Key Verse:
Then Jesus said to him, "Follow Me."
John 21:19A
Before Jesus was crucified, an event that must
have seemed so long ago, to Peter, Peter had denied even knowing who Jesus
was. It was a lie, of course, but to
make it worse, he had repeated that lie three times. Peter hadn't been on trial, he had been in
the court yard. His interrogator hadn't
been a man of authority, but servant girls. Yet, Peter had been afraid to admit to these
lowly servants what He had said so boldly to Jesus’ face: "You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God." (Matthew 16:16) His boldness had turned to cowardice in the
face of adversity. Now, face to face with
the Master once again, with the relationship restored, Jesus gives him the
opportunity to recommit himself to Jesus' cause. He had denied Jesus three times. Now, three times, Jesus calls Peter to pledge
himself to Him. "Feed my lambs. Tend
my sheep. Feed my sheep."
Back in the upper room, Jesus had told His
disciples, "Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who
loves Me. (John
14:21A) Is it any wonder then that,
before Jesus issues a charge, or command to Peter He challenges Peter with the
question, "Do you love Me?"
Peter denied Jesus three times.
Now, three times Jesus causes Peter to affirm his love and then, Jesus
challenges Peter with an action by which Peter can demonstrate his love.
"Feed My Lambs." (John 21:15)
Who are His lambs? It isn't just
little children who are His lambs, but those who are babes in Christ. New converts need guidance, encouragement and
nourishment in order to be able to grow into strong, healthy followers of
Jesus. If we love Him, we will nurture
those we bring to Him.
"Take care of My sheep." Here, Jesus is calling Peter to not just be a
fisherman, but a shepherd of those who are brought into Jesus’ flock. It's not enough to produce offspring, once
they are born, they need a shepherd's care.
A shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. His life is not his own. Everything he does is geared toward keeping
the sheep safe and satisfied. Sheep are
known to easily wander from the path into trouble. They need a shepherd to go before them to
guide them in paths of righteousness.
Finally, Jesus said, "Feed my
sheep." It is interesting that with
this third question and command, we are given a hint that Peter's confidence in
Jesus’ forgiveness is possibly waning.
Peter is hurt that Jesus would question his love yet a third time. Yet, Jesus persists in order to bring home
His point. My sheep need to be
continually fed Peter. It's not enough
to bring them to me. It's not enough to
guide them. You must be always going
before them, preparing a table to feed them my Word and My ways so that they
will remain strong under your care.
Before His death, Jesus had not only warned Peter that he would disown
Jesus, but He had offered a hope to Peter, "When you have turned back,
strengthen your brothers." (Luke
22:32B) Jesus is repeating that
charge here.
Physically, as an adult, I still need to eat
to live. Becoming a Christian, or
joining a church, is not enough. We need
to continually feed on God's word to boldly live for Him. Jesus makes sure that Peter takes this
responsibility seriously.
James makes the warning here clear: "Not many of you should presume to be
teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more
strictly." (James 3:1) We may be tempted to think that Jesus is
raising Peter to greatness here, but in truth, He is resting a huge mantle of
responsibility on Peter's shoulders.
Peter is being given the responsibility to keep the faith and keep it
pure, to guide those who will come after him and to set an example, as Jesus
Himself had done. And, as we shall see,
Peter understood.
Hymn:
"I Am a Servant”
Larry Norman
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