"Feed My lambs." John 21:15b
"Tend My sheep." John 21:16b
"Feed My sheep." John 21:17b
One of the things I love about Jesus is his graceful snarkiness. [I am fairly certain I just coined the term 'graceful snarkiness' but feel free to use it, just give me credit ;)] By that I mean that Jesus always shows just the amount of grace that someone needs to understand that Jesus knows exactly what you did but he loves you anyway. Take the scene of John 21 for instance.
A few days earlier Jesus is with his disciples and is betrayed by Judas and then proceeds to be betrayed by all of his disciples as they scatter like birds. Jesus is taken into custody and questioned and questioned and questioned, somewhere in there Peter decides to show up and linger on the outside looking in, assumedly to find out what is happening. Someone notices Peter lingering, recognizes him, and then asks him if he is indeed who he is. Peter denies it, again, and again before the rooster made his sound.
Then Jesus is sentenced and crucified and dies and is placed in a borrowed tomb and then several days later he isn't in the tomb. Jesus appears to some women and then to his disciples. Some time later Jesus is once again with his disciples and he starts a conversation with Peter. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, again and again. Peter says yes, again and again. Jesus then tells him to take care of his sheep/lambs, again and again. Peter betrays Jesus three times and Jesus in his graceful snarkiness redeems him three times. He reminds Peter and all who witness or read about it that he knows what Peter has done, he hasn't forgotten, but that it is not about what Peter has done, but rather about what the Savior has done.
We often find ourselves in the same position as Peter, we betray Jesus all of the time, with our words or our silence with our actions or inactions and we tend to think that our betrayal is what matters, our failure is what matters. It isn't. It is what the Savior does that matters, it is his love, his desire for reconciliation that is the focus. Jesus reminds Peter, and he at times reminds us, not to cause guilt but to bring understanding. Peter takes the hint and walks the path that Jesus showed him all the way to an upside down cross.
+ On which do you find yourself focusing, your sins or Jesus's redemption, your actions or Jesus's love?
No comments:
Post a Comment