JESUS OUR ONLY TRUE LOVE
John 21:15-19, 5/7/2017
After many
years, I watched the musical “Fiddler on the Roof “again. Tevye, a man devoted
to tradition, finds his thinking challenged when his oldest daughter wants to
marry for love, instead of having her marriage arranged by her parents. It had
never occurred to him that one would marry for love, and one night he cannot
help but ask his own wife the question (in song, of course!): “Do You Love Me?”
T: Golda do you love me? G: Do I what? T: Do you love me? G: You’re a
fool! T: I know! But do you love me? G:
Do I love him? For twenty-five years I’ve cooked for him, cleaned for him,
starved with him. Twenty-five years my bed is his. If that’s not love - what
is?
For
25 years, Tevye and Golda had been going through the motions of a loving
marriage, without ever thinking about whether they loved one another or not. In
this song, Tevye was doubtful whether his wife still loved him, after he
couldn’t keep his daughters from breaking the age-old traditions. He wanted to
be affirmed, hence the question Golda do you love me?
A
similar question was asked over two thousand years ago by Jesus, it was
directed towards his discouraged and depressed disciples. In particular, Peter
who once was boisterous, and exuberant in following Christ, now seemed to have
lost his first love for Jesus. It looked like Peter and his friends checked
Jesus out of their lives. But out of his great love Jesus’ wouldn’t let them go
to their own peril, he walked right into Peter’s personal space and confronted
him with a question, Peter do you love me, not once but three times. Why did he
ask three times?
Jesus
asked not out of doubt, but out of concern and to know whether Peter still kept
him as his only true love. Today we will look at the implications of these
questions, Peter’s response, and how Jesus reinstated Peter by restoring his
first love. We will see this intriguing dialogue between Jesus and Peter in John
21:15-19. I title this message: “Jesus
Our Only True Love.”
1. WHO
IS OUR TRUE LOVE?
After
they had finished breakfast Jesus and Simon Peter, were engaged in an
interesting conversation. Jesus asked Peter a set of three questions. The first
question, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” In Greek two
words agape and phileo were used here. Without making any distinction they were simply
translated as “love” in the English language. Whereas the Greeks gave a
distinct meaning to each of these words.
The
word agape is translated “Charity”
meaning benevolent love. It’s benevolence, however, is not shown by doing what
the person loved desires but what the one who loves deems as needed by the one
loved. For example, in John 3:16, “For God so loved (agape) the world that he
gave… What did he give? Not what man wanted but what man needed as God
perceived his need. He gave his Son (Jesus) to bring forgiveness to man.
God’s
love for man is God doing what He thinks best for man and not what he desires.
It is God willfully walking towards man. But for man to show love to God, he
must first appropriate God’s Agape, for only God has such an unselfish love.
The second word Phileo, is translated, “to love with the meaning of having
common interests with another. It is a relationship which exists between two
close friends.
With
that background let’s examine the questions. Simon son of John do you love Me
more than these? What did Jesus mean by “more than these? This probably
refers to the fish (v. 11) representing Peter’s profession as a fisherman, for
he had gone back to it while waiting for Jesus (see v. 3). During one of our
furlough’s we stayed in Wilma’s sister’s old farm on a river bank. One day I
wanted to try fishing, so I let my fishing rod in, sat holding the rod
patiently, all of a sudden I felt a tug, I quickly pulled the rod, and there
was my first fish, not one by the end I caught three fish, I was so elated.
For
a fisherman, there is nothing that brings more joy than catching fish, in this
case Peter got a huge catch of 153 fish, you can only imagine, he must have
been elated, jumping up and down with Joy. Jesus wanted to know whether Peter loved
him more than he loved fishing. The phrase may also refer to the other disciples,
since Peter had claimed that he would be more devoted than all the others
(Matt. 26:33). Loving Jesus means forsaking all other loves. So, Jesus asked,
“Simon son of John do you love (agape) me more than these? Peter responded, not
so emphatically saying “Yes” I love you more than my fishing and all the other
disciples, instead he said rather soberly, “You know that I love(phileo) you.”
Here
Peter was not sounding as if he was madly in love with Christ, to an extent that
he was willing to forsake all that was familiar and exclusively devoted to
being a follower of Christ. But Jesus hasn’t given up on him. He was gently yet
firmly moving Peter’s love from the material things, and other relationships to
the one and only relationship that mattered the most.
II.
