Sermon Text John 21: 15 25

Sermon on John 21 – Do You Love Me? Do you love me? Imagine a loved one asking you that question, not just once, but three times in the same conversation. Do you love me? When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son Of course I do. Do you love me? You know I do. Do you love me? By of John, do you truly love ( agape ) me more than these?” “Yes, the third time, we would probably wonder if we said or did something Lord,” he said, “you know that I love ( phileo ) you.” Jesus said, that would make them doubt our love for them. We’d probably feel “Feed my lambs.” hurt like Peter in our text. Peter was the disciple who once boasted, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will…even if I have to Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love ( agape ) die with you, I will never disown you.” Suffer and die for Jesus? Peter me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love ( phileo ) you.” wasn’t even able to suffer the accusations of a lowly servant girl, Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” calling down curses on himself and swearing that he didn’t know Jesus. The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love ( phileo ) me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, He had fallen a long way from the day he had confessed that “Jesus “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know was the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” The day Jesus said to him, that I love ( phileo ) you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” “Blessed are you Simon Son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and and on this rock ( the rock of your confession ) I will build my went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out church.” Yes, Peter had fallen a long way, but not so far that he was your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you out of Jesus’ reach. In our text, we once again see the love of our do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by Savior as he deals sinners, like Peter, and like you and me. The sins which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” and situations may be different, but the question is the same. Jesus asks, “Do You Love Me?” I. If so, follow me… II. And feed my Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following lambs and sheep. them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter Jesus begins by asking, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I than these?” Talk about a rather awkward after breakfast conversation. want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must I’ve often wondered about the tone with which Peter answered Jesus follow me.” that day. Was he even able to look Jesus in the eyes after what he had done? I say that because I wonder how I would have answered those Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple questions. What about you? If Jesus looked you in the eyes and asked, would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only “do you love me more than these?” More than family? More than said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” friends? More than the pleasures and treasures of life? More than your This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them career? More than your hobbies, your free time, your vacations? Your down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things homes, your cars, your investments? What gets you more riled up in as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even life, hearing about your favorite sports team losing, or hearing about the whole world would not have room for the books that would be someone who died without faith in Christ? We could think about the written. ( NIV ) times we’ve sided with the politically correct rather than the scripturally correct. The times we’ve failed to speak the truth in love because people might get defensive or upset. The times we’ve neglected opportunities to grow in God’s Word because we saw other mind the words of the hymn writer, “Jesus thy blood and things as being more pressing, more important. Than Jesus? righteousness, my beauty are, my glorious dress, midst flaming worlds in these arrayed, with joy shall I lift up my head.” It’s at times like these that Jesus asks us, “Do you love me…Do you love me…Do you love me more than these?” Take a look at the text Any pride, arrogance, self-reliance lingering in your minds? Any printed out for you on your bulletin insert and you’ll see how two confidence in yourself, your works, your church and Bible class different Greek words are used for the one English word love. Agape attendance leading you to feel that you are somehow worthy and and Phileo. Agape love is a self-sacrificing kind love, the word for deserving of God’s love and forgiveness? If so, Good Shepherd love that Jesus used when he said, “God so loved, or agaped, the Sunday once again serves as a good reminder that, “we all, like sheep, world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…yet…the shall not perish but have eternal life.” Phileo love is a friendship kind Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” We don’t have a Good of love, a God-pleasing kind of love, but obviously not as intense as Shepherd who merely has a strong affection for his sheep and lambs, agape love. Agape is the word for love that Jesus used in his first two we have a Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep and questions to Peter, but notice the word for love Peter uses in return. took it up again to give them the sure hope of heavenly pastures. A Phileo love. Why do you think that is? As one commentator writes, Good Shepherd who called us to be his own and calls us to follow him “the painful memory of his shameful denial would not allow Peter to and feed his sheep and lambs. claim the kind of agape love that Jesus had for him.” He had promised to die for Jesus, not deny him! Jesus could have looked Peter in the eyes that day and said, “Peter, based on your past performance and in view of recent events, I’m Twice Jesus asked the question using agape love, twice Peter afraid that we’re going to have to let you go,” but he didn’t do that. responded to the question using phileo love. Finally Jesus asked him Instead with the same words by which he first called Peter to be his the third time, “do you love me?” This hurt Peter, not only because it disciple on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus reinstated his disciple was the third time Jesus asked it, but notice the word for love Jesus by saying, “Follow me,” and adding the words, “Feed my sheep and used in asking it. Not agape love this time, but rather phileo love. lambs.” This past week I came across the original Willy Wonka and Almost as if to say, “Simon, son of John, I understand how you can’t the Chocolate Factory on television. It was at the part when Charlie claim to love me with the kind of agape love I have for you, you came clean and returned the everlasting gobstopper instead of giving it haven’t even been able to love me with the kind of phileo love you to Slugworth. Do you remember what happened next? Charlie was claim to have for me. Do you truly hold me as the nearest and dearest welcomed with the open arms and warm embrace of Willy Wonka! He friend you have in life?” It was a question that struck Peter to the not only received the lifetime supply of chocolate, he received the very heart. May it do the same for us. chocolate factory itself! What a happy ending!

