John 21:15-25 - More Love To Thee

Do you love me? In certain relationships, these can be the most hurtful words you can hear. Do you love me? The words are full of doubt. Something has happened in the relationship that makes the loved one question the love. A word has been spoken, an argument has been fought, a betrayal of trust has cut deep. Something has happened.

Things have gotten so bad that someone needs to ask the question before they can go forward. Do you love me? Before things can go back to normal, before they can grow closer together, before anything else happens, they need to know this first. Do you love me?

If we are asking the question, there's a deep hurt, a fear that maybe the answer will be know. It’s a terrifying question to have to ask. But for the person being asked the question, there’s a deep shame, a guilt that what they did made their loved one to question their love. If only they could go back and do things over again. If only they could erase that word. If only they could make things like they were. Do you love me? Will things ever be the same?

If only Peter could have gone back a few weeks earlier and done things different. If only he could go back and erase those words. Those words that are burned in his mind forever. He can still hear himself saying them:

I do not now the man?!? How could I say that? I saw Him up on the mountain with Moses and Elijah. I wanted to build Him a tabernacle. I heard the voice of God say

I saw dead people come back to life when He touched them. And when someone asks me if I know Him, that’s what I say?!?

The relationship has been cut. The deed has been done.

But now Jesus is back. He was there on the shore, watching Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John and a couple of other disciples trying to fish, and catching nothing. He points them in the right direction, and suddenly, they can’t pull in the nets, there’s so many fish. And Peter knows it’s Jesus. And Peter gets out of the boat and swims for it. He swims to Jesus. The guilt was there, the relationship was cut, but it’s Jesus. And Peter comes back to Him. Jesus cooks them breakfast, and when their tummies are full, it’s time to get down to business.

And the first thing Jesus deals with is Him and Peter. Verse 15:

Peter knows exactly what this is about. This is about that night, the night Jesus was betrayed, the night Jesus stood trial, and the night that Peter said that he didn’t know Jesus. This is a painful moment for Peter. Probably as painful as it was for Jesus.

Now, Peter didn’t have to have this conversation with Jesus. He could have continued in his ministry for Jesus, going and telling people about the man who came back to life. But he probably wouldn’t have had much affect in that ministry. Because the whole time, that denial, that sin would have been hanging out there. The whole time, that’s what would have been driving Peter to serve. The whole time, trying to make up for those words. And after a while, the resentment grows as Peter finds it’s impossible to make up for what he did.

So Jesus asks the question: Do you love Me? I know what happened. You know what happened. Let’s get back on track. Do you love Me?… Nothing can separate us from the love of God, nothing in all creation. God cannot not love, since He is God. The greatest command is this, to love the Lord our God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength. Okay then, Jesus asks, "Do you love Me?"

That question is for us, too. We stand with Peter, knowing what Jesus is referring to. We can still feel the words going out of our mouths, words of anger, words of hatred. We can still see the pictures in our minds. We know exactly where the problem started. And it wasn’t just once. There were many times when we said the words and thought the thoughts and did the deeds. And now Jesus is here, asking us, too, "Do you love Me?"

And we want to say, along with Peter, in verse 15:

It’s so good to say it. It’s much better than the other words, the words that we want to forget. It’s right to love Jesus. Now we’re back on track.

And Jesus is encouraging. He gives Peter an assignment. Still verse 15:

Remember last week? God loves us, we love God, we obey God. And here’s one way we obey God. Feed my lambs, Jesus says. Three short words, but packed full of meaning. Feed, nourish, care, build up. The way we are to do that takes up most of our time. Feeding means visiting people who are lonely. Feeding means writing a note to someone having a rough week. It means defending those who can’t defend themselves. It means smiling at someone who needs a smile.

It means a preacher preaching the gospel. It means elders shepherding. It means deacons caring. Sometimes it means us correcting each other.

But who are we feeding? Jesus says, "Feed MY lambs". They belong to Him. We belong to Him. We are ultimately HIS responsibility. We are called to feed. Jesus makes sure we’re fed. So, when someone refuses to "feed", when we lead them to water but they refuse to drink, when we show our care, and are refused, when we speak words of encouragement and we’re shunned, when we gently correct, and are ignored, we remember. We’re feeding JESUS lambs.