JESUS OUR ONLY TRUE LOVE
In Vs,16 we read for the second-time Jesus
asking Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me? He answered, “Yes Lord
you know that I love you. This time Jesus was going one step further to press
home to Peter the need for him to show unswerving devotion. In the past Peter
made an overconfident statement but couldn’t live up to his word.
Remember,
after a fellowship meal, when Jesus said, “You all will fall away on account of
me…Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, on account of you, I never will. “I
tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster
crows, you will disown me three time.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to
die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the
same.” (Matt 26:31-35). When Jesus asked repeatedly, Peter do you love me he
used a word which signified total commitment.
Peter
responded with a word for love that signified his love relationship with Jesus
as a friend but not necessarily his total commitment. This was not because he
was reluctant to make such commitment but because he had been disobedient and
denied the Lord in the past, and certainly didn’t want to repeat the same
mistake again. Jesus was graciously pulling him away from his guilt so that he
would once again love him more than fishing or other earthly relationships. In
other words, Jesus wanted Peter to give up all other loves and have him as his
only true love.
Somehow
Peter wasn’t getting it and was unable to reach Christ’s high expectation. So,
the third-time Jesus asked, “Simon son of John, do you love me? This time he
lowered the bar a little and used Peter’s word for love (Phileo) which signified something less than a total devotion. This
time 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.
Why
was Peter hurt, not because the Lord asked him three times but perhaps he may
have recognized that Christ who knew everything is now looking deeply into what
actually been going on in the recesses of Peter’s heart. At this point, Peter
represents a discouraged and disheartened believer who once was on fire for the
Lord, but due to some foolish actions has denied Christ.
Now
caught in the dilemma of wanting to get back to his first love, but at the same
time doubting whether Christ still loved him and whether he will ever be able
to regain his lost love. The good news
is, when our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and he knows
everything, including our excruciating agony. He loves us unconditionally in
spite of all our short comings. He will come to heal, restore, and entrust his
work to us again. Coming back to our story, why did Christ ask Peter three
times?
Firstly,
by
repeatedly asking Jesus was reminding Peter of his threefold denial which is
now being reversed with his threefold affirmation of love for him. Secondly, Jesus was pressing for a total
commitment from Peter and his followers, so he confronted Peter with love.
Thirdly, because he was going to reinstate, and assign to him certain tasks to
be an effective shepherd to lead the apostles, and the church that was going to
be formed soon. Fourthly, Peter must exemplify his supreme love for the Lord
above all others. That kind of commitment was essential if he was going to lead
others to Christ. This threefold affirmation of love must have brought healing
to Peter’s once troubled heart. Along with that the reinstatement helped
embolden Peter to take on the tasks of leading the church forward.
III.
FROM FISHING TO SHEPHERDING
The
threefold restoration process also involved a threefold assignment. Now that Peter
was strengthened by Christ’s affirmation his job is to strengthen the brethren.
How would he do that? By shifting his focus from fishing to shepherding. Jesus
assigned Peter with three specific tasks: “Feed my Lambs” “Take care of my
sheep” and “Feed my sheep.” These terms convey the idea of being devoted to the
Lord’s service as an under shepherd. Feeding, and tending is not a onetime
thing but constantly feeding, nourishing and protecting the sheep.
Peter
was embarking on a noble and humble mission of feeding and nurturing the
believers with the word of God and also protecting them from the heresies and
false prophets who would try to mislead them away from following Christ.
History tells us that Peter became very good at that job of being an under-shepherd.
He not only took care of the church, he appointed elders to do the same. Later
writing to the persecuted Church Peter conveyed tender heart of a shepherded. I
Peter 5:1-4 “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness
of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed:
Be
shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not
because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not
pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those
entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd
appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
This
is a powerful a message for all the elders at Hope Church, for all those in
some form of leadership, and others who serve, not because we must but because
we are willing. Therefore, let’s be diligent, in doing our Job, when the Chief
Shepherd appears we all will receive the crown of glory that will never fade
away. In closing, let’s reflect, if Jesus were to ask you do you love me more
than these, what would be your response?
We
should ask ourselves who our true love is? Where we spend most of our time,
energy and resources that becomes our true love. What are some of the things,
or relationships we may have to give up so that we can become devoted followers
of Christ? Are you discouraged and wondering whether God still loves you? My
prayer is that the Holy Spirit will convict us of all the other loves, will
restore us and give us the power to keep Jesus as our only true love. Amen