Notice we don’t see Peter standing up to boast and brag about all the That morning on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Peter was once again good things he had done for Jesus, surely those things must count for welcomed by the open arms and warm embrace of his Savior. He was something! No, Jesus had gotten his point across and Peter the rock once again reminded of his Savior’s lifetime supply of love and had hit rock bottom. He realized he had no feet on which to stand forgiveness. And he was given the keys to the factory as it were. The before God, no bargaining chips to prove that he was worthy of God’s privilege of feeding and taking care of the sheep and lambs of Jesus, love and forgiveness, no righteousness he could claim on his own. the ones Jesus purchased with his blood. Jesus has given the same Relying solely on the grace and mercy of his Savior, Peter said, privilege to us. To be about the work of feeding the sheep and lambs “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” It brings to of our Savior with the bread of life found in the pages of His Word, in church, in Bible class, in Sunday School, in our Christian Day School, make out of love for our Savior who made the ultimate sacrifice for us in our Vacation Bible School. These are all opportunities for Jesus’ through his death and resurrection. We don’t just do them for Good sheep and lambs to, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Shepherd our church and school, we ultimately do them for Good and Savior Jesus Christ.” Shepherd our Savior.

Feeding the lambs and sheep of our Savior is something that Peter Would you have trusted Peter after the way he let you down? Jesus would do faithfully in the years to come. Take a look at Peter’s life did. Do you think Jesus can trust you after some of the ways you’ve let and one might argue that it did not have a happy ending. In a rather him down? He does! His continued love and forgiveness is proof of it! chilling manner, Jesus would predict the way Peter would die by You could even say he’s counting on you to get the message out! saying, “’I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed That’s the kind of Good Shepherd we have in Jesus! Rescuing and yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will restoring people with His Word. Calling people to follow him and feed stretch out your hands, and someone will dress you and lead you his sheep and lambs. Yes, Jesus asks, do you love me? May the Holy where you do not want to go.’ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of Spirit enable us to always say, yes Lord, you know that I love you, but death by which Peter would glorify God.” Peter didn’t feel that he only because you loved me first! could match the kind of self-sacrificing love Jesus had for him, but in a way he would. On Maundy Thursday Jesus told Peter, “where I am Amen. going you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Church history tells us, “at last Peter came to Rome, where he was crucified, head downward; for so he himself desired to suffer.” …feeling unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Savior. He had come a long way from the proud and arrogant man he once was to realize that his strength was in Christ alone. In this sense his life did have a happy ending as he was welcomed by the open arms and warm embrace of his Savior in heaven. Heaven is the same happy ending that is in store for us by the grace of God through faith in Christ alone.

Peter made the ultimate sacrifice of his life for Jesus because that’s how important Jesus was to him. How important is Jesus to you? Peter’s sacrifice kind of makes any sacrifices we make for Jesus seem relatively small in comparison, doesn’t it? The time we sacrifice to sit at Jesus’ feet in church and Bible class. The time we sacrifice to serve in a position of leadership in the church, on the MCC, Servae Christi, to serve on a committee, to volunteer for VBS, teach Sunday School, staff the nursery, usher, play the organ, serve in Pioneers or the many other opportunities God gives us to serve. The time we sacrifice to lend a hand at a church and school cleaning party. The time we sacrifice to tend to the landscaping or shovel snow around here. The dollars we sacrifice to bring God the best in our offerings for budgets, missions, organ projects and the like. These are all small sacrifices we