Wednesday in the Word...John 21:15-19...Love, love, love...sermon post too

There is that famous pop song going through our heads now.  If the "love" of the song would be the Lord Jesus Christ, then many of the words of the song would be true.  The "love" of the passage that we are looking at today is not a person but rather an action.  The action of love is commanded by Jesus to Peter of some concrete ways to follow.  It makes an impact on the individual and on the whole group.  It is at the core of why we do what we do.  It only happens properly when we continue to follow Jesus, the fullness of the definition of love.  

Also below is the posting of the final service of Luke chapter 23.  Jesus is put into the tomb with a new character to investigate who emerges onto the scene.  

Today's Wednesday in the Word covers John chapter 21 and verses 15 through 19, which read,

v.15 - So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?"  He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."  He said to him, "Tend My lambs."

Jesus waits for them to complete the shoreline breakfast of fresh fish over a charcoal fire and bread.  He turns to Simon Peter and addresses him formally giving the name of his father.  He asks Peter a question, the first of three.  Our question might be, "What are the 'these'?"  

One option is the fish that they just pulled in.  Peter went back to being a fisher of fish after being trained by Jesus to be a fisher of men.  Another option are the other 6 disciples around the campfire.  Peter had given Jesus the devotion of his love that even if all else would desert Jesus that he never would.  Did Peter really love Jesus more than any of the other disciples?  Whatever the definitive answer would be, Peter had fallen short of the mark.  

Peter affirms Jesus' sovereignty in his answer by stating that Jesus already knows that Peter loves Him more than these, whatever these are.  Jesus responds with the word "tend" which gives the idea with the word picture of a shepherd and his sheep that it would be a constant and primary duty of his.  We also go from "sheep" to "lamb" to indicate the level in which this care was needed.  A lamb would need extra care provided until it was mature just like a new Christian needs extra care, a tending to, by those who are more mature.  

v.16 - He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?"  He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."  He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep."

The second time Peter is asked Jesus leaves off the "these."  The comparison is taken away.  It is just a straight up question that would command even stronger a "yes" or "no" answer.  Note that when Jesus says "love" He uses the agape form meaning an unconditional love necessary in all circumstances.  Contrast this with Peter who says "love" using the phileo form meaning the love between brothers or friendship.  This difference in words for love in the exchange must have been evident to those listening to this conversation.  

Another difference is the second command goes from "tend" to "shepherd."  You do tend the lambs and shepherd the sheep.  The lambs need more tending and the sheep need to be shepherded.  You handle young Christians differently than you do more mature Christians or when you are thinking not just of an individual Christian but also the whole congregation.  As Christians and especially Christian leaders, we disciple the individuals, immature or mature, and the group from the same Savior's love.

v.17 - He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, 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, "Tend my sheep."

We have to note here that Jesus does change His word for "love" from agape to phileo.  "Peter, do you love Me no matter what?" to "Peter, do you love Me like a good friend?"  Is this why Peter is grieved or is it because it is the third time and he is thinking about his three denials of Christ.  When they lock eyes in the courtyard, Peter exits the scene and weeps bitterly.  

Peter responds with the affirmation that Jesus, His Lord, knows all things.  Jesus knew Peter would deny Him and how many times and how He would suffer and then rise again on the third day.  Jesus knows what we think; Jesus knows what we feel; and Jesus knows how we will respond.  

The last command from Jesus reverts back to the word "tend" but it is for the sheep, the mature ones.  Peter will give care to the immature Christians and also to the mature Christians while giving overall care to the whole flock.  It is a tremendous responsibility put upon our under-shepherds to shepherd and disciple the flock corporately and individually and then tailor it to different maturity levels.  This is a task that is constant.  It is daily.  

v.18, 19 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you wherever you do not wish to go."  Now this He said signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.  And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!"

What does Jesus know?  He also knows how we will die.  Peter's death will be a stretching out of his hands like the stretching out of Jesus' hands.  Peter would write later in 1 and 2 Peter about the sufferings of Christ and identifying with His sufferings as a blessing.  John writes these words after Peter has died.  Church tradition records that Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero (ca. A.D. 67-68), being crucified upside-down, because he refused to be crucified like his Lord (The MacArthur Study Bible, p. 1595).

It would be great if the conversation stopped right here but it doesn't as Peter does what Peter often does, he just has one more thing to say but that will be the next Wednesday in the Word.  Oh, if it could have ended with some of Jesus' first words to Peter to "follow Me" with these final words "follow Me" and Peter and Jesus walked into the sunset.  The end.  Run the credits.  But that is not what happened.  Spoiler alert for next week.  

It does come down to that simple command to follow after Jesus.  We are to love Him in all circumstances.  Our love for Him is seen in how we tend and shepherd each other.  Even though all of our track records show that we have fallen short, Jesus reaches out to us to grab His hand and go where He will lead us to go.  Will you follow Him?

Pastor Adam