John 21:15-19
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.” John 21:15-19 (NRSVUE)
I felt beads of sweat starting to form as I stood in all my awkward adolescent glory, donning shiny silver braces, blue eye shadow and bell bottoms, face-to-face with the middle school teacher who made me shake in my boots. Mrs. S. was a force to be reckoned with. She asked me three times if I had gum in my mouth. My lips said “no” but my eyes said “yes.” I felt shame in disobeying the rules as I trudged to the trash can to dispose of the evidence. She then breaks out her famous mantra (which earned her the stellar reputation she had), “Gum-chewing girls are like cud-chewing cows.” Ouch.
In today’s scripture, Jesus asked Simon Peter three times if he loved Jesus. And, because the emotion of love can be fleeing, Jesus followed his questions with examples of what genuine heartfelt love actually looks like when put into action. Feeding lambs and tending sheep, great metaphors for loving on all people, were reminders to Peter that he should not just give lip service to answering the question in the affirmative.
Is it any coincidence that Jesus asked this important question to Peter three times when Peter had denied Jesus three times in the past? It’s obvious Peter’s denials were based on fear. It’s what we humans do. Our heads tell us to stay strong and do the right thing, but when faced with the fear of being an outcast or just the fear of the unknown, our hearts often falter. Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart.
What emerges from this interchange between Jesus and Peter is a beautiful picture of forgiveness and restoration to model God’s love to others. Asking three times provided an opportunity for Peter to proclaim his love for Jesus out loud with wholehearted conviction. It’s a picture of redemption and a call to live a life of purpose, however long or short one’s earthly life might be. May we live our lives feeding and tending sheep in a way that answers the question, “Do you love Jesus?”.
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you ever had someone ask you something multiple times to make a point? Did your answer change as you examined your heart?
Prayer
Loving God, thank you for sending us Jesus to teach us how to live a life with purpose. And, for the gift of forgiveness. Help us to keep feeding and tending to others so our actions leave little to question. Amen.
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