthew and Luke. However, because Mark begins at Jesusâ baptism and ends so abruptly, it was the least copied and quoted of all the Gospels because the early church saw it as an abridgment of the other Gospels. The Apostle Peter also has left us two small letters. I Peter deals with Christâs suffering and is a pattern that believers are to emulate. II Peter addresses the problem of false teachers within the church (possibly incipient Gnosticism). It also deals with the delayed but certain Second Coming of Christ. Part of the "You Can Understand the Bible"^TM series by Dr. Bob Utley, Professor of Hermeneutics (retired). For more of Dr. Utley's Bible study guides, go to www.freebiblecommentary.org.