Title: Jesus said to feed my sheep
So, missionaries must always be armed with the Word, confess their profession of faith to God, and carry out their mission. The same is true of all the office holders who have been placed in the church.
The Reformer Calvin said: “Most people are weak, some are frivolous and unreliable, and others are stubborn and cannot teach. In addition, Satan is trying to break the courage of a good pastor by attacking with all kinds of stumbling blocks. Therefore, in order for a pastor to perform his duties well, he must be able to overcome all obstacles while giving everything while being moved by the love of Christ.”
We must overcome falsehoods that disguise the glory of God both inside and outside the church. You also have to fight the false desires that are growing within you. There are people around us who we should not imitate. On the other hand, there are people who must be imitated. It's not that he is imitated by being great.
By placing these two kinds of people around us all the time, He lets us judge. In doing so, it urges us to profess our faith every day and to make important decisions. In the text, Jesus has this intention to make Peter confess his faith and urge him to make a certain decision.
1. Jesus appeared to Peter, who was in despair.
As Jesus said, He died on the cross and rose again. The disciples who witnessed the resurrection of the Lord rejoiced (John 20:20). But the disciples thought that Jesus had left them now. Now they could not have their honor through Jesus.
Although Jesus spoke of the purpose of his coming to this earth, the disciples did not fully understand it. Still, the disciples thought of him as the king of political and economic recovery through Jesus. So, if you follow Jesus, you can achieve something and are those who have surpassed one spot.
But now things are different. They do not have Jesus by their side to satisfy their desires. Jesus died on the cross and is no longer there. But Jesus was resurrected and appeared to his disciples. So the disciples said to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25).
They rejoiced to meet the risen Lord, but the disciples thought there was nothing they could do. So they returned to the state they had before they were first called by Jesus.
The disciples gathered on the shores of Tiberias. At that time, Peter said, “I am going to catch fish” (John 21:3) and left, but did not catch a single fish. But the resurrected Lord came to Peter. Peter was in a situation where he had no choice but to go fishing again.
Think about it. Someone was farming. But one day he went to the city saying that there was no more hope for farming. I was in business and made a lot of money. enjoyed the movie.
But the film did not last long. It's completely ruined. He came back to the countryside to farm or build. They are like Peter. Peter put aside the movie he had with Jesus in the past and went fishing again. But the Lord of the Resurrection came to Peter like that.
What we were doing didn't go well. I saw failure. When we are in despair, our Lord comes to us. Saying that I will be with you, he caresses our sagging shoulders. I lost my job. The business went bankrupt. It's hard to know how to live. There is no hope at all. It doesn't seem like it will get any better. I never know when I will be fired from my job.
I am worried about whether my business and my children will grow without any problems in the future. However, there is one thing we must be aware of. The point is that our Lord has come to us who are in such discouragement and anxiety. comfort you We must not be afraid now. You must believe in him.
2. Jesus asks Simon, Do you love me more than these people?
In verse 15, Jesus says, “Simon, son of John.” He is not called Peter here, but Simon. What was the intention of Jesus to begin by calling on the name Peter had used before his calling?
We are now reminding Peter from what condition he was called in the past. Casting nets and catching a lot of fish brings us back to the past when Peter denied Jesus. It reminds me of the mistakes he made in his actions while following Jesus.
We remember what Jesus said when he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan; you do not think about the things of God, but the things of men.” (Mark 8:33) Also, Peter said, “Even if they all forsake the Lord, I will never forsake you” (Matthew 26:33). ), he even proclaimed a ho charter. But he was the one who said he did not know Jesus when he was taken away.
So Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love me more than these people? do you love me... Do you love me?” he asked three times and asked for three answers.
The phrase “better than these” can be seen in the light of Peter's earlier promise, “Even if they all forsake you, I will never forsake you” (Matthew 26:33).
That is, the question was, do you love me more than other disciples, that is, other people? Also, the word “than these people” is a plural referential pronoun, and it can be understood as saying that you love me more than “these”. These were the questions, “Do you love me more than the many fish that Peter has caught?” This question is asking if you love me more than the material things that may arise from this job you have.
Jesus' question was not intended to measure the measure of how much Peter loved the Lord. It was a question to Peter if he knew properly about himself.
This question is related to Peter's three-time denial of Jesus not long ago. Peter, who was not strong enough, thought that he could do everything. In that Peter, the satanic way of thinking that was already called human work coexisted (Mark 8:33). He is asking Peter what kind of existence he really is. This is well illustrated in Jesus' question and Peter's answer.
When Jesus said, “Do you love me?” in the first question, he asked with the concept of ‘agapao’, which is a term of a higher, sublime and devoted love. At that time, Peter answered that he loved Jesus with the concept of ‘phileo,’ which is a word of affectionate love that expresses love as a friend.
But the second and third question Jesus asked with the love of “phileo,” the level of Peter. What do you mean by this? It was just pointing out Peter's limitations. Peter could not approach the love of the first question Jesus asked.
It is telling Peter, who had been arguing that he would follow the Lord, clearly know his limitations. Peter's limitations were revealed before Jesus' question. It is a proper way of seeing yourself in the presence of the risen Lord. Now Peter is answering properly.
In verses 15, 16, and 17 of the text, “You know that I love you.” This means that the Lord knows more about me than I know about me. Now Peter saw himself in the presence of the risen Lord. Only the Lord who is seen in the midst of his limitations and sins is Jesus who he saw properly.
How are we now? You cannot look to Jesus except through the eyes of a sinner. You cannot look to the Lord with your own desires, bluffs, and covetousness. You cannot fulfill the Lord's mission with the hypocrisy that covers yourself. We must look at ourselves honestly. He was so generous with himself that he was busy sinning. I need a humble person who is said to be lacking.
3. Jesus tells me to feed my sheep.
He entrusted the mission to Peter, an ugly human being who acknowledged his limitations. He has truly entrusted God's work to Peter, who he thought he had nothing to do. He says, “Feed my sheep” and “Feed my sheep.” Our missionaries must be faithful to what God has given us by the Lord.
Even if you exhort with the authority of the Word, if you do not obey, that person will not be God's people. If you are not God's people, why would you obey the authority of the Word?
God's people are to obey the authority of God's Word. Obedience is the fruit of obedience. We should not try to make ourselves on our side in the church. Don't be swayed by local sentiment. Church is not a place for gathering. As the Lord's sheep led by the Lord, everyone should love each other and become one.
As sheep, believers should seriously reflect on whether they are God's sheep, that is, God's people, and repent. Why would the church be divided? Because they are trying to treat the church and the saints as their own. You must repent quickly. We must keep in mind that if we do not even repent, that person may not be God's people. Refusal to repent because of self-esteem is a cursed satanic mindset.
invitation to the word
Let's look at John 21:18-19.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young you girded yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you are old you will stretch out your arms and another will gird you and take you where you do not want to go. After saying this, he said to Peter, “Follow me.” It shows what kind of death Peter will glorify God with in the future.
Believers in Jesus Christ should never be moved by their own will. This is not a place for me to stand up for my circumstances or to carry out my arguments. There is only obedience to the demands of the Lord. That is following Christ. So Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.” Now, just as Peter must live by following the Lord, we must also follow and obey the Lord.