Do you love Me, Peter?

People of Hope Part 7 - Peter
Monday Devotions @Work 4 May 2020

© 2020 Karien Le Roux Photography

When Jesus called His disciples many of them were fishermen. They left their occupation when He called them to become His disciples and to travel with Him as He ministered to people and taught them. However, here we find them right back at where they started. Catching fish. Back at being fishermen. I think at this stage even though the disciples now knew and understood Jesus’ death and resurrection this was still before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and it is almost as if there is a lack of vision on their part. I can imagine them thinking something like “well… ok but what now?” Whereto from here? What are we supposed to be or do now? In the absence of vision people mostly go back to their past. They go back to what they know and to what is familiar. So where does Jesus find them? Catching fish at Galilee – because that is what they know. The place, the job, the income - it is the familiar and perhaps comfortable place to be.
When we encounter the disciples in John 21, we read of how the disciples went fishing and caught nothing. When we go out on our own strength and in our own plans, digging ourselves into the familiar and the comfortable there is no harvest. They caught nothing until He told them to cast the net out on the right side of the boat. Shortly after, they struggled to bring the catch ashore since the nets were overflowing. I am sure that this incident reminded Peter of the promise Jesus gave Him long ago that He will be a fisher of men.

It is in this context that Jesus has His now well-known discussion with Peter. He asks Peter “Do you love Me?” three times, However, it is only when we look at the original text that this discussion really comes to life. In the original language there are at least 4 different words for the word love. We see 2 of them in this passage. Agape and Phileo. Agape means self-sacrificial love, whereas Phileo means brotherly or friendship love. Thus, in Gerda’s paraphrasing this discussion between Jesus and Peter sounds like this:

Jesus asks Peter twice the same question when He asks “Peter, do you love Me with (Agape) self-sacrificial love?

Twice Peter answers “Yes Lord I phileo you” I think it will be safe to say that even though Peter does not voice it at this point and neither does Jesus, both know that Peter denied Christ not too long ago. There is therefore no chance that Peter can say that he loves Jesus with self-sacrificial love. Peter demonstrated quite the opposite. In other words, Peter is honest with Jesus here when he in fact says no Lord, I do not love you with self-sacrificial love, but I do love you with friendship love. I am your friend and want to be your friend Lord, but know I denied you, I cannot say that I love you with self-sacrificial love even if I wanted to.

When Jesus asks Peter a third time if he loves Him the question is different. Jesus uses the word phileo, friendship love, brotherly love. I can imagine Jesus actually saying to Peter here: “Peter, I get it that you don’t get it” You should love me with Agape love – but for now friendship love, phileo will do. It was with this third question that the Bible says Peter was grieved. Why was Peter grieved? Maybe because he realized that Jesus is meeting Him on the only level of love that he as a human being could manage at that point. Maybe he realized that Jesus loved him with Agape love and longed for Peter to love Him with Agape love too, but Peter could not and at least this time he did not make empty promises. He was honest. He said to Jesus this is all I can offer.

Against all expectation perhaps this same discussion is the moment when Jesus commissions Peter to look after His sheep. God does not wait for us to be perfect, completely healed and skilled before He commissions us into the purpose, He created for us in His Kingdom. Consider this scripture in 2 Timothy 1:9 where God says:

[For it is He] Who delivered and saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy and leading to holiness [to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness]; [He did it] not because of anything of merit that we have done, but because of and to further His own purpose and grace (unmerited favour) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago].

Our callings are Holy and as we walk it out God leads us and produces, cultivates Holiness in us. Thus, Jesus commissions Peter to tend and feed and care for His sheep at a point in time where He and Peter knows Peter’s love for Christ is dismally deficient. Jesus knew that it would be in living out this calling that God would cultivate, through the Holy Spirit a self-sacrificial love not just for others but for God. Later when we read Peter’s letters in 1 Peter and 2 Peter, we see how he start using the word Agape. Peter grew in love for Jesus through the Holy Spirit that was poured out on him and others.

Jesus asks us that same question today. “Do you Agape Me?” If you cannot say yes today, ask the Holy Spirit to awaken that Agape love for God in your heart.
 

© 3 May 2020 Copyright:  All rights reserved HG Venter. gerda.venter@telkomsa.net  

Listen to Peter's Song by Michael O'Brien