Betrayal.

Have you ever felt betrayed by a friend?  You know, somebody whom you thought loved you and cared about you, whom you thought was on your side… Have you ever had somebody like that betray you? Maybe you’ve been a disloyal friend like that to somebody else?

There is a saying that goes like… “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.”  But the fact of the matter is, it will only stab you in the back eventually, and you won’t even have seen it coming.

But for Jesus, He saw it coming, and in a sense, He didn’t get stabbed in the back like we often are.  He is fully God, and yet He was fully human; He felt the pain of searing loss of a beloved brother who said he loved Him.  I am not talking about Judas, but about Simon Peter.  This famous story is as recorded in John 21:15-19:

Jesus and Peter

15 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, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Do you love me more than these?  This probably refers the fish (v.11) representing Peter’s profession as a fisherman, for he had gone back to it while waiting for Jesus (see v.3).  Jesus wanted Peter to love Him so supremely as to forsake all that he was familiar with and be exclusively devoted to being a fisher of men.  The phrase may refer to the other disciples, since Peter had claimed he would be more devoted than all others.

In our lives, can we truly say to our LORD–yes, I love you more than these!  More than my wife/husband, more than my girlfriend/boyfriend, more than my job/career, more than all the fame/recognition/status that we can ever accumulate…. everything, anything, all things: do we truly love God supremely more than all the treasures of this life and this earth?

I think most of us seemingly devout Christians would answer just like Simon Peter did, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”  As much as we mean what we say, we don’t realize that there is actually very little weight (if any) behind those words: there is a lack of a life of obedience that would substantiate such a bold affirmation.  To put it plainly, saying either yes or now would make us liars; for in and of ourselves we are sinful people who are unable to do any good by our own strength let alone obey the commandments of Holy God.

Like I said in part 1, love has much to do about obedience, and that is exactly what Christ calls Peter for…

Feed my lambs.  The word feed conveys the idea of being devoted to the Lord’s service as an undershepherd who cares for His flock.  The word has the idea of constantly feeding and nourishing the sheep.  This served as a reminder that the primary duty of the messenger of Jesus Christ is to teach the Word of God.  (Cf. Acts 1-12 for Peter’s obedience to this commission.)  At its very core, Christ wanted to know if Peter would do what he was called to do.

In our context, will we do what we are called to do?  Or will we rather do our own thing, do what we want to do and think is best for our lives?  We will obey what God commands of us, or will we turn away from the Lord and follow our own selfish ambitions?

Peter was grieved.  The third time Jesus asked Peter, He used Peter’s word for love that signified something less than total devotion, questioning even that level of love which Peter thought he was safe in claiming.  The lessons driven home to Peter grieved his heart, so that he sought for a proper understanding of his heart, not by what he said or had done, but based on the Lord’s omniscience.

The prophecy of Peter’s martyrdom in verse 18 and 19 signaled that Jesus’ call of devotion to Him would entail Peter’s own death.  Whenever any Christian follows Christ, he must be prepared to suffer and die.  Peter lived 3 decades serving the Lord and anticipating his own death that was before him, but he wrote that such suffering and death for the Lord brings praise to God.

This simple passage still speaks right to the heart of us missional Christians today.  Are we genuinely devoted to Christ completely, so as to obey His Word to the point of suffering and to the point of death?  Or are we so happy and comfortable sitting on our safe couch of Christianity that we dare not step into the world of darkness as His light?  Are we even grieved that the Lord has seen through our lazy, complacent hearts into our true selves?  Will we ever mourn for our inequities and repent… and follow?

So many questions for us to ponder if we truly”love” the Lord.

[Love and Obedience: Part 1, .... part 3 coming soon]