SUNDAY, JANUARY 8
Scripture: John 21:15

John 21:15 says, “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’” Jesus, after the resurrection, is reminding Peter of his proclamation that he would follow Him to the end. And Peter denied Him three times. Jesus asked Peter if he ‘Loves/ag-a-pee, with the love that is willing to die for.’ Because of his denial and because he had not really been able to follow through, Peter’s answer was, “I love/fil-eh-o you…” Fil-eh-o means, ‘To love as a friend.’ This is not love willing to die for. The word for “feed” is ar-nee-on, and means ‘To care for and make sure that those given to you are properly fed and nourished.’ Jesus is setting Peter up – He is calling him into restoration after a major failure. Jesus was going to do it by dealing with the priority of motivation that was in Peter’s life. There was a reason Peter thought he was more mature than he really was. The three-time denial of Christ revealed something that Peter himself did not know. It revealed something that was functional and operational in his life – his priorities were out of alignment. Because his priorities were out of alignment, there was no way that he could carry through on his commitment. Jesus knew it and He was going to the root of the issue – just like He does with us. I wonder how many places the Lord is going to the root of things with us. Jesus knows our issues!