May 8, 2020
Stop Being Peter—Start Following Jesus
John 21:15-25
Grant Wilkie
Central Truth
God individually pursues and exhorts us as we uniquely need so that we might share in the beautiful story of love in action that He has prepared for us to walk in.
Key Verse | John 21:25
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
John 21:15-25
Jesus and Peter
15 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, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him 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, “Tend my sheep.” 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Jesus and the Beloved Apostle
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers 1 21:23 Or brothers and sisters that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Dive Deeper | John 21:15-25
I see a lot of Peter in myself—eager and confident at my best, insecure and afraid at my worst.
Earlier in the Gospel of John, Jesus warns Peter of his denial (John 13:36-38). Soon thereafter, around a charcoal fire, Peter denies Jesus in full (John 18:15-18, 25-27).
It's easy to imagine the crushing shame Peter felt after spending three years in the intimate presence of God on earth and then denying Him and watching Him be handed over to death.
Now, try to understand the bewilderment Peter must have felt while sitting across from Jesus at this new charcoal fire in John 21. Jesus looks at Peter, asking three times for an affirmation of his love. Feeling the heat of insecurity, Peter cries out in John 21:17b, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus meets Peter's anxiety with a call to action: "Feed my sheep." (John 21:17c)
We get a front row seat to see Jesus piece back together Peter's heart. Around this second fire, Jesus questions Peter three times about Peter's love for Him, an echo of Peter's three denials. Here, we see Jesus canceling each of these denials with an invitation to join Him and serve His followers. Jesus exhorts Peter as he individually needed, pushing him toward love in action and calling him home.
Yet, immediately after this beautiful moment of reconciliation, Peter turns back toward insecurity. Seeing John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, Peter asks Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" (John 21:21)
Jesus responds by telling Peter to stop looking at everybody else but rather to follow Him (John 21:22).
Immediately after a reminder that Jesus pursues us personally, we are told that His story of redemption goes beyond what is recorded in John's Gospel—that there are countless unrecorded stories of Jesus' ministry. Isn't it sobering to realize that we are living in John 21:25 today?
We too often focus on how He has blessed others and forget to acknowledge how He has uniquely transformed us. As Jesus reminded Peter, let us remember that we have a choice: either live in the insecurity of fearful comparison or follow in the active love that only He provides.
Discussion Questions
1. Jesus calls us to feed His sheep and tend His flock. If Jesus were sitting across this same fire from you, asking if you loved Him, what would He see based on how you fed His sheep this week?
2. Comparison can take many forms in our lives: pride when we see ourselves above another, insecurity when we see ourselves below. What do you see grabbing your heart more often: pride or insecurity? How can you better surrender this to Jesus this week?
3. Consider the truth of John 21:25. The story of Jesus continues to this day. When was the last time you shared your "unwritten" story of grace? Who is somebody far from Christ in your life with whom you can share your testimony this week?