"Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing....Jesus said to Simon Peter,...'Feed My lambs.... Tend My sheep....Feed My sheep....And when [Jesus] had spoken this, He said to [Peter], 'Follow Me.'" (John 21)
" Feed," and, "Follow," this is the command to us all. The point in Jesus' dialogue with Peter is that if you love Me, you will feed my People. Now this may seem as though it is for pastors, but there is a very real sense in which all Believers are called to, "Feed My sheep." Every time a Follower of Jesus encounters one of His sheep we have the opportunity to "feed," to encourage and, "exhort with all long suffering." And the only way you and I can, "Feed My sheep," is to, "Follow Me," He Who Alone Is, "The Good Shepherd." Feeding without following will always go awry.
Peter was like most here. The Lord returned from the dead and had appeared to some. Some believed the reports; others did not. It seems as though the Lord was playing kind of a hide and seek after the resurrection. He would appear to Followers in what seemed to be surprising ways. The two on the way to Emmaus did not recognize Him as He joined them and walked with them. It was only in the breaking of bread that their eyes were opened. The reality in our text is that Peter, even though Jesus had appeared already to Him after the Resurrection, seemed to be in a "what-do-I-do-now?" mode, "I am going fishing." And it wasn't fishing for men. What do most do when confronted with the unknown? They revert to the known; it is the only natural thing to do.
Can we say that this appearance of Jesus at the lake was Peter going to "another level?" Notice the "simple" Words Jesus speaks to him. First, "Do you love Me?"-- basically, "as much as you say?" When Peter replied in the affirmative three times, Jesus then gives the command which saves us all, "Follow Me." It is as though the Lord was saying to Peter, "No, Peter; you will not do this on your own. 'Follow Me,' and I will be in you. I am your Strength, your Sustenance, your Guide." It is a marvelous reality in our walk in Jesus. We do not wonder alone in life, and we certainly do not serve alone. We are Followers of Him Who said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
Father, in Jesus' Name, "O, for grace to trust (and follow) You more!" Amen.
**********************
* I regularly update our Blog Site--- New article today. All have prophetic revelation.
* Sarah and I will be away from June 28 to July 12. We will probably have little access to the Internet.
" Feed," and, "Follow," this is the command to us all. The point in Jesus' dialogue with Peter is that if you love Me, you will feed my People. Now this may seem as though it is for pastors, but there is a very real sense in which all Believers are called to, "Feed My sheep." Every time a Follower of Jesus encounters one of His sheep we have the opportunity to "feed," to encourage and, "exhort with all long suffering." And the only way you and I can, "Feed My sheep," is to, "Follow Me," He Who Alone Is, "The Good Shepherd." Feeding without following will always go awry.
Peter was like most here. The Lord returned from the dead and had appeared to some. Some believed the reports; others did not. It seems as though the Lord was playing kind of a hide and seek after the resurrection. He would appear to Followers in what seemed to be surprising ways. The two on the way to Emmaus did not recognize Him as He joined them and walked with them. It was only in the breaking of bread that their eyes were opened. The reality in our text is that Peter, even though Jesus had appeared already to Him after the Resurrection, seemed to be in a "what-do-I-do-now?" mode, "I am going fishing." And it wasn't fishing for men. What do most do when confronted with the unknown? They revert to the known; it is the only natural thing to do.
Can we say that this appearance of Jesus at the lake was Peter going to "another level?" Notice the "simple" Words Jesus speaks to him. First, "Do you love Me?"-- basically, "as much as you say?" When Peter replied in the affirmative three times, Jesus then gives the command which saves us all, "Follow Me." It is as though the Lord was saying to Peter, "No, Peter; you will not do this on your own. 'Follow Me,' and I will be in you. I am your Strength, your Sustenance, your Guide." It is a marvelous reality in our walk in Jesus. We do not wonder alone in life, and we certainly do not serve alone. We are Followers of Him Who said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
Father, in Jesus' Name, "O, for grace to trust (and follow) You more!" Amen.
**********************
* I regularly update our Blog Site--- New article today. All have prophetic revelation.
* Sarah and I will be away from June 28 to July 12. We will probably have little access to the Internet.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
