John 21:15-17 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."
The Lord’s Loving Summon
Oh what a loving Lord we serve! Sometimes in the trials and delays of life, we often wonder where the Lord is. What are you doing Lord? Lord, I didn’t expect things to unfold this way. I didn’t know it would be so hard. And I didn’t really believe that I was actually this weak! (I can somehow hear the echo of ‘amen’s’ while I type!) But it is in such seasons where the Lord is making room to ask us afresh “Do you love me?” Let’s just consider Peter for a moment. Peter was zealous for the Lord. From the very beginning he leaped at the opportunity to follow Jesus. “Yes!” Peter thundered in his spirit, “this is who John the Baptist proclaimed. I will follow you!” And later, with his lips, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God!” Peter with full sincerity believed that through Jesus, God was finally going to overthrow the wicked Romans, and that Peter would have his hand fighting in God’s army! In his zeal without knowledge, Peter even declared that he would never deny Jesus at the cost of his own life. Like all of us, however, Peter from his current position didn’t and for that matter couldn’t grasp that God’s plan was far deeper, far more expansive, and far more redemptive than what the present perspective allowed him to see. Even in his greatest sincerity for what he would do for God! But God had some maturing work to do in Peter. In fact, God wasn’t interested in overthrowing the Romans – they weren’t the actual enemy. God was rather interested in breaking the power of sin, injustice and death that runs through every single human being. But an understanding of how God would do this could only come on the other side of the cross and the resurrection. You could even say that such an understanding for Peter could only come on the other side of his 3-fold denial, his loss of hope, and his “weeping bitterly” (Mt. 26:75). Because it is on the other side of our death, our deep introspection and re-examination of all we held dear, the questioning of our very identity, that room is made for the haunting and probing question that Jesus persists in asking us all: Do you love me? Peter’s denial would make room for Peter to come to grips with who he really was and who Jesus was calling him to be.
In the midst of your own dreams, your own failures, and rebellion, have you given up on the call of God? Do you want simply to throw in the towel, look back on your former days of zeal as simple childhood enthusiasm and nonsense? If you do, you are not alone. But, before you go that route, jump back into the narrative and walk along side Peter once again. Hear the Lord’s summons afresh: “Peter, do you love me?”Though Peter had come to the end of himself, with his denial and seeming loss of hope, Jesus never wavered in his call and commitment to Peter. And he did not come to point out Peter’s faults. No. Jesus, as with us all, comes to empower us to face our own denials, our own weakness, our sinful rebellion, so that we can be who Jesus says we are. “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church…” (Mt. 16:18). “Feed my sheep Peter” the Lord says three times, “For you are my shepherd, my fisher of men” not a fisherman. Did Peter know this ahead of time? No. But he loved the Lord, even as the Lord led him through the necessary journey of facing his own weak and vulnerable self. What Peter didn’t know about Peter, the Lord knew about Peter. In a matter of days, Peter had gone from fear and denial, to joy and proclamation of the wonders of Jesus (Acts 2). Today, nearly 2,000 years later!, those of us who are in Christ, the church, are a testimony to the far larger dream that Jesus had for Peter than Peter had for Peter. Today, wherever you are at, will you make room for the Lord’s personally tailored question, “do you love me?” Will you allow the Lord to lead you on a journey of facing yourself, your hopes and dreams, your failures and disappointments? Trust and listen to him. He knows who you truly are, what you truly desire, and what he created you for. As you allow him, he will fashion you into a carrier of the glory of God on this earth beyond your wildest dreams, and fill you with joy inexpressible. Will you allow Jesus’ loving summon to do its work in your heart and life today?
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