Do You Love Me?

Like many of you men, when I was a kid I loved the game of football. In fact my friends and I spent most Saturday afternoon’s playing touch football in a vacant lot near our house. Well, when I entered High School I decided to try out for the team. And, in spite of the fact that I didn’t know a great deal about organized ball I was able to make it through the various cuts and be given a place on the 2nd string of the Junior Varsity squad. I know you won’t believe it but I was a DEFENSIVE TACKLE.

Now, if you’ve ever played on a school football team you know the second string doesn’t get to play much. No-they spend most of their time on the bench and are only brought into play if your side is ahead by a lot-which doesn’t happen too often. Well, one day I was complaining about this to a friend of mine-and he gave me some valuable advice. He said that if I wanted to play more I should be more assertive and that whenever the coach asked for a volunteer I should make sure I was the first to leap to my feet-and that’s what I did. If the coach came over to the bench during a game and said, “I need someone on the line!” I’d hop up and say, “I’ll go coach! Send me in!” And it worked-whenever I did this-the coach put me in the game.

The problem was, since I had only played street football and didn’t know much about the rules of the real game, I made a lot of mistakes. For example, my first time in an actual game I wanted to be a part of the action so much that when the offensive player was tackled, I piled on and grabbed the first part of him I could get my hands on which unfortunately turned out to be his face-mask. And I am embarrassed even now to say that I did this twice in a row before I realized we were being penalized 15 yards because of my actions!

Another time, when I was playing defensive tackle the coach kept yelling from the sideline, “Shoot the gap Adams! Shoot the gap!” I remember yelling back, “What’s a gap?”

Well, suffice it to say that I had a coach who believed in 2nd chances! He was a very forgiving leader! I mean, every time I would foul up he would patiently explain my error and then give me another shot the next time I volunteered. He was gracious enough not to hold my past mistakes against me. And-with his help, I actually turned out to be a pretty good defensive tackle. I don’t want to brag but it got to where I sacked the quarterback at least once every game I played. In retrospect I think it was due to my small size-offensive linemen didn’t pay much attention to me, thinking I was no real threat-but I proved them wrong! Once I learned what a “gap” was, I would squeeze through it give their quarterback a hard time!

Now-have any of you ever fouled up such that you were embarrassed? I mean have any of you ever done something as foolish as my face-mask grabbing? Go ahead and raise your hands. Thanks to the power-outage, I won’t be able to see if you do!

Okay-let’s move this into the spiritual realm. Have any of you ever sinned-and later looked back at what you did and asked yourself, “Why was I so stupid? Why did I do that?”

Well, the truth is in the “game of life” all of us do this. All of us are guilty of sinful foul-ups-and that’s why the message of the Gospel is so precious-because it tells us that our God believes in second chances. When we honestly admit our foolish errors-when we confess our sins-and ask for God’s help and forgiveness, He gives it. In fact He seems to delight in doing so. I like the way John Ortberg puts it in his book, Love Beyond Reason. He says, “If there is one way that human beings consistently underestimate God’s love, it is perhaps in His loving longing to forgive.” And that is so true. Our gracious God is “the LORD of the second chance.” He wants to forgive us and help us learn from our mistakes. He yearns to help us to start over and get back into the “game.”

Now if I had to pick anyone in the Bible as proof of this wonderful truth, it would be the Apostle Peter because he fouled up miserably over and over again-and each time our Lord forgave him and gave him another shot.

Warren Bennis once wrote about a promising junior executive at IBM who was involved in a risky venture for the company and ended up losing ten million dollars in the gamble. He was called into the office of Tom Watson, Sr., the founder and leader of IBM for forty years, a business legend. The junior exec, overwhelmed with guilt and fear, blurted out, “I guess you’ve called me in for my resignation. Here it is. I resign.” Watson replied, “You must be joking. I just invested ten million dollars educating you; I can’t afford your resignation.”

