By David ReayThursday 29 Jun 2017LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read John 21:15-17
15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep. (NLT)
We can imagine what Peter was feeling when Jesus had a quiet word to him at that lakeside breakfast after the resurrection. Would this be the end for him? Was he off the team? Was this to be an ever-so-gentle yet ever-so-firm exit interview? After all, he had let Jesus down badly—three times.
It is interesting that Jesus doesn’t ask Peter if he is sorry and insist that he doesn’t make the same mistake again. He simply asks if Peter loves him. And it seems that love is enough. We might fail Jesus again and again but if at heart we truly love him, we are on the team. We are not cast aside on the scrapheap as failures. And let’s face it, none of us can truly promise Jesus that we will never ever fail him again.
And it is also interesting that Jesus gives Peter an important job to do. He is entrusted with caring for the people of God—a most precious assignment. This brazen big-mouth who couldn’t keep his solemn promises to Jesus is not only back on the team but is a leader of the team.
If we ask ourselves why Jesus chose such a man as this to do such a job as that, we can only reply that he had no choice. Whoever Jesus chooses to be on his team will have failed him at some point. And it is true that for Peter and for us we have the strong help of the Spirit of God who empowers us to overcome our failures. And yet we will still fail Jesus despite all that help. And Jesus persists in keeping us on the team only requiring from us some genuine, maybe even faint or fragile love for him. That will be enough.
Blessings
David Reay