He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, 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 all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. [18] Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”
John 21:17-18 NKJV
Peter was one of the disciples in Jesus’ inner circle. He was there was Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17:2). He was there when Jesus healed the little girl considered dead (Mark 5:37-43). He was even among those who Jesus shared his most intimate times with, in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-38). In all these, Peter had just denied Jesus three times even though he vowed to lay down his life for Him and he would have been somewhat discouraged (Matthew 26:69-75). Jesus specifically had to communicate his forgiveness to Peter and relief his guilt when He asked Mary to tell his disciples, emphasizing Peter, that he was risen from the dead (Mark 16:7). If Peter was like a lot of us, he was most likely looking for an opportunity to pay his debt and prove his loyalty after being forgiven. So in John 21:15-19, when Jesus asked Peter, do you love me more than these? For the first two times, Jesus asked Peter if he would be willing to sacrifice his life for Him (Agapao) and Peter replied saying yes, that He had a deep and personal attachment and affection for Him (Phileo). Yet on the third time, Jesus asked him, do you have a deep affection and personal attachment as you claim (Phileo). In essence, He asked if Peter was really His friend?
Peter’s response here was one of sadness and uneasiness, but this is a question that comes to each one of us at some point. A lot of the time, especially when lifting our hands in worship, many believers find themselves singing flatteries to God and not meaning half of what they sing. As brides of Christ, the demand on us is more than just service and doing things out of servitude. Matthew 10:37 says “He that loveth (phileo) father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.“. Luke 14:26 takes it up a notch, using the word “hate” and including a spouse. What does this mean? Simple, if we are fond of or have an attachment to anyone or anything else higher than Jesus, or if on a scale, our relationship and affection for spouse, children, family, brethren or even ourselves is higher than Him, we are not worthy of Him.
This is a high calling to all who would inherit the kingdom. Who is the one you are friends with or fond of? The person who you cannot wait to share the details of your bad day with. It is the person who you can call up at 2am in the morning and share a funny video you watched, without feeling like you are bothering them. You can say and ask them the most foolish of things and you’d take their rebuke, knowing it is in love. It is a person you are not afraid to be vulnerable with. Because you value your relationship with this person, you are open with and can rebuke in love without fear of loosing your relationship. In this relationship, there is a mutual respect and trust. The friends of this individual and whatever matters to them matter to you for your friends for their sake. Their sadness is your sadness and their burden becomes your burden. In a subsequent meditation, we will consider key characteristics to tell that our relationship with God is of this sort. However, contrary to what most think, this sort of relationship is what God would like with each one of us. The bible says God desires truth in the inward part (Psalm 51:6).
God doesn’t want to just be the guy you call when things go wrong and the one you sing all sort of flatteries while shedding a few questionable tears and lifting your hands. David says “Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart,” Psalm 37:4. This verse shows that we can make a choice to delight ourselves in the Lord. The word “Delight” here is ‛ânag /aw-nag’/ which means to be effeminate with, be soft and delicate, to take exquisite delight over and merry or sport over someone. This means we endear ourselves to the Lord. Like John the apostle, we lean on his breast and hear His heart beat. This is not something that is difficult to do. Jesus has already shown the depth of His love for us on the cross. He is with and in us via His Holy Spirit. We can take baby steps to be fond of the Lord. First, He wants to be involved in everything and not be an after thought. Did you have a bad day? consider speaking to the Lord about it and waiting to hear His response. Perhaps rehearse your day to the Lord. Confused about what to wear to a function? ask the Lord. Randomly ask the Lord what He thinks about a matter. Report an annoying person to Jesus and wait for His feedback. All these are practical ways to delight ourselves in the Lord. It may seem weird at first, because you cannot see His facial expression and sometimes, you may not even get a response in the way you expect, but keep at it. He is always with you and always hears you. Over time, you will reap the benefit of this beautiful relationship you cultivate with the lover of your soul.
Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Not only did You show how deeply You loved me, You came searching after me when I was going astray. Lord, teach me to delight myself in You. I want You to be the most important person in my life, such that if I were at gun point and asked to choose, it will be a no brainer. Help me today to endear myself to You and to value our relationship above all else. I love You Jesus and I want to be Your friend! Show me what You are doing today and help me to remember to involve You and stay conscious of You throughout my day.
0 Comments