Theme: True Forgiveness
John
21:15-19 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of
John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I
care about you.” Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”
16
A second time Jesus asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said,
“Yes, Lord, you know that I care about you.” Jesus told him, “Be a shepherd for
my sheep.”
17
He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you care about me?” Peter
was grieved because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you care about me?” He
answered, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I care about you.” “Feed my
sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “Amen, Amen, I tell you: When you were young, you
dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted. But when you are old, you will
stretch out your hands, and someone else will tie you and carry you where you
do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which
Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.” (EHV)
“The more things change, the more they stay the
same.” You’ve heard that before I’m sure. Have you ever stopped to think about
what it actually means? I tried that this week and it started to hurt my head a
bit. Really, it doesn’t make sense. Things can’t both change and stay the same.
Yet, we use this expression because it fits with what life is like. What we
experience in life is that the same things happen in different ways. So,
there’s some truth to the thought that the more things change, the more they
will happen the same way too. The scenes of life are different, that appears to
be all.
We get a sense of that here in God’s Word this
morning. Things had definitely changed for Simon Peter. Within the last week,
he had forsaken and denied Jesus, watched Jesus suffer and die, witnessed an
empty tomb and the proclamation of several believers that Jesus was alive, and
now finally seen Jesus alive today. Much indeed had changed.
Yet, this scene is strikingly familiar to the
first time Jesus called Peter, from Matthew 4.
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They were at the Sea of Galilee.
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They were fishing.
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And Jesus called Peter to “Follow Me.”
It’s quite interesting that this is just about
both the first and last thing Jesus said to Peter in the Gospels. As much as
things had changed in three years of ministry from Jesus, things were pretty
much the same for Peter – except the elephant in the room, of course.
That one big thing was the fact that Peter had
denied Jesus three times. Peter certainly knew and believed he was forgiven by
Jesus. But in his heart, Peter must have been curious as to what his Lord would
do with him moving forward. Peter was the defacto leader of the apostles. Jesus
had promised that Peter would have the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What
would become of all this now that Peter had openly denied His Master? The rest
of the apostles surely we aware of Peter’s indiscretion. Was his capacity as a
leader compromised? Indeed, it was enough to be forgiven by Jesus but Peter
wanted more, he had been trained for more. In his heart, all this must have
been seriously jeopardized. And given that scenario, Peter himself must have
felt quite lost in this moment.
Jesus didn’t waste any time in either talking
to Peter or getting to the point. In a way, there might even be a temptation
for us to think of Jesus as insensitive or like He’s picking on Peter. But,
sometimes we’re so overly sensitive to the ways we’ve hurt others, or
sinned against God, that we think it’s rude to address it. This feeling is a
ploy by Satan to get us to ignore our mistakes and never seek restitution for
what we’ve done wrong. As Jesus demonstrates, most times the best thing we can
do is to directly address what we know is out there, rather than seeking to
avoid dealing with it at all costs.
It surely cut Peter to the heart to hear Jesus’
words. There’s no doubt that the denial was fresh in Peter’s mind. How ashamed
he must have felt! And it’s also interesting that Jesus speaks to Peter in full
view of the other apostles. This was not to punish Peter but rather to
reinforce the fact that Jesus forgave Peter in the minds of the rest, since
they surely were aware of the denial as well. Public sin is best dealt with
with public repentance and renewal. This measure was taken by Jesus so that
the rest of the apostles’ trust in Peter as their leader would not continue to
be compromised. Again, this must have made Peter feel ashamed and guilty,
especially knowing how much he cared about the approval of his Lord and his
brothers. But, hard as it was, it was the best thing for Peter. [church
discipline]
Jesus does not act in half measures. He
addresses matters that require His attention, and He takes care of them with a
mastery of skill and tact. Jesus knows how bad it can be to have sins hanging
around for extra consumption. It’s a very attractive prospect for us to neglect
and ignore important matters of our faith that need attention. This does not
always have to be a matter of sin between us and another Christian, or between
us and God either. It can involve a question in our heart, a seed of doubt
about our faith. It can involve a habit that puts us in a dangerous situation,
like talking about another person behind their back, or taking a look at
another person who is not your spouse. Our society gets on the Christian’s case
for pointing these things out, as if we are only interested in projecting a
“holier than thou” attitude. But, it’s about protection. Jesus doesn’t take any
matter of spiritual concern lightly. He gets to the heart of the matter and
resolves it so there’s no question of lingering issues. We should strive to do
the same.
So, let’s breakdown what Jesus said to Peter.
We have three similar statements. Jesus questions Peter about his love for
Jesus. Inherent in this thought of love is also loyalty, faithfulness, and
respect. Just like the way we use the word love, so also the Greek thought can
contain several virtues. One difference is noted in the first question – “Do
you love me more than these?” What is Jesus making the comparison
to? It seems likely that it applies to the rest of the apostles. It could mean,
does Peter love Jesus more than Peter loves the others? Essentially, was Jesus
of the highest priority and importance in Peter’s heart? It could also mean,
does Peter love Jesus more than the rest of the apostles love Jesus? As Peter
had claimed in the past, “Even if all fall away because of you, I never
will,” so perhaps Jesus is hearkening back to this fierce loyalty in Peter.
