I Asked Peter if He Really Loved Me

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

March 4, 2020

I Asked Peter if He Really Loved Me

Page 328

John 21:15-23

Remember the charcoal fire in John 18:18? For Peter, the sight and aroma from the fire Jesus built on the beach invoked vivid memories of his three denials of Jesus by a similar fire. Those memories set the stage for his conversation with Jesus after breakfast.

There are nuances in the dialog between Jesus and Peter, and the three questions by Jesus clearly relate to Peter’s three denials of Jesus. While most Bibles simply render the translation as Jesus asking Peter three times, “Do you love me”, and Peter responding three times, “You know I love you”, the conversation was quite a bit more confrontational. Jesus asked Peter, “Do you agapaō me?” Agape is the highest form of love. It is the love of John 3:16 and the love Jesus commanded us to have for one another in John 13:34-35. Peter responded, Yes Lord, I phileō you” which means “I like you a lot.” The aroma of the charcoal fire has made Peter acutely aware of his limitations. The second sequence is the same, but on the third sequence, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you phileō me?” Peter, are you sure of your feelings?

This conversation allowed Peter to confront his failures and to realize that his failures did not disqualify him as a disciple. (In a previous appearance by Jesus, John 20:21, Peter is included in Jesus commissioning of the disciples: “As the father sent me, so I am sending you.”)

In his dialog with Peter, Jesus reveals the foundation for all Christian service. Whether you are the preacher, the musician, the greeter, the usher, the teacher, the server in the food line, the bell ringer for the Salvation Army, whatever your service may be, the foundation for your service is love for Jesus. Even though you have failed Jesus countless times, Jesus wants you to find your love for him and then express your love for him. Your service of love will be healing for your hurts and failures.

Your service is not a way to earn forgiveness – nothing can ever do that. Our relationship with Jesus is built on GRACE, from start to finish. Our expressions of love are offered in joy because we are forgiven; not what we have to do, but what we get to do.

My Takeaway: Because we love Jesus, what do we get to do today as an expression of that love?

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.