Title Let's Check Love
Contents
*** Let's make love. / John 21:1-7, 15-17
** Introductory words
There is a story of a newlywed couple who got divorced because of a single stone smaller than a grain of rice.
On that day, there was a new groom who felt uncomfortable after being scolded by his boss. After the groom left work, he took the table and took the first spoonful, but he ended up chewing the stone. The groom groaned. “Where the hell did you put your mind, can’t you even cook properly?” The impatient bride took it over as a counter-attack. “Does a man get angry over something like that?” One after another, the groom shouts, “If I’m wrong, I should apologize.” Bride with a squeaky mouth “A person like Sogal Mori… ” The groom, angry at his wife's response, slapped the bride in the face. The bride, who couldn't stop her anger while packing her bag, said, "We're a completely failed marriage. I can’t live right.” Eventually, the newlyweds divorced.
A stone the size of a grain of sand separated the two of them. To be more precise, the exhaustion of a little more understanding and caring love has separated the two of them. Had the husband been a little more patient and the wife a little wiser, there would have been no misfortune. However, there is a story to the contrary.
Not long ago, there was an elderly couple who celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary.
When I heard that a friend had arrived, my husband had been working outside and came home in muddy work boots. As I entered the washroom to wash, the well-swept floor quickly became dirty with lumps of dirt. A friend said, thinking his wife would be offended.
“That person is making all the dirt.” "Ok."
With a smile, she got up and went to pick up the broom.
“But the boots bring him too.”
It is an expression of love with warm understanding and consideration. So I guess I'll do it like this. We see in these two stories that people live in love for each other. Because God made a man and a woman into one, not two, we live by confirming our love for each other. In Genesis 2:24, God said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
But love is not human. Love is God's. It is because God is the source of love. In other words, God wants love. He loved us humans as creatures and even gave his only begotten Son as a sacrifice for reconciliation. Not love from the heart, love from the lips, but real love expressed in actions. Just as he was told to offer Isaac as a sacrifice when he was 100 years old to prove Abraham's love. This fact can be confirmed again in today's text. I hope that we can once again confirm our love for God through these words.
First, let's look at the whole story of the text.
The main character in the text is Peter, the chief disciple of Jesus. At the time of Jesus' crisis, Peter was a fugitive who denied and cursed three times saying, "I don't know." With him the ten other disciples were also fugitives and losers. Not long ago, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, they dreamed of Jesus becoming king. But in an instant, everything went to vain. Because Jesus was condemned as a sinner and was crucified. They lost all their dreams.
Peter said, “I am going fishing.” In their words, ‘It’s all wrong now. I'm going to have to eat meat again. It is an expression of despair, saying, ‘I am going to catch fish.’ Then the six other disciples who were with him joined him and left for Galilee. That day, after three years, I got on the boat and threw my net. But in the meantime, I couldn't catch a single fish whether my skills had rusted or the fish had gotten smarter. If I caught a lot of fish, it would be comforting to my heart, but I said, 'You are unlucky and your nose is broken even if you fall backwards.'
The resurrected Jesus came to the shore of the Sea of Galilee in the early morning, returning on an empty boat. The disciples, entering the harbor with an empty boat, heard a warm voice saying, “Guys, have you caught any fish?” Without much thought, the disciples replied, “No.” Then he said, “Throw the net on the right side of the boat. Then you will be able to catch it.” They did and the next moment they found out they had caught too many nets to lift. The disciples must have thought back to what they had been called three years ago. Because it was very similar to the situation back then. So I knew that the person standing by the lake is undoubtedly Jesus.
Charcoal fires were lit by the lakeside, fish were grilling over the charcoal fires, and rice cakes were served. Jesus said, “Come and have breakfast.” They couldn't raise their heads or ask, 'Who are you?' Because he knew very clearly that it was Jesus. Jesus broke bread and fish and gave them to his disciples.
After breakfast, Jesus looked at Peter. “Simon, son of John! Do you love me more than these people?” (Do you love me more than these?) The Lord asked. three times too. Peter was perplexed. He must have thought that he had denied knowing Jesus when he was arrested and questioned a few days ago. Immediately, when the rooster crowed, he made eye contact with Jesus, and he must have remembered the words he had said to him, 'You will deny me three times.' He must have revived the memory of crying bitterly (Luke 22:61-62, “The Lord turned and looked at Peter, When Peter remembered the words of the Lord, 'Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.' So he went out and wept bitterly.”).
I really didn't know where to put my body. The only answer is, “Lord, yes. You know that I love you.” I couldn't dare to rant like I used to. Jesus believed Peter. And still looking at him with loving eyes, he asked, “Feed my lambs.”
Why did Jesus come to Galilee?
What was so frustrating that the resurrected Lord waited for them at the shore of the Sea of Galilee at dawn in search of the lost disciples? Because of love. No other reason, just love. In John 13:1 it says, “Before the Passover, Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave the world and return to the Father, and he loved his own who were in the world, and he loved them to the end.” In Matthew 28:20, as he ascended into heaven, “ Teach them to obey all I have commanded you. see it I will always be with you, even to the end of the world.”
Jesus came to the disciples who lost their dreams and were in despair, worried about their livelihood, and were casting their nets. It is to open up their dreams again. In a way, Jesus' questions and words of encouragement that put a heavy burden on Peter are the process of restoring Peter's lost dreams. So Jesus didn't call him 'Peter', he called him 'Simon, son of John!'
Peter's original name was Simon. To distinguish this common name, we add ‘son of John’. It's like attaching 'Cariot' to 'Judas'. Therefore, the title ‘Simon son of John’ is a name for a natural person. In other words, it reminds me of a time when there was no spiritual hope or dream before meeting Jesus. The name ‘Peter’, meaning ‘rock’, was given by the Lord in recognition of his confession of faith, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said that he would build a church on the rock based on Peter's confession of faith.
Therefore, “Simon, son of John! Do you love me more than these people?” (Do you love me more than these?) The Lord's question is to confirm his love in order to restore Peter's dream. However, in the process of confirming this love, we must understand that the range the Lord requires is very wide.
The word translated “more than these people” does not necessarily refer only to people. In English, it is translated as ‘more than these’ using a ‘directive pronoun’. The original word ou|to" (houtos) is a word that broadly refers to a person, place, object, etc. In other words, Jesus confirms Peter's love by asking, 'Do you love me more than all those related to you?' , 'Do you love me more than your income or immediate interests?' and 'Do you love me more than any place in your life?'
Everyone, do you think this question applies only to Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee 2000 years ago? The Lord is asking us now, and he wants to confirm love in the same way. We want to make sure our little ones love them too. They want to know what they love, hold on to, and see what they like. Needless to say, if you love someone. Our Lord not only loves us, he wants to be loved.
Love comes with rewards. He speaks to us in the name of “wisdom” in Proverbs 8:17 and below. “I love those who love me, and those who seek me earnestly find me. 18. Riches and riches are mine, and so are the long possessions and intentions. 21 so that those who love me may find wealth and fill their treasuries.” John 15:7 says, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish. And it will be done.” In verse 10 he says, “Just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love, so if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.”
Everyone, do you love the Lord? How are we showing that love so that the Lord can confirm it in our lives? The Lord is looking for love even today to satisfy the soul who longs for God. (What do people live by? / Tolstoy's short story) Let us respond with love. Let us realize the love of the Lord in our lives. I pray that you will become a blessed life that shows your love for the Lord in your life by cherishing and caring a little more, comforting, encouraging, sharing even the little things, and illuminating the place in our lives with the love of the Lord.