Do You Love Me More Than These?

John 21:15 "So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs."

There are a few things that strike me about this verse...well really this passage. First of all, the disciples who had spent so much time with Jesus do not know it is Him, until finally, "that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord.'" I wonder if it is because he was closest to the heart of Jesus. He could read the looks on Jesus' face long before the others could...Perhaps He was too far off for them to recognize at a distance, but the disciple Jesus loved recalled the time Jesus had done this before. Jesus' trademark.

But then Peter throws himself into the sea. I'd like to think it was because of his great love for Jesus. That kind of reckless abandon that thinks, "Not even the push of the water can hold me back from Jesus! It's faster for me to swim than to wait for this boat to get in!" (The only strange thing about that is he puts his outer garment on). And so, perhaps it comes as a shock that Jesus would even think to ask Peter if he loves him...but we'll get to that in a sec.

Someone I think highly of once told a group of us about his three kids. His oldest kid - very cute, perhaps the most competitive child ever born, and very stubborn. The middle child - so tenderhearted and selfless - they didn't know where he came from. (Both parents were very stubborn too, or so he said). The youngest - just a baby but seemingly more stubborn than the firstborn. So he proceeded to tell us of all their flaws and imperfections and how the middle child had just recently gotten a pea stuck up his nose. And yet, this dad loved his kids and moved me to choke back tears as he described his son's soccer game. His middle child was running around, letting the other kids catch up sometimes when he felt sorry for them (something the oldest would have despised), sometimes falling down, just running around...but this dad was so proud. He said he wanted to shout, "That's my son," to everyone around him. He was beaming with elation in one of those great parent moments. And then he said, "And that's how God sees us...crazy, imperfect people with peas stuck up our noses, running around like we don't have any idea what's going on...and yet there He is...He knows our flaws...He knew Peter's flaws...and yet He's beaming..."That's my child!" I know he denied me, but I still love him.

And Jesus, knowing all the imperfections of His disciples...their fear that drove them to abandon Him...wants to have breakfast with them. An informal setting. Perhaps to assuage their guilt. Let's just have breakfast...I mean, they'd already seen Him once since He died (chapter 20 verse 19)...He'd said, "Peace be with you then..." I wonder if they understood that He WAS peace. "I am with you...Peace be with you..." But here He is again and this time He wants to have breakfast and talk to Peter about love.

Simon (notice He doesn't say Peter), do you love Me more than these? (I wonder what the context of "these" means?)

Yes, Lord...I just jumped into the water when I saw you...
(I jumped into the water the first time too...and walked on it until I lost sight of You).

Simon, do you love Me?

Yes, Lord...You KNOW I do...

Simon (notice He's pretty up close and personal in using his name), do you love Me?

And Peter, pretty sad, maybe even offended (I probably would be...) says,
"Lord, You know all things; (I know you're God now...that lesson took me awhile), but you know all things...You know I love you."

...and yet, Jesus then tells him how he (Peter) is going to die. But as if to say, "Don't worry, it'll all be alright if you just fix your eyes on Me," He says, "Follow Me!"

And sadly...instead of looking Jesus in the face and doing just that, Peter turns around and sees the disciple Jesus loved...and perhaps jealously asks, "Well what about him?" (If I'm going to die, what about Him?)

His eyes are taken off Jesus yet again...Only this time he's not sinking in water but into the depths of himself.

But Jesus says, "This isn't between you, me, and him...YOU follow ME!"

(It's as though Jesus is not going to stop asking us that question...When we think we've finally got it all together..."Joy, do you love Me? No, not my people, do you love ME?! I know you learned that then, but are your eyes on ME...NOW?!" Like Peter, it grieves me that He has to ask so often.)