Well, because of HIS frequent mess-ups, as Ortberg points out, Peter might have had several conversations just like this with Jesus. For example, do you remember that time on the Sea of Galilee, when in the midst of a storm Jesus came walking on the water toward the boat His disciples were in and Peter got out of the boat and began walking on the water toward Jesus? My Wednesday Bible study group should. Peter took His eyes off the Lord and was overwhelmed by fear and doubt and would have drowned if Jesus had not bailed him out. Remember? Jesus referred to him as a man of little faith. Well, when they got in the boat I can imagine Peter saying, “You’re right about me, Jesus. I’m big on dramatic gestures but low on faith and trust. I’m full of questions and fears. It doesn’t take much of a storm to stop me. Here’s my resignation.” And I think Jesus would have said, “You must be joking, Peter. I’ve just invested a MIRACLE in you. I can’t afford your resignation.”

Or what about the text we studied last week in which Peter made his famous confession that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God? Remember, Jesus said, “This was not REVEALED to you by man but by My Father in heaven. God told you this Peter!” Well, you should remember that not long after that Jesus told His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to the cross and when He did this, Peter pulled Him aside and began to rebuke Him in essence saying, “Jesus don’t talk like that!” Jesus responded by saying Peter was speaking for satan-that in essence he was playing on the wrong team. Well, I can imagine Peter saying, “You’re right about me Jesus. I speak impulsively; I’m always putting my foot in my mouth. Here’s my resignation.” And then Jesus saying, “You must be joking. I’ve just invested a REVELATION in you Peter. I can’t afford your resignation.”

But I think the BEST EXAMPLE was when, at the great crisis moment of Jesus’ life, Peter had vowed, “I’ll follow you no matter how much it costs, Jesus, no matter what everybody else does.” But Peter couldn’t keep that pledge for even a few hours and ended up denying Jesus three times before the night was over. Well Luke tells us that after Jesus’ resurrection He appeared to Peter privately (Luke 24:34) and when He did I can imagine Peter saying to Him, “You were right about me all along, Jesus. I failed You most completely at Your point of greatest need. I denied and abandoned You. Here’s my resignation.” And Jesus would have said, “You must be joking Peter. I’ve just invested a RESURRECTION in you. I can’t afford your resignation.”

Well, this brings us to our text for today-a passage of Scripture that I think best shows Jesus’ patience in working with Peter-His gracious forgiveness and guidance given once again to help Peter get up from that time of terrible failure and get back into the game. And I want us to study it today because as I said, all of us are like Peter. We all foul up-we sin-we fail miserably and I believe Peter’s experience can teach us the things we need to do to start over. Take your Bibles and turn with me to John 21. I want us to look at verses 1-19.

1 – Afterward Jesus appeared again to His disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way:

2 – Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.

3 – “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 – Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5 – He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.

6 – He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

7 – Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.

8 – The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.

9 – When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

10 – Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

11 – Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

12 – Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?” They knew it was the Lord.

13 – Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.

14 – This was now the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

15 – When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.”

16 – Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love Me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Take care of My sheep.”

17 – The third time He said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Feed My sheep.

18 – I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

19 – Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, “Follow Me.”

Okay-let’s back up a bit so we can better understand all that went on that day by the Sea of Galilee. In his gospel John tells us after Jesus rose from the dead He appeared to the disciples as a group twice. And Matthew’s gospel tells us the second time Jesus met with them, He told them to go to Galilee and wait there for Him. (Matthew 28:10) Well, they obeyed-they made the journey up from Jerusalem and began to wait for Jesus to appear.

Now-these days right after the resurrection must have been a confusing time for the disciples. I mean they were excited-awed-that Jesus was alive-but they still felt kind of like they were in limbo. I mean, Jesus had appeared to them but only briefly and then He would disappear. They never knew exactly when they might see Him next. He came and went without much explanation or announcement. Well, this left the disciples with an uncertain and perplexed feeling. Plus, they were restless because nothing seemed settled. They didn’t understand what was supposed to happen next. So, everything was still up in the air for them that day in Galilee.

