Devotions this week are based on Week 3 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
John 21:15-17 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
After the miraculous catch, the disciples come to shore and find Jesus waiting with a fire and a meal. It is a quiet, gracious moment. But beneath the surface, there is unresolved tension, especially for Peter.
The last time Peter stood near a fire, he denied Jesus three times. Now, Jesus brings Peter back to a similar setting. This is not to shame him, but to restore him.
Three times Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” Each question corresponds to one of Peter’s denials. But Jesus does not ask Peter to explain his failure. He does not demand an apology speech. He simply draws Peter back to the core of the relationship.
“Do you love me?”
That question goes deeper than behavior. It goes to the heart.
Peter responds each time, and each time Jesus gives him a calling. “Feed my sheep.” In other words, Jesus is not only forgiving Peter, he is reinstating him.
Jesus wanted Peter to understand his death was for him. He wants Peter to grasp this truth, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1) He wanted Peter to experience Psalm 103:12, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
We often believe that our worst moments define us. We carry them quietly, assuming they disqualify us from being used by God. But Jesus does not define Peter by his denial. He restores him through it.
Failure is real, but it is not final. In the hands of Jesus, it becomes a place of transformation.
The same is true for us. The areas where we feel most ashamed are often the areas where Jesus wants to meet us most personally. He does not avoid them. He redeems them. He assures us we are fully forgiven and then commissions us to feed this same Gospel truth to the sheep and lamps around us!
Reflect: What failure do you tend to believe defines you?
How would your life change if you truly believed Jesus has restored you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that my failures do not have the final word. You see me fully and still call me your own. Restore what has been broken in me and help me to live in the freedom of your grace. Amen.