John 21:15-17

John 21:15-17

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you 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 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.

If you recall from the time when Jesus was being arrested and paraded before angry crowds, on the way to his eventual crucifixion, Peter was asked, in three separate instances, if he knew Jesus…and specifically if he was one of Jesus’ disciples. Three times, Peter denied knowing Jesus. In the section above, Jesus is basically reinstating Peter into the fold. It is likely that Peter was wrecked by his public denial of Jesus and was unsure of where he stood. This was Jesus’ way of letting Peter know that he was still loved, still a disciple, and still had mighty work to be done on behalf of the Gospel. What jumps out to me in the above text is the call to action that Jesus gives to Peter. When asked, Peter answers emphatically and confidently that he loves Jesus. But Jesus takes it a step further as he instills a call to action. “Feed my lambs”…”Take care of my sheep”…”Feed my sheep”. The lambs and sheep that Jesus refers to in this call to action are obviously not a group of farm animals that need tending. Rather it’s God’s own people. Jesus is calling Peter to feed the Gospel to God’s people…he is calling Peter to care for the people, physically, mentally, and spiritually…he is calling Peter to not just talk the talk but also walk the walk. In our own lives, it’s pretty easy to just talk the talk…to say we love Jesus and to wear the label of Christian. But much like Peter, God is calling us to take it a step further. God is telling us that the talk is nice, but the action WITH the talk makes it so much better! He doesn’t want us to just go through the motions, attend church, and crack the old Bible every once in a while. Those are all well and good, but they are just a PART of what we are called to do. God wants us to actually put our professed faith into play…he wants us to actually share his Word and his love with those around us…He wants us to love others as he loves us. What if we don’t know what that looks like? Then we pray that the Holy Spirit would put us in positions that call us into action…we pray that the Holy Spirit would open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to the needs around us. In the Gospel, we have the greatest gift known to mankind…and we are being called to share that Gospel, in our words and actions, with the world. May we start with simply loving those around us…forgiving those that cross us…and welcoming the Spirit to lead us wherever he wants us to go. What a great privilege we have as God’s children!!!! To God alone be the glory!