And we’re feeding lambs. Not mature, self-sufficient sheep. We’re feeding people who need. And guess what. That’s all of us. We care for our children. Sunday School starts this morning, and we’re feeding our lambs. Nursery is caring for our lambs right now. But we don’t outgrow being lambs. Teen-age lambs need feeding. Twenty something, thirty something lambs need. We have empty nester lambs, retired lambs, senior lambs, and we all need feeding. Don’t let anyone tell you they don’t need. We all need nourishment, care, correction, encouragement.

This is the assignment Jesus gives to Peter and to us, because we love Him, because He loved us. If we love Jesus, we will feed His lambs. If we love Jesus, and since Jesus loves His children, we will love His children as well.

And you’d think that would be that. Peter messed up. Jesus reaffirms Peter’s love, and Jesus gives His assignment. But, verse 16:

Peter’s right. Jesus knows how Peter loves Him. Jesus knows. Jesus doesn’t need to be told. This isn’t about Jesus’ insecurity. This is about Peter. Jesus doesn’t need to hear the words. Peter needs to say the words. Peter has been distracted in the past. Peter was more afraid of people then he had loved Jesus. Peter needs to say this again, to make sure it sticks. I love you, Jesus, I love you.

And again, Jesus gives the assignment.

Again, if we love Jesus, we have work to do. If we love Jesus, then we’ll love Jesus people, His friends, His family.

And still, we’re not done. Verse 17:

Peter was nervous the first time, because of the guilt. Peter was confused the second time, because Jesus had to ask again. And now Peter is offended, he’s hurt, because Jesus needed to ask a third time.

But Peter needed the asking. Three times, he denied Jesus, three times Peter affirms his love for Jesus, and three times Jesus gives him the assignment.

Three times, so that Peter is sure. Because Peter needs to be sure. Peter, while he feeds Jesus sheep, is going to face some terrible times. Jesus tells him, in verse 18:

Jesus loves Peter, and Peter loves Jesus, and Peter will eventually die for Jesus, just like Jesus died for him. Legend says that Peter was crucified upside down, because Peter wouldn’t be killed in the same way Jesus was. All, because of his love for Jesus.

We’ve spent four weeks hearing that God loves us and we love God. He is our God, we are His people. Jesus has asked us today if we love Him. But this isn’t the last time. Jesus has shown His love to us, giving up His life, being sacrificed on a cross. Now, He asks us the question, "Do you love Me?" And He will keep asking the question, because we keep sinning. The question needs to be asked, so that we’ll answer. As embarrassing as it is for us to have to keep answering, we need to say the words, "Yes, Lord, I love You. I know I cut that person down with my words, but I love You. I know I ignored You day after day, with hardly a prayer sent Your way. But I love You. I know I got angry when I didn’t get things my way, I know I’ve harbored a grudge, but Jesus, I love You.

And as we say the words, as we keep answering the question Jesus is asking us, our love will grow. It will sink into our heads, and into our hearts, and out of our hands, and we will act out this love. We will feed Jesus’ sheep. We will send the notes and make the phone calls. We will search out the people who are afraid to come to church. We will show the young lambs and the teenage sheep and the middle age and the senior what it looks like to love Jesus more. We will rake leaves and we will winterize homes and we will clean gutters, to help Jesus’ sheep. We teach and we will serve, we bring meals and we will babysit. We will hear Jesus say, in verse 19:

And we’ll go. We’ll go where He tells us to go.

Sometimes, that might be a place of pain. Sometimes, in fact, many times, doing the right thing and following Jesus means pain. But we’ll go, because we love Him. Maybe we’ll have people talking about us, and we’ll have done the right thing, but they’ll criticize us anyway. Maybe we’ll have to approach someone and talk about something they are doing that doesn’t show their love for Jesus. Maybe we’ll have to make a financial decision that will hurt us, but it will honor Jesus.

Whatever the case, we’re following Him. Because we love Him. And we’ll care for His flock, because we love Him. And we’ll keep hearing the question, and we’ll keep answering. Do you love Me? Do you love Me? Do you love Me? Yes!