Now, as I said, Jesus had told them WHERE to meet Him-but not WHEN so they waited and waited hours-probably even days-with no sign of Jesus. And I think Jesus tarried like this to teach His disciples that they must learn patience. After all, if they were going to be used to further His kingdom, they would have to learn to wait on His timing and trust His eternal perspective. And, we must learn this discipline as well because when we grow impatient with waiting and take matters in our own hands, we always get into trouble. Like that day on the football field when my team was penalized because I couldn’t take the time to learn the rules and just had to get in on the tackle and ended up grabbing that face mask-in the same way, so many times we lose ground spiritually when we don’t wait on the Lord! Who is it that said, “waiting is the hardest work of faith?” It is hard-but it is worth it for as the prophet Isaiah promised, there is a blessing for those who trust God’s timing. In Isaiah 64:4 he said, “Since ancient times no ear has heard, no eye has seen any God beside You Who ACTS ON BEHALF of those who wait for Him.”

Well, impatient Peter had not yet learned this lesson so he said to the others, “I can’t sit around any longer. I’ve got to do something. Let’s go fishing.” They got a boat and spent the night trying to catch fish on the Sea of Galilee-which is the way professionals like Peter and John and James did it back then. They would use torches to attract the fish and then snare them in their nets.

Now-I should point out that they probably weren’t just killing time. I think they were also hoping to make some pocket money-something they would have been short on since Judas had absconded with the group’s treasury.

Well, they labored all night-but to no avail. I imagine they tried every trick in the book on every known fishing hole in the lake and were still left exhausted and exasperated because nothing worked. In my mind’s eye other boats that were out that night had no trouble but to Peter and the others it seemed as if the fish avoided THEIR boat on purpose. And I think that is what was exactly what happening. The fish didn’t come near the disciples’ boat because they had been ordered not to. Perhaps Jesus commanded them to stay away to teach the disciples another lesson-to give them an experience to look back on and be reminded that as He said in John 15:5, “…without Me you can do nothing.”

Ray Stedman says, “That night of failure was not without it’s lessons and its benefits. We can do worse than fail. You see, we can succeed and be proud of OUR success. We can succeed and forget the Hand Whose it is to give or withhold, to kill or to make alive.” Stedman is right. Failure can teach us how much we need God-it can remind us that any success we have is because of Him-that He is the source of “…every good and perfect gift.” (James 1:17) You see if we are not careful we tend to be proud of our accomplishments-we praise ourselves for our successes. As someone has once wisely said, “the problem with SELF-made men is they tend to worship their creator!” So maybe the disciples needed a night of fruitless fishing to remind them once again of their need for Jesus!

Well, about 6:00AM they gave up and began heading back in. When they were about 100 yards off shore they heard a Voice calling out to them through the early morning mist. It was a Voice they’d heard before but didn’t quite recognize at first and it said, “Friends, haven’t you caught anything?” Now be sure and note that the question had a little sting to it. I mean no fisherman worth his bait wants to be reminded of failure! But an amazing thing happened. They were honest in their reply. A group of fishermen actually admitted they hadn’t caught anything! They didn’t even comment on the one that got away. So the Voice replied, “Well, try again. Put your net down on the right side of the boat. Don’t quit yet. Give it another try.” And they did and when they pulled the net in it was full of fish-so full in fact that couldn’t lift it back up into the boat. Their catch was indeed a miracle because the same fish who had been ordered to stay away were now ordered to come. I imagine every fish in the lake clamored to get in the disciples’ nets that morning! And they did so because unlike men, fish ALWAYS obey their Master! Well at this point John, who tended to UNDERSTAND more quickly than Peter recognized the Speaker and said, “It is the Lord!” and Peter who tended to ACT more quickly than John, wrapped his robe around himself, leapt in the sea, and swam ashore.

