Daily Devotions
John
John 21:1-25 "THE SAME QUESTION - THREE TIMES IN A ROW?"
Day 363 – John 21
THE SAME QUESTION – THREE TIMES IN A ROW?
As Jesus spoke to Peter about the work that lay ahead, his heart must have felt lighter! Jesus had not brought up the unpleasant topic of his denial at all. How grateful he must have felt at the graciousness of Jesus! But Peter was certainly not prepared for Jesus to ask him the same question – three times in a row! John wrote,
“He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son
of Jonah, 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
all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus
said to him, ‘Feed My sheep.'”
John 21:17
Peter was now fully engaged. His heart was “grieved”. This was the Peter that everyone knew! Jesus had succeeded in restoring His Disciple. He had returned to the Lord fully.
His heart was no longer heavy. His spirit was up and about once again. This was the spirit of Peter. This was his special characteristic! This was his nature. Jesus wanted to see Peter’s spirit restored fully. To this end, He plied this Disciple with questions – and everyone seemed identical. Only Jesus knew what He was looking for. Peter must not wallow in self-pity. He must not choose to remain passively in the background! He must take his place as the chosen leader. Only when he was fully restored could he attend to what Jesus had entrusted him.
THE LEADERSHIP ISSUE SETTLED
Everyone must have rejoiced that Peter was strong in spirit again. Yes, they agreed with Jesus. Peter would make a good leader. His recent debacle had destroyed the proud and over-confident spirit that was in him. And that was well and good.
In the presence of the Disciples, Jesus had appointed him with the care of the lambs and sheep! The question of who would be the greatest, or who would lead the band of Disciples was now forever settled.
They must work together, for they were co-labourers! They would need each other, for the work ahead was very great! Jesus wisely settled the issue of leadership among the band of Disciples. They must “feed the sheep”. There was a lot of work to be done.
The Disciples must now apply themselves to preparing for the ministry that lay ahead! They must make full use of each and every day. There was much to review. They must discipline themselves to pray much more.
They must forge even stronger friendship among themselves. The success of the future ministry depended on how well prepared they would be!
A SOBER WORD OF WARNING
Jesus was not done yet. While there was every reason to rejoice that Peter was now fully restored, Peter had to be forewarned about the future.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, When you were
younger, you girded yourself and walked where
you wished; but when you are old, you will
stretch out your hands, and another will gird
you and carry you where you do not wish.”
John 21:18
This cryptic statement would have been difficult to understand, had not John taken the time to explain what Jesus meant.
“This He spoke, signifying by what death he
would glorify God. And when He had spoken
this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me.'”
John 21:19
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MASTER
Jesus had just spent time restoring Peter. He had lifted up his spirits! He had given him a glimpse of the work that he would do. Was Peter prepared for all the work that Jesus was placing on his shoulders?
Peter’s reply was a simple one. He loved the Lord. As long as his heart loved the Lord, it would see him serving Jesus all his life. Surely love for the Lord must express itself in service?
Peter had answered correctly. Yes, love will give the heart strength to serve faithfully and well. But what about suffering? What if service to the Lord resulted in death? Any answer given at this stage would be premature! Peter would not repeat the same mistake he made once. He would not say that he would be able to go to prison and even to death.
Peter’s silence must be noted. He quietly accepted the word of warning that Jesus gave him. The Lord knew what lay ahead. He would content himself to doing what Jesus said. And He had said, “Follow Me”. And Peter had determined in his heart that that was exactly what he was going to do!
AN ANCIENT CHURCH TRADITION
An ancient church tradition said that Peter was also crucified to death. In that tradition, Peter asked that he be crucified upside down. He felt that he was unworthy to be crucified in the same way as the Lord Jesus Christ.
A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE GOOD
In the words “Follow Me”, we catch yet another glimpse of Jesus. What a gracious Saviour He was! To think that He could forgive one who had vehemently denied Him, and then to go on to entrust him with great apostolic responsibilities! But We See Jesus!