“Do you love Me?”… Jesus asked.
“Feed My sheep.”
John 21:17
Peter and Jesus were having a face – to – Face Moment. And Jesus was asking
Peter a very “simple” question. Four simple words. But Peter’s responses were not
what Jesus had been looking for.
Jesus was putting Peter “on the spot.” Four simple words. But Peter was having an
uncomfortable Moment with his response. He was not sure what Jesus was looking
for. He could have said many things, . . . easily coming up with a list of ways he had
served and followed Jesus in the past few years they had shared.
Peter had been following Jesus through years of ministry. . . the horrible experience of
His crucifixion, . . . the incredible experience of Jesus’ resurrection and the ripple effects
of that event. Peter was still with Jesus, despite his human failures through those days.
So what was Jesus getting at in his repeated question to Peter? “Do you love Me? …
Feed My sheep?” Was he thinking….Of course I love you! I’m here. I’m still following
You. . . But I’m a fisherman. I catch fish. I’m not a shepherd! I’ve never taken care of
sheep. Fish don’t need “care”. I just have to get in the water and throw out my nets. . .
and that’s it! Are you asking me to change the whole focus of my life? My way of
providing for my family? Walk away from the sea where I’ve spent my life for my
family?
Jesus disrupts our lives. He doesn’t look at our human “norms” as we do. His Plans
cannot be dictated by ours. His focus is on those He came to save. Those who are
lost. Those who have never known the Goodness of God. . . His Love . . . His Hope . . .
.
The fisherman did not “take care of his fish.” He simply used them for his own food and
as provision for others.
But sheep . . . now that’s a whole different ball-game. You don’t “catch sheep.” It’s a lot
of work and time and commitment to care for sheep. You can’t trust them. They can’t
defend themselves. They’re “kinda dumb” when it comes to good choices of avoiding
danger. It requires the life of the shepherd. . . day and night. 24 / 7.
“Do you love Me?” A simple question. Four little words.
But living out the answer. . . that is a life commitment that lasts a lifetime.
Order Janet’s book, Not Forgotten, Stories of a Refugee People on Amazon
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