Jesus asked this question of Peter not once, not twice, but three times in John 21 (see verses 15, 16, and 17). Some scholars say one time for each of the three times Peter denied his Lord.
In John 21, Peter’s relationship with Jesus is restored. Without this passage, Peter’s key role in the early church and events recorded in Acts might not make sense. John 21 documents Peter’s restoration and his commissioning for Kingdom work.
You and I perhaps relate to Peter more than any of the other disciples. We, too, can be impulsive, passionate, and fearful. We too, have acted boldly, foolishly, and cowardly. And we, too, have experienced the self-shame when we’ve let Him down … and the glorious cleansing that comes with forgiveness and restoration. (I John 1:9).
If Jesus were to look you in the eye today and ask, Do you Love me? I hope your answer would be, Yes, Lord, I love you.
YES, LORD JESUS, I LOVE YOU!
If that is your response, then let’s explore what it means to LIVE like we really LOVE Jesus.
Let’s unpack some truth using the Disciples (and specifically Peter) as our example in John 21.
If we love Jesus we will….
- Follow
- Fish
- Fixate
My next three blogs will explore each of these and their call to us to live like the loved, forgiven folks we are.
The complete teaching lecture for John 21 can be found here:
John 21 Audio Teaching ~ Laura Macfarlan
Photo attribution: Cameron Baptist Church, www.cameronbaptist.com
Pingback: Do You Love Me? | My Journey of Faith