One of the more “popular” of the twelve disciples. In scripture we see him go from a fisher of…fish, to a fisher of men. We witness Peter doing the impossible- walking on water [Matthew 14:22-29]. We hear his bold confession of who Jesus Christ is [Mark 8:27-30]. As we read in scripture of the events that take place in Peter’s life while doing ministry with Jesus, we begin to hold him in pretty high regard. I mean, he had been a part of some incredible miracles performed by Christ, had come to love Christ with boldness, and had done what no man had done before…WALKED ON WATER. He was doing so well, and then does the unthinkable- he denies Christ [Luke 22:54-62]. He denied the one who he watched perform those miracles, the one who he declared as THE Christ, the one who called him out onto the water. I can’t imagine what emotions were racing through Peter upon hearing the rooster crow [Luke 22:61-62] hours before Christ was crucified.
What I love about Peter is his impulsiveness. Some might view that as a negative thing, but to me, I see it as a relatable thing. I can’t relate to doing miracles or walking on water, I can however, relate to declaring Christ as THE Christ and then when tested denying him in the same breath and being consumed with shame afterwards-telling myself I won’t let it happen again.
In my quiet time this morning, I was reminded of Peter’s impulsiveness again. While walking on water, declaring Christ as the Son of God, cutting a total stranger’s ear off, and denying Jesus are many of the events of Peter’s life that we may be familiar with, John 21:1-17 is one that we, I believe, should become more acquainted with and we may find that we can relate to.
Up to this point in the book of John, Jesus has been
crucified [John 19:28-37], He was raised from the dead [John
20:1-9], and has appeared to multiple people-Mary Magdalene [John
20:16-18], the disciples minus Thomas [John 20:19:22], and then
the disciples and Thomas [John 20:24-30].
What a whirlwind of a couple of days! For me, it is the epitome of an emotional rollercoaster. Watching someone I have spent the last three years of my life with and come to love dearly be brutally put to death. Grieving over the loss of that person, while being terrified that my life would be next -only to find out that I’m grieving for nothing as I stand in an empty tomb. Then as I am swimming in confusion, trying to figure out where the body is, the person I watched crucified and buried all of the sudden appears before me asking for something to eat. I can’t even….
Can you imagine how Peter must have been feeling? Happy. Terrified. Happy. Sad. Over-joyed. Ashamed. Trying to bask in the moment of having Jesus back in his life, only to be overwhelmingly reminded of the fact that he denied him after swearing that he would never do such a thing.
Read John 21:1-17.
Peter’s impulsiveness takes over. The fact that he and those with him just caught an outrageous number of fish isn’t even on his radar.
He sees his Lord standing on the shore, doesn’t think twice [John 21:12b] and jumps feet first, and swims with such desperation and determination, that I’m not sure Michael Phelps could have kept up with him. But let’s pause for a second and take in the irony of this story. It is the second time Peter has been on a boat and stepped out onto the water and made his way towards Christ. The only difference between the first time and now is he was not beckoned to come out of the boat-he just heard the other disciples say, “It is the Lord!” [John 21:7] and knew where the Lord was he wanted to be also even if it was literally a few feet away.
But then the story gets better…
Beginning in verse 15, we read of what I consider the most relatable aspect of Peter’s relationship with Christ. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loved him. Peter immediately answers each time, “YES!” and Jesus’ response was the same, “Feed my sheep.” It’s in this conversation that Jesus reinstates Peter. Peter had done the impossible and the unthinkable, and yet Christ’s plan for using him to make a tremendous kingdom impact never changed. The same is true for us.
We are impulsive. We experience moments of boldness and great courage, but are still prone to doing the exact opposite, like Peter. I love the quote by C.S. Lewis which says, “Take courage dear heart”, the Lord is not done with you after your first, second, or third short coming. He has great plans for you [Jeremiah 29:11] and wants to use you, just like Peter, to feed his sheep.
What a whirlwind of a couple of days! For me, it is the epitome of an emotional rollercoaster. Watching someone I have spent the last three years of my life with and come to love dearly be brutally put to death. Grieving over the loss of that person, while being terrified that my life would be next -only to find out that I’m grieving for nothing as I stand in an empty tomb. Then as I am swimming in confusion, trying to figure out where the body is, the person I watched crucified and buried all of the sudden appears before me asking for something to eat. I can’t even….
Can you imagine how Peter must have been feeling? Happy. Terrified. Happy. Sad. Over-joyed. Ashamed. Trying to bask in the moment of having Jesus back in his life, only to be overwhelmingly reminded of the fact that he denied him after swearing that he would never do such a thing.
Read John 21:1-17.
Peter’s impulsiveness takes over. The fact that he and those with him just caught an outrageous number of fish isn’t even on his radar.
He sees his Lord standing on the shore, doesn’t think twice [John 21:12b] and jumps feet first, and swims with such desperation and determination, that I’m not sure Michael Phelps could have kept up with him. But let’s pause for a second and take in the irony of this story. It is the second time Peter has been on a boat and stepped out onto the water and made his way towards Christ. The only difference between the first time and now is he was not beckoned to come out of the boat-he just heard the other disciples say, “It is the Lord!” [John 21:7] and knew where the Lord was he wanted to be also even if it was literally a few feet away.
But then the story gets better…
Beginning in verse 15, we read of what I consider the most relatable aspect of Peter’s relationship with Christ. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loved him. Peter immediately answers each time, “YES!” and Jesus’ response was the same, “Feed my sheep.” It’s in this conversation that Jesus reinstates Peter. Peter had done the impossible and the unthinkable, and yet Christ’s plan for using him to make a tremendous kingdom impact never changed. The same is true for us.
We are impulsive. We experience moments of boldness and great courage, but are still prone to doing the exact opposite, like Peter. I love the quote by C.S. Lewis which says, “Take courage dear heart”, the Lord is not done with you after your first, second, or third short coming. He has great plans for you [Jeremiah 29:11] and wants to use you, just like Peter, to feed his sheep.
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