Does this seem backward to you? Put on clothes, THEN jump in the water? Well, it wasn’t really because the Jews regarded a greeting as a religious act that could be done only when one was clothed….so even in his impulsive act…Peter had enough of his wits about him to remember to prepare himself to greet the Lord. And I can understand Peter’s eagerness because something like this had happened three years earlier. Remember? After another night of fishing with nothing to show for it Jesus had asked them to row out a little deeper in the water. They did and caught so much fish that their boats began to sink. And, that first “fishing miracle” was what led to Peter’s call to follow Jesus and fish for men. So perhaps with this memory in his mind Peter-who wasn’t patient enough to wait on the heavily laden boat to take him to shore-jumped in and swam.

Well, when they all caught up with Peter they discovered that Jesus had already started making a breakfast of grilled fish and bread. He asked them to bring some of the fish they had caught to augment the meal and then encouraged them to all dig in-but no one wanted to go first. They all just sort of stood there. To me, the way John words it makes it seem as if the disciples were hesitant to approach Jesus and I can understand how they might have felt because as I said earlier, things had changed. I mean they were eager to see Jesus again but they were awed by Him. He was the same-but He was also different. They loved Him, but could no longer be familiar with Him-not like the old days.

You see, before they had always been more aware of His humanity than of His deity. Now they were more conscious of His deity than of His humanity. So they were awkward and hesitant at first. Well, verse 13 says that to break the ice Jesus took the bread and the fish and put it in their hands and urged them to eat-and they did. They must have been Baptists because the more they ate the more they talked. And soon it was just like old times. It was a wonderful morning of fellowship with Jesus that they never forgot. After the meal, the other disciples must have gone back to the boat to clean the rest of the fish and stow their gear and this gave Jesus an opportunity to talk to Peter alone.

And in the conversation that ensued we see three steps that Peter had to take to start again-three things he had to do to get back in the game-after his most recent failure. They are the same steps God guides us through so that we can receive the 2nd chances that He so graciously offers.

1. And the first step involves a CONFESSION-specifically a confession of LOVE.

Look at the text and you’ll see that as Peter and Jesus began to talk, our Lord did not reprove him, or condemn him for his failure in the garden the night of His arrest. He didn’t ask, “Peter, are you sorry for what you’ve done? Do you promise never to fail Me again? Will you try harder?” No-instead, three times He probed Peter’s heart to discover the depth of his love. I also want to point out that Jesus didn’t even refer to Peter by the nickname He had given him that day in the hills of Caesarea Philippi. He simply called him, “Simon son of John.” And I think He did this as if to say,

“I won’t presume that you want the old intimate relationship back. I won’t presume you still want to wear the name I gave you. I won’t presume on your love for Me Simon. Just tell Me Simon, do you-do you love Me?”

Well, why would Jesus START here? I mean why would it be so important for Peter to confess his love in order for him to start over? The reason is simple. You see, sin is not just breaking the COMMANDMENTS of God. It is breaking the HEART of God. Sin, by its very nature is not only against LAW but against LOVE. Think about it. When a man cheats on his wife, what is the first thing she wonders? “Doesn’t my husband LOVE me anymore? If he LOVES me, why would he do this.” When our kids disobey us-disrespect us-it breaks our hearts and we wonder, “How could they do that and still LOVE me? I wonder…do they? Do they still LOVE me?” And this is the way it is with God for as Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.”

So, if we are to recover and start again, there must be more than an acknowledgment of sin. There must also be an acknowledgment of our love for God. Our love for Him must be greater than our love for the pleasures of sin. You see, the truth is if we love Jesus we won’t betray Him. We won’t disobey Him-our love will be the motivation for our obedience. This is what Augustine was getting at when he said, “Love God and do whatever you want.” He knew that if we really love God-if He is truly first in our lives-we will only do things that please Him. It is only when our love of self rises to the top that we get into trouble.