We don’t know the exact answer, but we do know this is a test from Jesus.
In contrast to the three times that Peter
denied Jesus, out of fear of the Jews, when quite literally, there were more
things that concerned Peter, Jesus now gives him the opportunity to re-pledge
his loyalty to his Savior.
Much is made about the rest of what Jesus says
to Peter too. We’ll separate this into what fits and what is more on the
unknown side of things. One thing that fits is that Jesus restores Peter three
times just as Peter disowned Jesus three times. Jesus, very clearly, is making
a point about what was surely on Peter’s heart at this time. Another thing that
fits is that Peter in renewed to enter the ministry of the Lord. The concluding
command by Jesus in each statement is that Peter would take care of Jesus’
sheep. The thought of shepherding is a common expression for the ministry of
God’s Word. Peter would officially move on from fisherman to pastor.
Another common thought about this text was that
Jesus was playing a sort word game with Peter. I used a text today that brings
this to light. In the first two questions, Jesus uses the word agape for
love, meaning a deep, committed love and that is faithful. Agape is
often considered parallel to the concept of grace. However, Peter’s answer to
these questions used the word phileo, meaning a love that is more of a
friendship, though it can be just as committed at times as agape. In the
last question, Jesus shifts and uses phileo, and Peter responds in kind.
Obviously, Jesus and Peter were not conversing
in Greek, but much has been made of this distinction because the Holy Spirit
certainly inspired the words that were used. Is there a distinction in application
to be made here? Those who say yes believe that Peter may not have grasped what
Jesus was getting at. We have the benefit of seeing what Jesus meant and what
Peter meant, as their thoughts are reflected in the different words. Another
idea is that Jesus was asking for the highest form of love and Peter was
unsure of whether he could offer that. Perhaps this was a learning moment for
Peter, where for the first time instead of plunging forward headlong, he
thought about the implications of his answer before replying.
Ultimately, this is a distinction that doesn’t
fit very well. It’s fascinated to ponder, but we have to be careful about taking
liberties with the Word of God. We don’t know if Jesus meant something
significant here, or if He just used a different sentiment. There are other
examples in the New Testament where agape and phileo are used
interchangeably, so it could just be a matter of that.
The lasting lesson of this discourse with Peter
is all about forgiveness. The nature of forgiveness seems straightforward to
us, but so often we refuse to show it or we struggle to put it into practice
because it catches us off guard. In our minds, forgiveness seems simple.
Someone wrongs us, they are sorry, we forgive, all is well. However, that
formula is rarely how life operates. What if the person isn’t sorry? What if
it’s hard to let go of the way someone wronged us? What if we keep falling into
the same sin – does God give up at some point? Do we become numb to the danger?
What impact does that have on forgiveness?
Peter was certainly caught off guard here. So
often, Peter was the one who always had a response for Jesus – who prided
himself on being ready for the Lord. But that was part of the lesson Peter
learned by his failure. Favor with Jesus was not about Peter’s abilities as
compared to the rest of the apostles. It wasn’t about his attention to detail,
or the questions he asked that showed he was thinking diligently about his
faith. What Jesus did was turned Peter’s misconception of faith and forgiveness
on its end. Jesus questioned Peter’s love in order to show His love for
Peter.
He used this moment to illustrate to Peter that
the path of faith and forgiveness starts with Jesus and stays with Jesus. If
Jesus is not leading the way, we have fallen into self-reliance and hypocrisy.
Even up to Good Friday, Peter was trying to lead his own way. Jesus allowed
Peter to fail, even by denying the very One who would die for Peter’s sins, in
order for Peter to learn this lesson and to truly be restored.
This is why forgiveness in Jesus will feel
foreign, will look strange to our eyes at times, and will be hard to put into
practice – because it’s not of our own doing. Forgiveness in Jesus means Jesus
is leading the way – it’s a blessing and a gift that comes from Him.
And here’s why we should thank God for this.
Jesus questioned Peter’s love so that Jesus could show His love for Peter.
That’s the beauty of forgiveness in Jesus, because Jesus knew that ultimately Peter
was questioning God’s love for him, especially after what Peter did to Jesus. And
the exact same blessing is true for you. Jesus’ word questions your loyalty to
Him. Are you faithful? Are you just? Are you blameless? Are you loving? Like
Peter, these sentiments cut to the heart and we are left feeling helpless and
guilty. But our Savior’s questions do more than convict. God allows that pain
so that we see with more clarity and appreciate the love of Jesus in the place
of those failures. Because like Peter, God knows that the root of your
struggles go back to questioning His love – Will He accept me? Am I good
enough? How do I get to heaven?
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