15When 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.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt 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. 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Thoughts: Here it comes....Jesus is about to drop the hammer on Simon Peter for denying him 3 times! That most have been how Simon felt, but I think there is more grace here than guilt. Jesus seems to be offering Peter a chance to confess his love, one for each time he denied it. But something else is peculiar about this text, love for Jesus is meet with a command to take care of others. Here John's Gospel, like the parable of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew, makes the undeniable connection between love of Christ and love for those who belong to Christ. Still we resist this message. We like to think that our relationship with Christ is solely for personal salvation. What could be further from the truth! Our relationship with Christ is to empower us to be in relationship with the world he so loves!
Questions: Why do you think we miss this connection between love of Jesus and love of neighbor?
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