Do You love me?

 

I am not ashamed to say I am a fan of "The Chosen." 

We have been watching season four at the movie theater with one of our Discovery Bible Groups. I just love the power of the Bible coming to life on the screen. AND as has been true my entire life, these videos have confirmed that Peter is my favorite Bible person. I could read stories about Jesus' interactions with Peter over and over again. I love that the writers of "The Chosen" have put a lot of thought into how the Bible develops the character of Peter and they have brought the Bible to life for me. 

In my study of Luke with Lisa Harper, she talks about Peter in session 7. When we read about Peter being chosen by Jesus with the miraculous catch of fish and then we read about his walking on water, and then we read about his proclamation of who Jesus is, I stand in awe. I can deeply relate to Peter's misguided passion, his speaking before he thinks, and his impetuous nature. I love that Jesus was so patient with Peter and his out-of-control exuberance. I love that we read the boldness of Peter proclaiming he will die for Jesus and then he denies Jesus three times. I love the reality of who Peter is. His imperfection is ME!

But, one of my favorite stories about Jesus and Peter comes in John 21:

"Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there - Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing." "We'll come, too," they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At dawn, Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who he was. He called out, "Fellows, have you caught any fish?" "No," they replied. Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some!" So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore." (John 21:1-7)

I love that this story takes us back to where it all began. This telling mirrors exactly the story of Jesus choosing Peter. (Luke 5:1-11) After three years, Peter and the disciples had been through so much. Even after seeing the resurrected Jesus, they were still unclear about the future and what lay ahead of them.  Then one of the most beautiful interactions between Peter and Jesus occurs in John 21:15-19. 

I believe this encounter between Peter and Jesus is meant to remind Peter, and all of us, that we cannot lose our first love. We shouldn't get bogged down in ministry, witnessing, preaching, families, work, school, sports, or even sharing the gospel. Our main goal in life, since the very beginning, since we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior is to love Him more than anything else in our life. He asks Peter three times, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" Our response is all that Jesus really cares about. The worry, the cares of this life, and the hustle and bustle of daily living are all meaningless at the end of the day. Loving Jesus is all that really matters. 

Jesus is asking you and he is asking me, "Do you love me?"

If that answer is not equivocally YES, take the time right now to get down on your knees and commit or re-commit your life to him. You don't have to clean yourself up first, you don't have to remove the sins that weigh you down. Just get down on your knees and believe in Jesus as the Son of God, sent to earth to die for your sins, and commit to loving and obeying him for the rest of your days. 

Steve, Do you love me?  

"YES, LORD I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART, MY SOUL, AND MIND!" (Matthew 22:37)