16th September 2022 – John 21:15-17
"15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 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."
John 21:15-17
The word that Jesus uses for love - agape - implies more than natural affection, however deep and sincere, it implies the yielding of the will as well as the outgoing of the affection; and what He said could very fairly be paraphrased in some such words as these: 'Simon, son of Jonas, do you, in the full determination of your will, love Me? Do you yield your will unreservedly to Me?' Put like this, one sees only too clearly that Peter's rejoinder, 'Lord, you know how fond of you I am' fall so very short of what our Lord was demanding of him. It is as if Jesus had said to him, 'The love I want, Peter, is a love that will hand over the will to Me. Only this will be strong enough to keep you from falling'. All this serves to underline the distinction between the two words: Peter's love was the love that receives, selfish love; Christ spoke of a love that gives, self-denying love. Human relationships afford a good analogy here. There are certain people we like very much because their company gives us a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction; it stimulates, helps and encourages us. This of course is not wrong or unworthy, but a natural and integral part of friendship. And Peter's love for Jesus was like that: friendship, companionship with Jesus made him 'feel real good', as the American idiom has it. But it is wrong, in the spiritual life, when it fails to go on from there, from 'getting' to 'giving'.
15th September 2022 – John 21:15-17
“15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon,…
14th September 2022 – John 21:15-17
“15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon,…
13th September 2022 – John 21:15-17
“15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon,…
12th September 2022 – John 21:1-14
“21 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said…
11th September 2022 – John 21:1-14
“21 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said…
10th September 2022 – John 21:1-14
“21 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said…
9th September 2022 – John 21:1-14
“21 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said…
8th September 2022 – John 21:1-14
“21 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said…
7th September 2022 – John 20:30-31
“30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing…