John 21:15-19
After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.”
Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter
was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he
answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to
know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling
you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and
went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch
out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you
don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which
Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
While Timothy was out of
school for Spring Break, he delivered Meals on Wheels with Greg, and
afterward, they went to Walmart. Timothy had a little spending money,
and Greg let him pick out a toy – and he made up the difference in
price. So when the boys came to stay with us last week, Timothy assumed
that we would return to the store and shop for more toys. He was quite
disappointed to learn that this was not in our plans. Trust me…our
kids have MORE THAN ENOUGH toys already and get plenty of “treats!”
At
one point, Timothy was talking about all we were going to do while he
and Nathan visited, and he said, “You must not want to share your love
with us anymore.” I asked him why he thought that, and he said, “Well,
if you loved me, you would do what I want!” I laughed. He knows better
than this…he was just being a six-year-old. But as I read Jesus’ words
to His disciples in this passage, I did think about how WE adults often
make demands on JESUS – and place conditions on His love.
We have
it all twisted. We want to tell Jesus, “If You loved ME, You would do
such-and-such. You would fix ABC or XYZ and make everything perfect in
our little world.” Jesus has nothing to prove to us. The evidence of
His love is all around us…and just like Timothy knows that we love
him…WE know better when it comes to Jesus’ love! WE should be seeking
ways to demonstrate our love to Jesus…not the other way around!
We
are not six-year-olds…and it’s time we grew up and developed some
“faith muscle.” Jesus has been very clear about how to show our love to
Him - feed His sheep…serve...encourage…love others others…and nurture
them in their faith. Offer whatever you can to help people - and give
them hope. Live in a way that instills confidence in the promises of
God…and assurance of Eternity in His presence for all who believe in
Him.
Feed the lambs…shepherd the sheep…show Jesus how much you
love Him. Jesus shows us His love and care every single day. He gave
His very life on the cross for our sins. He is preparing a place in
Heaven for us for all of Eternity! It is abundantly clear how much He
loves us. If we truly love HIM…it’s time to show Him. The time has
come to get busy on this…are you with me?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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