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Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
In your life journey, how often have you experienced the power of both FORGIVENESS and RESTORATION back into a wonderful relationship? It’s rare, isn’t it? Too often bitterness and resentment set in so deeply that while forgiveness might happen, trust is never restored, and the relationship remains frayed. Have you found that to be true in your life experience?
Today, join me again on that shoreline in Galilee, 2000 years ago, and let’s witness the restoration of a broken relationship that probably has touched your life and mine, 2 millennia later!
The past two days we’ve been looking closely at a remarkable event described for us by the disciple John. It was yet another encounter he and his disciple friends had with the resurrected Jesus, this time as they were wrapping up a night of empty net fishing.
The story is found in John 21, and you’ll recall we’ve already seen that Jesus appeared, unrecognized, on the shoreline urging the weary fishermen to throw out their nets one more time, right where they were. When they did their nets were miraculously filled. (John 21:1-6)
I left you yesterday with the disciples having a Jesus cooked breakfast on that shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. (John 21:9-14) You may recall Peter had leaped into the water and swam ashore as soon as John identified the shoreline voice as resurrected Jesus.
WHY? Because Peter was desperate for another opportunity to talk and be with Jesus.
WHY? Because he was haunted by his terrible failure of denying he even knew Jesus, not once but three times, only hours after they had been in the upper room for their Passover meal together, and in the Garden of Gethsemane praying, the night before Jesus was crucified. (John 18:15-26)
Can you imagine how shamed Peter felt? While yes, Peter and the others had seen and talked with resurrected Jesus at least twice before this shoreline breakfast (John 21:14) we have no record of Jesus and Peter having a reconciliation and restoration conversation. Peter was desperate to repair his relationship with Jesus, if possible.
Pause a few seconds. Have you ever found yourself in that painful place? Your words haunt you; you’d give almost anything to turn back time and undo the relational damage that you have done. Desperately you seek an opportunity to repent and make things right, hoping the person you have offended will be willing to forgive you and try to trust you again. That’s where Peter was with Jesus that morning and Jesus knew it!
John records that as breakfast was finishing, Jesus turned His focus to Peter and asked him “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” (John 21:15) Rarely did Jesus refer to Peter by his full, original name, but when He did, it was important. Perhaps it was that way for you in your childhood? Can you still hear your mother or father calling you by your full, legal name? Did it send a shiver up your spine? Here Jesus is also using the ultimate word for love, “Agape Love”, meaning the type of love that would motivate you to give your life for someone. Remember Peter had promised that in the upper room only hours before his denials of Jesus. (John 13:37,38)
In the silent pause after Jesus asked the question, Peter weighed so many things in the balance of his heart emotions and the truth of his mind. Peter knew Jesus would not be fooled and could see all things past, present and future. There was no deceiving, no pretending with Jesus.
While Peter desperately longed to be forgiven for his pitiful failure, he also longed to have a trustworthy, dependable, honest relationship with Jesus and so Peter replied, “Yes Lord, you know that I love You”, but as you may know the word Peter used for love was not the same word Jesus had used. It was a simple friendship ‘love’ word.
Perhaps Peter was being honest; perhaps he was being careful to not set an expectation too high. Perhaps because Jesus had asked the question in a comparative sense, Peter felt his relationship at that moment with Jesus was far below the relationship he thought John or James or Andrew had with Jesus.
My friends, twice more Jesus asked Peter the pointed questions seeking to help Peter look deeply into his own soul and respond with clarity and honesty about the relationship Peter had and wanted with Jesus. (John 21:16-19) I believe both times Peter responded with regret that he could not be more confident in declaring his reliability, his unwavering love for Jesus. But it’s important for us to see that all three times Jesus responded with an invitation to Peter for re-engagement.
Re-engagement with building an honest relationship with Jesus and with representing Jesus to and serving the people who were seeking to know Jesus. Jesus was forgiving Peter; restoring Peter into the love relationship Jesus wanted to nurture with Peter; and Jesus was re-commissioning Peter to engagement with Jesus’ life mission of bringing hope to a world separated from God. Do you see Jesus didn’t simply forgive and send Peter on his way?
Oh no, Jesus forgave Peter and re-embraced their friendship relationship and then re-established Peter into his God given life mission as Jesus’ representative especially to the Jews!
Now pause a moment and ponder that. What does it require for you and me to believe we really are forgiven? How do we extend forgiveness to those who have hurt us?
How do we combine forgiveness with restoration of broken relationships AND recommitment to nurture a future together with someone who has broken our trust?
That’s what Jesus was doing on the beach that day with Peter! It’s so powerful we need to pause and try to really understand the significance of this shoreline breakfast. For the rest of his life Peter pointed back to this forgiving, restoring experience with Jesus.
It changed his life, and I hope you’re able to point to similar situations when you’ve experienced the forgiveness of God and the restoring of your relationship with Jesus, far beyond anything you could have imagined!?
Take some time right now and re-read those verses slowly and carefully (John 21:15-17) talk with Jesus about your relationship with Him. Is it time for you and Jesus to have a forgiving, restoring conversation?
This powerful song by Steve Green reflects tenderly what happened that morning with Peter and Jesus. Are you ready for the same experience?
Today’s Scripture: John 21:9-17.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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