In the account of Jesus’ life written by His follower John, we have the report of Jesus’ conversation with Peter by the Sea of Galilee after Jesus’ resurrection (see John 21). This conversation is remarkable because it is the first recorded conversation between them after Peter betrayed his dear friend and leader.
Remember that Peter had stated emphatically that he would never deny Jesus. Even if everybody else did, Peter would not do so, he said. Everyone else, though, agreed with Peter and also said that they would not abandon Jesus.
Then, Jesus was arrested. Most of Jesus’ followers fled. Peter followed at a distance. He was in the court of the priests while Jesus was on trial. Three times people asked Peter if he was one of Jesus’ followers. Three times he said “no.” The third time, he even swore an oath that he did not know Jesus.
At that moment, Jesus looked at Peter. Peter was undone. He ran out of the court and wept over his failure.
Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. Then, He arose from the dead. Jesus had already appeared to His followers twice. The third time, He appeared to them on the beach of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus appeared after a night of fishing. Peter and six of the others had been fishing. They fished all night and caught nothing.
It was at this point that Jesus appeared to them. There, He repeated a miracle He had done several years ago. On a similar night when the fishermen had caught no fish, Jesus told them to throw their nets on the other side. They did so, and their net was full of fish. What happened then happened again on that night. The disciples returned to the shore with the net full of fish.
After they brought the fish in, they ate together, and then Jesus asked Peter a question. He did not ask, “Peter, are you sorry for what you have done?” Instead, He asked, “Peter, do you love Me?” In other words, what matters is not so much what you have done but where your heart is with Me now. It’s a great question for all Christians to ask themselves, “Christian,” we can imagine Jesus saying, “do you love Me?”
Peter responded by saying, “Yes! You know I love you!”
We might have expected Jesus to say in response to tis, “Peter, I want you to know that I love you, too.” But He did not. Instead, He said, “Feed my sheep.” This meant that He was calling Peter to encourage, teach, serve, help, and bless Jesus’ other followers.
We could conceivably interpret this statement in this way: “Peter, if you really love Me, show it by doing something for Me.” But I don’t think that’s what Jesus intended. Rather, Jesus was telling Peter that He loved him. How?
Think of this from Peter’s perspective. He had let his friend down. He easily could have wondered about his standing with Jesus. When Jesus told Peter to serve Jesus’ people and followers, He was telling Peter that He still valued him and wanted to use him. He was saying, “Peter, I still love and value you. You are still my friend. I still want you to be a part of what I am doing.” It was an affirmation of Peter and a demonstration of Jesus’ acceptance of him and desire to use him.
The context of this story affirms this interpretation. It was not only Peter but the other disciples who might have wondered where they stood with Jesus. By performing the miracle of the catch of fish, Jesus made them recall the previous time when He had done such a miracle. There, He told them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fish for people.” In other words, “I will use you to help bring people back to God.” By repeating this miracle, Jesus was affirming in a powerful way that He still loved them, valued them, and wanted to use them. He was saying, “In spite of what happened, I still want you to follow Me and fish for people.”
This interaction teaches us something very important. God not only loves us. He likes us. He wants to use us. He wants us to be a partner with Him in what He is doing in the world. He wants us to be His friends. He wants us to bear much fruit. He wants us to love His people and serve them. This is true for all of Jesus’ followers.
This is true for all of Jesus’ followers even when they fail spectacularly like Peter did. He will accept them, forgive them, and give them a fresh start. He will ask them, “Do you love Me?”
And, when, despite their failing, they says, “Yes, Lord, you know I do”, He will say to them, “I’m not through with you. Let’s do something great together. Let’s serve the world, the church, and everyone around you. Be a part of what I am doing in the world. I’m not giving up on you!” That’s the hope that each one of us can have. Even when we have failed miserably. Jesus still values us and wants to do something great with us.
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