LEARNING DAILY

John 21:19, He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved 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.”

Pastor Ed Newton asked the Church, “What do you do when you have failed the Lord when He needed you the most?” Then he said, “When you do not know what to do, when God seems to be quiet, go back to the last place you last sensed God’s presence or received a clear word from Him.” He used His interaction with Peter at the Sea of Galilee to explain what he meant.

Peter declared Jesus to be “the Son of the Living God.” Before Jesus was arrested, Peter declared he would never leave Him; yet before the rooster crowed Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times. Peter knew what it was like to fail the Lord, to not know what to do when Jesus had died. He must have wondered. Like Believers do today, “Will the Lord ever use me again?” In John 21:3, Peter told the other disciples, “I am going fishing.” Then he (and six other disciples) went back to the Sea of Galilee, back to their home area to fish. Peter went back to where “he could be comfortable, to get re-grounded, and to remember where he had come from” (EN).

Their fishing was like may of the fishing adventures I have had – they fished all night without catching anything (just like in Luke 5:1-11). This time Jesus was not in the boat with them; He was on the shore watching them. When He asked, “Children, have you any food?” they did not recognize Him. “He had been there the entire time watching them fish. Jesus can be in the midst of His people and not be recognized because of being empty (nothing left, nothing to look to, nothing to hope for), because of being exhausted, and because of nothing good happening” (EN). When He told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, when they caught more fish than their nets could hold, they recognized who was there.

Peter swam to shore and had some alone time with Jesus. There, by the fire, Jesus restored Peter. “The smell of the fire may have taken Peter back to the smell of the fire where he denied Jesus. Perhaps Jesus was taking him back to that place where he was shamed so He could strengthen him again.” (EN). Remember Peter was told He was the Rock on who Jesus would build His Church. The Church was to be built on Peter’s declaration, his confession of faith, not Peter himself. It is at this time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him. He asks him three times, for three denials. After each answer, Peter is told to “feed, tend the sheep,” and finally to “follow Jesus.”

When Jesus called His disciples, He did so with the words “Follow Me.” Now, He invites Peter into a deeper life of ministry by again with a heartfelt “Follow Me.” He does the same for every Believer even when he/she fails. “Jesus will always meet us at the place of our greatest failure, not to remind us of it, but to redeem us from it” (Message Takeaway statement). For someone like me who has a lot of holes that need mending, this is great encouragement! May this encourage each of you reading this today!