Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He
said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” (John 21:17, NLT)
"Love prospers when a fault is
forgiven,
but dwelling on it separates close friends.”(Proverbs
17:9, NLT)
One thing that makes me admire Jesus is how He
reinstated Peter. How Jesus could have condemned--and He has all the reasons to
do so on--Simon because of his denial of Him, not just once but thrice; but Jesus didn't.
Peter was with Jesus all the way. Jesus called him
from being a fisherman to become a fisher of men. He was given a new name, Peter,
which means. “The Rock”. He has heard Jesus preaching on the mount. He saw
Jesus fed the thousands, opened the blind eyes. The lame man walked, the lepers
were cleansed, the demons were cast out. He was even the only disciple who
experienced walking on the water with Jesus. He had seen Jesus transfigured and
talked with Moses and Elijah. He was part of the so-called "big
three" (along with James and John. He was the first one to reject the
suffering of his Lord, that Jesus had to rebuke him. He was with Him on the
table during the last supper, probably sitting next to Jesus. He was even with
Him that night He was arrested at Gethsemane. He even pulled out his sword and
struck Malchus' ear just to defend Jesus.
Peter tried his best to come along with the
multitudes in the palace of Caiaphas without anyone noticing. But his plan
didn't work out. What Jesus foretold about his denial happened. Feared of being
imprisoned, he denied his Lord three times. And the cock crowed. Then Jesus
looked on Peter. It is a significant look. It was like Jesus telling him,
"Don't you really know me?" Imagine the agony of Jesus after He was
denied by the disciple He considered to Himself closer than a brother, He was
with Peter all the way and Peter with Him. They were best friends. Now His best
friend disowned Him.
Yet Jesus did not give up on Peter. When Jesus
rose again on the third day, He came back to Peter. He saw him doing the same
thing he used to do--he came back fishing. As Peter denied Jesus three times,
Jesus asked Peter three times as well of how much Peter loves Him.
Let's pause for a while. If you were in the place of
Jesus, would we come back to the friend who disowned us in our suffering just
to keep himself free of offense or kept himself from being blamed? The honest
will answer, "NO." Those who play safe will answer,
"MAYBE." but in the back of their minds, they say, "He just have
to pay the price" or "He just have to win my trust again."
Nevertheless, Jesus didn't think like we do. Say it again, "He came back
to Peter." One more time, "He came back to Peter."
"Hello? Jesus was the one offended
here," you'll say. That's it. Can you imagine that love? Jesus, being the
one offended, came back to Peter, the offender, to bring him back to Himself.
Wow! You know the rest of the story. Jesus never condemned Peter for what he
has done. He reinstated him. As a result, Jesus never lose Peter, but have
regained him. and since then, Peter become the founder of the Christian Church
(of course, it's still Jesus. Peter was the successor) and one of the assets of
Jesus' kingdom expansion.
The same is Jesus’ love for us. He
doesn’t look on us about our past. He looks on us with the desire to lavish His
love. While we were without strength to reach out on Him, He reached out on us.
He made a way in order for us to be reconciled to God and to be friends with
Him again. He gave us again the position we have lost—children of God. That is
the highest form of love—AGAPE.
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