Feed My Sheep! Scripture: John 21:15-19

- When I was a child, my parents didn't like the idea of sending me to Junior church. They thought it was important for their son to be exposed to the regular preaching of the word.

- I have to admit at first I wasn't too fond of that, but after a while I got used to it. After all, I'd already been with the other kids in Sunday school and this gave me an opportunity for a break from the constant noise and demands of others.

- Throughout my childhood years, I heard many sermons on the verses of Scripture that we just read.

- Most of those messages got very caught up in the two different words for love used by Jesus and Peter in this passage.

- And while I admit that might be interesting to Bible scholars to debate about the importance of these words, it probably isn't very interesting, nor is it important for us.

- Why, why is this passage important to us? What does Jesus have to say through John that's important for us today or this week?

- Beyond the obvious that Jesus is reinstating Peter, after denying Jesus three times, Jesus asks Peter three times do you love me... 

- Beyond that, I think it's important to ask some questions about this passage so we can get at what the gospel writer, John, thought was important about this event.

- "Do you love me more than these?" Is this question is about fish and fishing, Peter's livelihood, or is it about the other apostles? Why does John portray Jesus pressing Peter? Is it simply to emphasize the three denials and reaffirm his love? Why does Jesus stress the importance of feeding his sheep? If Peter loves Jesus, will he walk away from fishing and renew his commitment to fish for people and train them in the way of Jesus?

- In order to answer these questions we need to think about John and about Peter.

- John's gospel is different from the first three Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. It's different on purpose because John knew as he sat down to write his gospel that the other three had been circulating among the churches for a few decades.

- John knew that church people would be familiar with the other three Gospels, at least as familiar as he was, so he decided to take a different direction.

- One other reason for that different direction was false teaching, (i.e., gnoticism: gnostics believed that matter is evil, thus the denial of the resurrection) which denied that Jesus came in the flesh and rose with a resurrection body.

- So that gives us a little bit of where John was when he was writing and why he was writing.

- If we accept that the apostle John was the one who wrote this gospel, then we have to understand that this is an eyewitness account.

- He knew Peter. John knew how brazen and bold and also how timid and foolish Peter could be. After all, Peter, James and John had a different relationship with Jesus and the rest of his disciples.

- This is the Peter, who said, 'Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man,' after the first miraculous catch of fish.

- It was Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, who blurted out, 'Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'

- It was also Peter, when Jesus asked, 'Who do you say that I am,' who had the insight to declare, 'You are the Christ!'

- It was Peter who boasted that he would never betray Jesus, and yet, denied him three times.

- John presents us with the risen Jesus making breakfast and eating fish with his disciples on the shores of Galilee.

- The Lord of heaven and earth still acting as a servant to the ones he loves, asks Peter, in front of everyone, brazen, bold, timid, foolish, Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?'

- Whether Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him more than he loves the other disciples, if he loved him more than the other disciples loved him, or if he loved him more than he loved his livelihood does not matter.

- Peter, in his brazen and foolish boasting, had shamed himself and needed Jesus to feed him, restore him, and invite him back into relationship, into discipleship.

- Every time you and I sin as disciples of Jesus, we shame ourselves and sometimes believe ourselves unworthy of the calling, but it's good to know that just as Jesus loved Peter, feeding him, restoring him, and inviting them back into relationship and discipleship, Jesus also loves us. 

- When we sin, Jesus wants to feed us, restore us, and invite us back into discipleship.

- Also, While Jesus was reinstating Peter, He issued Peter a challenge.

- Follow me. 

- Jesus prophesied over Peter about the kind of death he would experience, that he would die because of his loyalty to Jesus, as a martyr, witnessing to Jesus even in his death.

- Is that not also the same challenge Jesus issues to us?

- Jesus wants us to follow him. He wants our loyalty to him to be greater than anything else to the point that we realize that…

- Nothing is more important in showing our love for Jesus than by obeying his call.

- What is that call? It is nothing less than feeding and tending the flock of God.

- Isn't that really what it means to love one another?

- As the flock of God, we are called to tend to one another's needs and feed one another spiritual food.

- Our job as followers of Jesus is to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed, no more and no less.

- Nothing is more important in showing our love for Jesus than by obeying his call.