Without Him, there is no fruit bearing.
With Him, anything is possible.
Peter experienced this. Without Jesus, the disciples worked
hard ALL NIGHT and did not catch one single fish. When Jesus appeared at
daybreak, they caught so many fish that they were unable to haul them in.
JESUS filled their nets. In the same way, Peter would experience
JESUS filling His church as 3000 people put their faith in the Lord at
Pentecost. We are reminded that we can only experience a fruitful life & ministry if we abide in Jesus (see John 15).
Peter is overwhelmed at this catch of fish and He jumps out
of the boat to swim to Jesus. I love this. He wants to see His Lord. No level
of brokenness is stopping him from running (or swimming) to Jesus. I believe it is the
kindness of the Lord that leads him to full repentance (see Romans 2:4).
When he gets on shore Jesus welcomes His beloved disciple.
He has a charcoal fire burning to cook breakfast. Interestingly, the only 2
times a charcoal fire is mentioned in the New Testament is when Peter denied
Jesus and now. But the charcoal fire is not the only similarity to the night of
the denials. Jesus asks 3 times for
an affirmation of the disciples love, the exact number of Peter’s denials:
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter is grieved by the third time, no doubt realizing that
the threefold question related to his threefold denial. Peter affirms 3 times
his love for the Lord. With each affirmation of Peter’s love Jesus give a
command. “Feed my lambs.” “Tend my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.” With each declaration
of His love for the Lord He is called into gospel work. His identity and love
are in Jesus and now His calling is to be lived out of that.
Jesus does not forget this disciple that failed him. He does
not move on to another who will do a better job with His Kingdom mission. No,
He restores Him gently, beautifully,
lovingly.
This is good news for us. Have you ever blown it? Know that
the Lord desires to restore you and it is His kindness that leads you to repentance.
He desires you to know His love for you which will compel you to love Him all
the more (see 2 Cor 5:16). He asks “Daughter, do you love me?” He does not ask “Do you promise not to fail me?” He knows
we are weak. His question shows His desire for our love more than for our
works. He asks you today, “Do you love me?”
This is perhaps one of the most important questions there is: DO YOU
LOVE JESUS? Really love Him? The most
important command in all of scripture is to love the LORD your God with all
your heart, soul, mind and strength (see Mark 12:30-31). He is jealous for our
love. One of the greatest things you can do today is find ways to stir up your
affections for Him, the King of Kings.
That is what I pray this blog journey has done. I pray that
it has stirred up your affections for our great God and Saviour. That is the
ultimate goal: that we have been saturated in the gospel and as a result our deepest love is for Jesus and our purpose and calling
flows out of that. May our love for Him be
so great that we live for Him instead of ourselves. May it be so great that we
follow Him NO MATTER WHERE IT LEADS.
Jesus was leading Peter down the same road that He Himself
walked on. When Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 16:24 that his followers
must “deny [themselves] and take up [their] cross and follow [Him],” this was
quite literal for Peter. Peter would indeed die a martyr’s death on a cross to
glorify God. And His reward in Heaven far
exceeds any suffering endured on earth.
Jesus begins with a question and ends with a command. His
question for us is the same: ‘do you love me?’ And if your answer is yes, you
will most definitely join this epic journey and answer His call to…
FOLLOW HIM.
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Thank you friends for joining me on this beautiful journey through the Gospel of John! I pray that this powerful word accomplished its purposes for which it was written: that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and that by believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31).
This journey has deeply impacted me and I pray it has
impacted you as well. I have been brought to tears as I reflect on the love of
Christ and I have an even greater longing for His JOY to fill me. My desire is
strong to live for His purposes and not my own and I pray that He would empower
me to live out the mission He has called me to. May the Holy Spirit guide us!
What about you? How has this experience through the book of
John impacted you? I would LOVE to hear what spoke to you through this journey.
Feel free to post comments below. If you have any thoughts, considerations, or
requests for next time – they are welcome as well!
May His Word abide in us for God’s Glory, others good, & our joy. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:35
Mary had asked me last night. When she would see Jesus? while falling asleep together my answered was: I think Jesus is in our hearts Mary. She smiled and she said, you are right Mommy. This morning, reading this reflection about how he loves me and how his work continue on me after I failed. Mary was right last night too. Jesus still loving us after all. He seems quiet but I just need to close my eyes sometimes to see it... thank you
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