Do You Love Me

John 21:15-17, 19b
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”  He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep… “Follow me.”’

This is the last part of the scene where Jesus meets some of His disciples at the Sea of Galilee. The disciples have seen the miracle of the great haul of fish, Jesus had cooked breakfast. He had broken the bread and fish and then served the disciples.

Now Jesus needed to reinstate Peter to put him back on track even though he thought he had blown it forever. How often have we had that same feeling when we have blown it in our relationship with the Lord?

In Jesus’s mind Peter was never out, he had just slipped up. The same for us, but sometimes we can be too hard on ourselves.

Now the Lord asks Peter if he loves Him with an overwhelming love like the love of a father to a son, (original Greek). Peter answers, I love you like a brother (interpretation of the original Greek). Jesus asks this twice, and Peter answers the same way twice.

The third time, in the original Greek, it records Jesus asking Peter if he loved Him like a brother and Peter again says basically, yes like a brother.

Peter couldn’t muster up the love that Jesus was asking for. Peter felt like it was hypocrisy to say he loved the Lord with a deep abiding love after he failed the Lord the night he was arrested.

But Jesus was pressing him because He knew the love was there, but Peter was just holding himself back because of his own doubts in himself.

Just as Jesus does to us, He will meet us right where we are, no matter how near or how far we feel like we are. He walks us through the process until we feel like we can love our Lord that way again. Jesus isn’t looking for perfection, He is just looking for a willing heart, a willing Spirit and He is looking for our availability.

Past failures are washed under the blood, forgiven, forgotten. At that point we just have to move on with Him! As Jesus said to Peter, simply, “follow me.” I believe Jesus is saying to all of us, “Stop looking at yourself and your failures and just follow me, I need you to keep going, I have things for you to do.”

Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for being patient with us. You never limit us, we limit ourselves, and hold ourselves back. We feel like we are not good enough, we have failed too many times, fallen short too often. But each time you come and meet us right where we are and take us by the hand and get us back on our path again. Thank You Lord for You love and patience, Amen!