Jesus Restores Relationship
Some of my favorite scripture passages in the Bible are in the gospels because they give a narrative of Jesus' life. Through the stories, I feel like I'm there as an eyewitness and I get to know Him better. This is the beautiful thing about God's Word. It opens our eyes and reveals the truth of God to us. In John 21:1-17, some of the disciples decide to go fishing. They fish all night with no success. In the morning, Jesus calls out to them from the shore and tells them to recast their nets. Now this all takes place after Jesus' death, so they're not exactly sure who's speaking to them. They listen anyway and immediately their nets are full of fish. As they're struggling to bring in the fish, John tells Peter that it's Jesus on shore. Immediately Peter jumps out of the boat and swims to shore to greet the Lord! When the other disciples arrive, Jesus has prepared a warm fire and a breakfast of fish and bread for them. What a great scene of fellowship between Jesus and His disciples. To the tired and disappointed, Jesus reassures them of His presence and offers hope and encouragement.
After they eat, Jesus has this well-known exchange with Peter where He asks him three times whether Peter loves Him. Each time, Peter says emphatically that he does. Most Bible scholars say that by asking Peter whether he loves Him three times, Jesus is symbolically restoring relationship with Peter. In a sense, He's extending him forgiveness and grace for having denied Him exactly three times on the night of his arrest (John 18:15-27). Restoring and renewing relationship is what Jesus is all about. He came to bring reconciliation between God and man.
Each time Jesus asks Peter the question "do you love me?" Peter responds with “I love you Lord.” Then Jesus says, “feed my sheep.” We know Peter and the disciples have been charged with sharing the good news of Christ, making disciples, and caring for God’s people. While this is a pastor-shepherd's responsibility, it is something Jesus calls us, as His disciples, to do as well. We are to honor and serve the Lord in our lives. But the place it all begins is Jesus' question, "do you love me?" I love this simple story in John that reveals so much about the character of God. May the Holy Spirit work in our lives so that we grow in our love and devotion to Jesus.
Pastor Darren
