John 21:15-17
15 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.”
16 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.”
17 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.
Did Peter really love the Lord? He denied Him three times at a time when Jesus needed loyal friendship the most. Did Peter really love Jesus when he cursed and swore he never knew the man? How can someone say they love Jesus when they obviously failed Him so much?
The fact of the matter is, people who love Jesus, fail Jesus. Sometimes in epic ways.
Long after this episode Peter is the Apostle Peter, leader of the church, preacher of the Gospel. He has been making trips to Antioch to help strengthen the church there. After the conversion of Cornelius and his household, Peter has accepted that God is no respecter of persons, that salvation is for everyone, including Gentiles. He has embraced the brethren at Antioch and is helping to minister to that group of believers.
One time he came to Antioch with a group of Jewish believers from Jerusalem. In this particular instance, Peter acts differently towards the Gentiles. He distances himself. He is aloof. He won't eat with them. He's wrong. He's terribly wrong in what he's doing. The Apostle Paul calls him out on it publicly. His hypocrisy is exposed.
Did Peter fail God in this situation? Definitely. Did Peter love God? Undeniably. Is Peter defined by his failures? No. Is his legacy one of someone who loved Jesus and gave his life for the preaching of the Gospel? Yes.
In
John 21 we see how the love of Jesus supersedes our failures. We see how Christ knows our hearts, even if we stumble through this walk of faith and we fail along the way.
I John 3:19-21 says "This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."
Peter was disappointed in himself, he was discouraged. He went back to Galilee to go back to the life he knew before Jesus. But that wasn't God's plan for Peter. Peter had miserably failed Jesus, yet Jesus came to him, Jesus pursued him. Jesus wanted Peter to know that He wasn't finished with him.
Phil 1:6 reads "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
God's not finished with you. He hasn't given up on you. He wants you to believe in Him. He also wants you to know He believes in you---in spite of your failures. Do what He's asking of you: feed His sheep. Serve someone, tell someone about Jesus, share the Gospel, help someone, show them the love of Christ. If you truly love Jesus, forget about the failure and get busy with the work of the Kingdom.
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