Do you love me

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, 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 again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." 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. – John 21.17-18

Now that Jesus had their attention He focused on teaching Peter a. lesson about love and service. ‘Do you love Me more than these?’ Jesus asked Peter. ‘I do Lord; You know I do love you.’

That makes sense, but then Jesus asked him again ‘do you love me.’  Again Peter responds ‘You know I love you.’

‘Tend my sheep.’

‘Peter, do you love Me?’

Now Peter was hurt, ‘Lord, you know all things. You know that I love You.’

‘Feed my sheep.’

The first time Jesus asked the question it seemed to be related the Peter’s earlier claim that His love for the Lord was so great that even if everyone else turned away He would not, but Peter knew that he had turned away. His reply was ‘I love You’ but no word that it was more than the other disciples had.

There is a lot more we could talk about with all the implications here, but I want to keep t simple and make an application. Twice more the same basic words are exchanged. Thrice Peter had denied Jesus and now thrice he professed His love.

At the end Jesus says, for the third time, feed my sheep.

I am sure that Peter felt guilty for his betrayal. We know for a fact that he wept in shame when Jesus looked at him after the third denial.

What do I take from this today? God is the God of second chances. Peter failed. He promised that he alone would stand if everyone else ran, but he alone denied Jesus; not once, not twice, but three times. And yet Jesus reached out to Peter and told him to tend to His followers. Instead of discarding Peter Jesus reached out and put him back in the game.

I love this. I love that fact then when I fail Christ doesn’t just cast me off. He can still use me. He can still use any of us when we turn back to Him.