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Jesus Restores Peter
A Walk Along the Shore
Story 203:
By jennygrace777
It was the third
time Jesus had appeared to His disciples since He rose from the dead.
They were out on
their boats in the Sea of Galilee. They had spent all night fishing and caught
nothing.
But then a man on
the shore told them to cast their nets on the right side of the their boat, and
when they did, they caught so many fish that the nets started to rip.
John was the first
disciple to recognize that the man on the shore was Jesus Himself. He was there
cooking them a simple breakfast of fish and bread.
When the men
finished eating, they rose and began to walk along the shore.
The Lord said to Peter, “‘Simon, son of John, do you truly love Me more than these?’”
What did He mean?
And why would He ask?
Peter had just
suffered a massive failure. He had betrayed the Lord in a very public way. Now
the Lord was going to restore Peter in a public way.
On the night of
Jesus’ arrest, as Jesus explained what was about to happen, all the other
disciples grew quiet.
It was Peter, in
all his boldness, who declared that he would never deny the Lord. It was only
after he announced his loyal resolve that the other disciples had the courage
to do so.
Yet for all his
bravery and determination, Peter’s human strength wasn’t enough. In the
critical hour, when loyalty was the most sacred virtue of all, he faltered and
failed.
And to make matters
worse, he didn’t crumble in the face of a Roman soldier or at the threat of
death. He didn’t falter in the presence of a religious leader who could declare
him a heretic.
Peter caved when
questioned by a little slave girl. And everyone knew.
Jesus understood
what was going to happen before and warned him, but Peter could not bear to
hear it. He refused to believe he could do such a thing.
But Jesus knew that
Satan, the powerful enemy of God, the very same, slithering serpent that
tempted Adam and Eve, had asked permission to go after Peter, and God said,
“Yes.”
The Father was
going to use the evil intentions of His enemy to try this servant who was so
devoted to His Son.
Peter had to go
through a great breaking process to get rid of his own self-sufficiency and
pride.
Peter didn’t
understand any of this. He was under the illusion that he could muscle through
on his own strength.
But that would
never do for the man who would become the Rock of the Church.
If he was going to
lead, he was going to have to learn how utterly weak he truly was so that he
would depend on the power of the Most High God.
It was painful
lesson, but it worked. Peter came to the end of himself in those awful days
that followed his betrayal.
After Jesus rose
again, Peter was the disciple He appeared to first.
There is no record
of the things that Jesus said to him, but we can only imagine the grief and
repentance that Peter showed his Master.
What a close and
sacred moment they shared as Lord and servant.
Now, as they walked
along the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was asking Peter to reaffirm his love. This
time, it was in public so that the other disciples could hear.
Peter would indeed
become God’s chosen leader, but the story of Peter’s denial would have damaged
their respect for him.
Had he fallen from
grace? Jesus was making sure to reinstate him with honor.
Still, the question must have cut Peter to the core. “‘Yes, Lord,’” he said, “‘You know that I love You.’”
Peter was certain
that Jesus knew. In spite of his great failings, his love was real.
Jesus answered, “‘Feed my lambs.’”
Peter’s love for
Jesus was to show itself by watching over His people.
Jesus had described
Himself as the Good Shepherd, and Peter was His servant. The Lord was going to
trust him with His most treasured possessions.
The Lord asked again, “‘Simon,
son of John, do you love Me?’”
What could He mean by asking twice? “‘Yes, Lord,’” Peter
said, “‘You know that I love You.’”
Peter wasn’t going
to depend on some heroic display of his love or any declarations of
faithfulness. He was going to depend on the wisdom of Christ.
He knew that
Jesus knew, because Peter had faith that Jesus knows all things. That was all
that mattered.
“Take care of My
sheep,’” said Jesus. With His second request,
the importance of Peter’s task was showing its gravity.
Peter wasn’t made
the leader of the early church because of his natural abilities or charisma or
strength.
He was advanced
because of his utter love and devotion to Jesus Christ. It is the one necessary
thing.
Once again, Jesus asked Peter, “‘Simon, Son of John, do you love Me?’”
The third time must
have felt like a bitter sting to Peter. That was the number of denials that
Jesus predicted.
That was how many times he denied the Savior at the time
of His Great Suffering. And yet Peter cried, “‘Lord, You know all things. You know that I love You.’”
Peter had nowhere
else to go but trust. Jesus was (and is!) Divine. He knew every truth from
every lie. He knew that Peter loved Him.
Jesus said, “‘Feed
my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and
went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’”
Wow. Now Christ was
making another prediction. Peter truly did love Him, and one day he would show
it to the point of death.
Though Peter had
spent his early years living his own life, from this point on, his life would
be fully given over to the cause of Christ’s Kingdom.
In the end, his
arms were going to be stretched out for crucifixion. He would go on to imitate
the life of Jesus in his own life, even in his suffering.
And just as Jesus
brought glory to His Father, Peter would bring glory to Christ.
As the leader of
the Church, the news of Peter’s death would travel far and wide. What could
explain such unhindered, absolute faithfulness?
The extent of his
sacrifice was the measure of his love, and it would greatly honor his Savior.
But that was still decades ahead. For now, Jesus said, “‘Follow Me.’”
Imagine knowing
that at the end of your life, you were going to be crucified. Imagine knowing
it was part of God’s plan and following Him anyway.
There is no way to
explain it other than to understand the depth of Peter’s love. And this high
discipleship was exactly what Peter would go on to do.
But these things were not on Peter’s mind when he heard
this. Instead, he turned and looked back at John. “‘Lord, what about this man?’”
Was John going to
suffer, too? John was so close to Jesus that he lay up against His chest on the
night of the arrest.
As Jesus explained
that one of the disciples was going to betray him, Peter had to ask John to
lean back and ask the Lord who it was.
If Peter was called
to suffer, what was going to happen to John?
Jesus said, “‘If I
want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow
Me.’”
Jesus was telling Peter,“‘It
is none of your business!’”
For you see, Jesus
is going to return some day, and if God had ordained that John was going to
live that long, that was the rightful decision of Almighty God.
Now, because Jesus
said this, rumors started to spread. People began to say that John would never
die.
But in his book,
John makes it clear that that is not what Jesus said.
He was telling
Peter that the life and death of each of His chosen ones is up to God.
Peter needed to be
faithful to God’s plans for his own life, not occupied with measuring it
against God’s plans for someone else!
Isn’t it amazing
that the Lord’s ordained plan for each of our lives, the way we will serve Him,
even the way our lives will end, are already purposed in the heart and mind of
God?
One day, Peter
would be stretched out just as Christ was, on a cross.
The Bible does not
record the details of how Peter gave his life up for Jesus.
We know that it
came over three decades after this prediction came, and we know he died in Rome
on a cross. By the time the Gospel of John was written, it had already
happened. Peter’s life on earth would end with breathtaking,
courageous faith.
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