Another thing-if we truly love someone we will care about the things they do. This is why Jesus said, “Do you love Me? Then care for My sheep.” You see the thing that Jesus cares most about is people and this was seen so clearly during His earthly ministry. I mean, even though He was Holy God in the flesh, He showed a passion for all people-even those who failed-fouled up-most in life-tax collectors, prostitutes, repentant thieves. He was repeatedly moved with compassion for humans like you and me-even to tears because Jesus loves people. When He died on the cross He wasn’t dying for a political cause or for some stubborn personal agenda. No, He willingly died for people. As Romans 5:8 says that our Lord demonstrated His love for us in this, “While we were yet sinners-while we continued to foul up-Christ died for us.” So, with Christ in a very real sense, it is,”love Me, love My people.” If we want to express our love for Jesus-it will be by investing our time in loving others.

2. And then another thing Peter’s experience teaches us is that in order for us to start over there must also be honest CONTRITION.

You see, while a love for Christ is essential, it is not sufficient. There must also be a deep sorrow over our sin in order for us to even WANT to start over. King David learned this lesson through his own sinful failures. In Psalm 51 he prayed, “For You do not desire sacrifice or I would give it. You do not desire burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God You will not despise.” When we sin, the road back to fellowship and service is always drenched with tears. Only those who truly grieve over their sins, will leave their sins and return to God!

And I think this is why Jesus set things up the way He did that morning-to help Peter re-live what he had done so he could realize the serousness of his actions. For example, I don’t think it was an accident that Jesus cooked the fish on a charcoal fire. No, I think He did it to remind Peter of the other charcoal fire-the one he had sat around a few days earlier when he claimed not to know Jesus. This is also the reason Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him-as a reminder of the fact that he had denied Jesus three times.

Remember? Prior to His arrest Peter had frequently boasted that his devotion to Jesus-his love for our Lord-was greater than that of the other disciples. For example in Matthew 26:33 Peter had said, “If everyone else falls away on account of You, I never will….even if I have to die with You, I will never disown You, Jesus!” But a few short hours later when push came to shove Peter denied his Lord three times. Do you remember the three things he said that horrible night? “I do know the Man…I do not know what you are talking about…I am not His disciple.” I like the way The Jesus Film pictures this because right after the third denial the rooster crows as Jesus is led out and He makes eye contact with Peter and Peter realizes what he has done.

And Peter got the message. Verse 17 says that he was grieved because Jesus asked him the third time. He was grieved because he realized anew exactly what he had done that horrible night. He felt pain for his sin-he had a broken and contrite heart. He knew this was his biggest foul-up ever! I imagine he thought, “Some ‘rock’ I turned out to be! I’ve acted more like shifting grains of sand!” Jesus did all this to help Peter on the road to a new start because there can be no spiritual recovery without a sense of sorrow over sin.

3. So, for us to start over there must be a CONFESSION of love. There must be a deep CONTRITION over our actions…And then, third, there must be a new COMMITMENT.

We must decide to try again to live for Jesus-no matter what it costs to do so. After Peter’s confession of love, Jesus told him that a day would come when Peter would stretch forth his hands (on the cross) and another would gird (fasten) him, and would carry him where he didn’t want to go (to the place of execution0. Peter would be crucified because of His COMMITMENT to Jesus.

Jesus told Peter this before He used the same words He had three years earlier, “Follow me.” In other words Jesus was saying, “Peter regardless of your past failures, I am still calling you to follow Me. I am inviting you to serve Me but it will be costly. If you accept, you will indeed fulfill your pledge to die for Me.” Well, Peter accepted Jesus’ 2nd chance. He bravely renewed his commitment. In fact he was a changed man after that morning. Peter became strong, powerful and authoritative. He preached at Pentecost so boldly that 3,000 people put their faith in Jesus. Peter became one of the key leaders in the early church. He took seriously his new commitment to care for Jesus’ sheep. The disciple who failed became the disciple who could be counted on because he put his faith in the Lord of the second chance.

One of my favorite old poems goes like this:

Well, there is such a place. It is at the foot of the cross of Christ. Peter began again and so can we. We can get up from your past failures and go on to become all God wants us to be.