"After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?' John 21:15 NLT
Remember, Peter had denied Jesus three times - totally denied Him to save himself. Now was the time for Jesus to forgive him and restore him and give him his final ministry, from fisherman to evangelist.
Note what Jesus asked him in v15, 'do you love Me more than these.' Jesus wasn't asking Peter if he loved Jesus more than he loved the other disciples. He was asking him if he loved Jesus more than they loved Jesus. Watch this. Jesus used the Greek word for love Agape, which is a self-sacrificial love. Peter answered with the Greek word phileo which signifies affection or brotherly love. Jesus was asking Peter if he was still the most committed disciple because he had professed a more superior love for Jesus in Matthew 26:33-35. Was he still in competition with the others? But Peter answered with phileo love, the love between good friends, and Jesus told him to feed His lambs.
Jesus again asked Peter, 'Do you love Me? (Agape love). Peter told him, 'Yes Lord, You know I love You' (phileo love). Jesus answered, 'Then take care of My sheep.' (Agape love). On the third question, Jesus used phileo love, 'Simon - do you love Me? This hurt Peter, but Jesus wanted to be sure if Peter had learned his lesson. Peter had to face his own true feelings and motives when Jesus confronted him - whether he fully understood where he had gone wrong the first time. And Peter was humbled by it all, he had lost his superior, arrogant and argumentative attitude, the one that signified to the others that, 'I'm better than you.' He realised that he had nothing to prove; this was not a game where the players are in competition with each other. Jesus had called them all to be equal.
With this over, Jesus was able to restore Peter because, Jesus could see that he didn't think of himself more highly than the others and Jesus was now able to use him efficiently.
Don't ever think yourself better than anyone else. You are who God made you to be, that is all. You are not a copy of anyone either, you are unique, and the gift God has given you is yours and fits you well. We are not in a battle with team members, we are united together and called to work this way.
Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.
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