“Do You Love Me?”
To appreciate this story – it is important to appreciate how it was that Peter found himself on a beach having breakfast with Jesus.
At this point in his life – we can safely assume that Peter was somewhat broken.
Humbled by the events that surrounded the trial, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Peter is a favourite of many people. He is colourful, interesting, entertaining.
However – one writer describes him as “somewhat a show-off” (Bruno Forte, To Follow You, Light of Life: Spiritual Exercises Preached Before John Paul II at the Vatican (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 129-136).
It is pretty well-known that Peter vehemently promised Jesus that He could count on Peter when no-one else could be relied upon.
And that this promise was spectacularly shattered with his denial of Jesus three times.
The incident which probably sums up Peter best is the declaration at Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27-33; Matt 16:13-23) – where in the same breath he declares that Jesus is the Messiah and then begins to try and divert Jesus from the path which Jesus is called to.
So one moment Jesus is commending Peter that his declaration could have only come from God the Father; and then rebuking Peter as the agent of satan!!
John 21 has Peter and some of the disciples back to where it all apparently started.
Back to the fishing business.
John 21 begins with the seemingly ordinary, yet “heavy-with-meaning-and-feeling” comment by Peter – “I am going fishing”.
It has the sense of defeat, although not quite. Maybe – trying to make the best of a bad thing.
Kind of like – “it was amazing while it lasted”; “I had my chance but blew it”; maybe even the sense “it is better to have been a ‘has-been’ than a ‘never-was’”.
Anyway – there he is.
Back at where he started when he first met Jesus those years ago.
Fishing – and not that successfully!! (Luke 5:1-11).
And so here we are in John 21.
On the beach listening in on what is an intimate, holy moment between Jesus and Peter.
And maybe what makes this conversation so tantalising to eavesdrop in on – is the fact that one reason Peter is so popular is because so many of us can relate to his relationship with Jesus.
Full of promises, full of commitment, full of miserable failure, full of love, full of blunders, full of swinging from great service to great mistakes.
Maybe why this conversation is so riveting is that Peter speaks for so many people.
Maybe it is because this moment that John 21 portrays captures the spirituality of so many people.
Being in presence of Christ, but the head is down somewhat, it is hard to look Him in the eye – we so want to do what’s right by Him and for Him, but – well – there’s history there.
History which has us somewhat embarrassed.
Somewhat ashamed.
This is a moment with Christ which we crave and cringe about all at the same time.
In 2003 I attended a 30-day silent retreat.
Throughout the retreat my spiritual director encouraged me to get up early one morning as see the sun rise.
I kept putting that off.
Until the last day or so of the retreat.
I got up before sunrise and raced to the top of One Tree Hill.
I arrived just in time.
I stood there and the sun rose and I watched as the sun spilled from the east and lightened up the suburbs of Auckland.
With somewhat of a birds-eye view of the suburbs that I could see – it was quite amazing to see the sunlight advancing over the areas of Auckland.
Shadows giving away to light.
But that wasn’t the truly amazing thing.
The truly amazing thing was what happened when the sun hit the suburbs.
The truly amazing thing is what I heard!!
Roosters!!
True story. As the sun hit regions of Auckland, roosters crowed.
The sun would hit – and the roosters would start up.
In Auckland city??!!
But in that moment I was sensed God speaking to me; explaining this phenomena.
A new day had literally dawned. And people now were beginning to go about their day and their business.
And they do so with the sound of roosters crowing.
As for Peter, it is the sound and terrible reminder of the “denials” they have made.
Of God.
Of each other.
People in a new day but haunted by the terrible mistakes of the past. And roosters crowing and mocking them.
They have – in the main – “gone fishing”.
They are trying to get on with things the best they can in the light of all that has happened.
Such people are now invited to stand with Peter on the beach after breakfast and converse with the Resurrected Christ.
The One Who has just demonstrated His miraculous power again and broken into Peter’s world with a miraculous catch of fish.
And then conversation starts.
For those with the sound of roosters in your ears – it is a good conversation to listen in on and learn.
Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves Him.
Peter answers “yes” three times.
There is a beautiful, yet broken, yet healing play on words for “love” here.
There is phileō which is “to do with the love of friends, a non-exclusive love” and then there is agapaō “meaning unconditional, demanding, unreserved love” (Forte 2005, 134).
The first time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him; Jesus asks “do you agapas Me more than these?”
“Do I enjoy your total love; your unconditional love; your rich love? More than these? More than the other disciples? More than all this fishing equipment and business? More than this catch of 153 fish?”
“Do you agapas Me?”
“Do you love Me with a rich love”.
Kind of like this story.
A woman had a dream of her encountering an angel walking down the road.
He was carrying a flaming torch and a bucket of water.
She asked – “Where are you going?”
He answered – “With the flaming torch I am going to burn down the mansions of heaven and with the bucket of water put out the fires of hell. Then we will see who really loves God”.
Peter responds – “Lord, philō se”.
As Forte puts it (134) – Peter says “Lord, I love you with my own poor love.”
“I love you the only way I can”.
Is that good enough?
Here’s a thought.
Phileō is never used for “love of God”.
Yet – that is exactly the word Peter uses to respond to the question from the Son of God.
Awkward.
So maybe he needs to be asked again. To – you know – pick up on the language Jesus is using here.
To respond to the call from God to love Him with the right kind of love.
Afterall – Peter probably still has that rooster’s cry ringing in his ears. Maybe he didn’t pick up on Jesus using agapas instead of philō.
A lot of people have that problem.
So Jesus asks again.
“Do you agapas Me?”
Peter responds – “Lord, philō se”.
“I love you the only way I can” (Forte 2005, 134).
So – if nothing else – at least Peter is honest.
Afterall – if anyone has learnt bitter lessons about overstating and over-promising – it’s Peter.
So while his response to Jesus’ question may seem woefully inadequate – at least it is sincere. Honest. Authentic.
But is it enough?
Is it enough for God Who rightly demands our all?
Who says that we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind? And our neighbours the same way?
The God Who asks is your love “agapas”?
Is philō enough?
So then.
To the third time Jesus asks the question of Peter.
Someone has to “change”.
Someone has to make the connection.
Listen to the third part of this conversation.
Jesus asks Peter a third time – “Do you phileis Me?”
Jesus changes His language.
He changes the word for love.
Peter’s response is “Lord, You know everything; You know that I philō You”.
Hear this carefully – as Forte puts it “And so it is Jesus who is converted to Peter, rather than Peter to Jesus! And it is this “conversion” of God that gives the disciple hope in the sorrow of his infidelity and makes him able to follow Jesus to the end” (134).
It seems that the cry of the rooster can often drown out the call of God.
It seems that the language of people’s heart becomes different to the language of God.
Someone needs to make the breakthrough.
Someone needs to change the language.
Jesus “incarnates” again and dwells among; speaks the language of humans so that they might know the hope of God.
What is the result of this?
A mediocre life?
God settling for a second-rate disciple who cannot “man-up” and follow Him with all their heart?
Does it, maybe, result in an insipid kind of Christianity?
Does it mean humanity sets the agenda?
Not when you take in the next couple of verses.
[Read John 21:18-19]
What follows is the call to Peter to follow and die.
To go where Jesus leads and calls – and it will cost everything.
This “poor love” is enough for Jesus to work with.
Don’t forget – He can do a lot with a little (loaves and fish; water when there is no wine).
He can a lot with “poor love”.
A lot with “little hope”.
A lot with “you”.
Maybe what is left – is simply whether you will respond to the invitation – “Follow Me”.
Presented By: GM New