April 26, 2023
Author: Pastor Gordon Cook
April 26, 2023
“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.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He
said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” he said
to him, “Yes, Lord; you know I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my
sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love
me?” Peter was grieved 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.”
John 21:15-17
This is one of those post resurrection appearances of Jesus. It
wasn't the last time, he will appear again to the Apostle Paul, but this
could have been the last one in terms of his disciples. And it's on the
beach, he's having breakfast with his disciples and then he has a face
to face talk with Peter. And remember Peter betrayed his Lord three
times; he's been forgiven. The Lord has already appeared to him once
before, but there's a question, I'm sure maybe many questions running
through Peter's mind, “What will he do for the rest of his life?” That
could have been a question. Remember he has betrayed his Lord but does
he ever get back into preaching again? Will he ever have any real
significant involvement in the Church of Jesus Christ? There could have
been a lot of questions running through Peter's mind in light of his
denial of his Lord. It was a significant fall and it was a public fall
and he was a man who was in office when he fell. Here in John 21 Jesus
reassures him of full restoration and also a recommission. I believe
that is what our Lord wants Peter to know.
It must have been
hard, don't you think, for Peter to sit there and hear our Lord ask
those three questions, “Peter, do you love me, Peter, do you love me,
Peter, do you love me?” There's no hesitation here with Peter, he
responds with a very positive affirmative, “Yes Lord, you know I love
you.” And the third time when Jesus presses the question we are told
Peter was grieved. Notice what Peter does, he appeals to Christ's
omniscience, he believes Jesus is God, “You know everything, of course,
of course you know I love you.” But notice this, that each time Jesus
asked the question, he gives basically the same answer, He focuses on
the sheep. Do you see that, “Feed my sheep, tend to my sheep, or take
care of my sheep, and then again feed my sheep.”
Spurgeon says,
“Jesus is letting Peter know the dearest thing I have in all the world
is my flock, I gave everything for them, even my life.”
We
shouldn't forget that, how much Jesus loves his church, how much He
loves us the church. He died for the church, He spilled his blood for
the church. And we know this don't we, in subsequent church history,
reading through the Book of Acts, that Peter does exactly what Jesus
wanted him to do, he feeds the sheep. He spends the rest of his life,
think of it, the rest of his life, taking care of his sheep. He becomes
next to the apostle Paul (maybe you could put both of them almost on an
equal platform), but the two greatest church leaders and pastors on
record in the New Testament.
But if Jesus were to ask you or I
the question, “Do you love me?” And if you said, “I do, I do, I do. You
know I love you Lord,” what would he say to us? I think we could argue
this, brethren, “Take care of my sheep.” Isn't that what he argues in
Matthew 25 when people stand before Jesus on Judgment Day?
What's
going to distinguish those who are bona fide Christians when you took
care of my sheep? You visited them, you fed them when they were hungry,
you visited them when they were in prison, you clothed them. So you show
your love for Jesus by showing your love for his sheep by caring and
loving his sheep.
We won't take care of the sheep exactly the
same way that the apostles or pastors take care of sheep. They feed the
sheep, that's their primary responsibility in caring for the sheep. But
there's no other commandment that is pressed upon our consciences more
brethren, than “love one another.” That commandment is emphasized more
than any other commandment; three times in the upper room, John 13:35
and chapter 15. Think of this, 1 Corinthians 13, isn’t that about loving
one another? That's what, 13 verbs he uses to teach us how to love one
another. And you have Romans 12, you have got at least 18 to 20
imperatives again teaching us how to love one another. One of the
commandments there in Romans 12 is to be constant in prayer.
So
we show our love for one another in different ways. The apostles and
pastors in feeding the sheep, but we are all to take care of the sheep.
That's our responsibility for loving one another, we will seek to take
care of one another. We carry each other's burdens, we weep for those
who weep, we rejoice with those who rejoice, we extend kindness to them
maybe in terms of benevolence, hospitality, but we are seeking to care
for one another.
So I think that's a good reason we can keep that
in the back of our minds when we come to a prayer meeting. Why am I
coming to a prayer meeting? Why do I come to a zoom prayer meeting? To
show love to Christ, but also to show love for the brethren, so I can
pray for them, I can weep with them, I can rejoice with them. So here's a
prayer that we could always bring before the Lord, one of the best
prayers is, “more love for Christ,” but certainly, “more love for
Christ’s Church, more love for the brethren.”
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