Show me the Ministry!

John 21:15-19

Jesus gives Peter three public opportunities to confess his love… even as Peter had denied him three times. Jesus calls him into his own shepherding ministry until death. Peter has been prone to loud declarations of passionate discipleship. Jesus says: “show me”.

Love leads to ministry.

Loving Jesus means loving and serving his people unto death.

Drop the Baby

Have you ever messed up so badly that all you wanted was to hide in a hole and NEVER see those people again?

At Conference this summer I got to see some lifelong friends, the Owens. My buddy Jeremiah is my oldest friend, born two months before me, and church-buddies ever since. I got to see his youngest sister who got married a few years ago and is now preggers with her first child.

… and I got to tell her the story of the time I dropped her on her head. As a baby. At like four weeks old.

Jeremiah was showing off his new baby sister and they trusted me to hold her. I spun her around and something slipped and I tried to catch her and didn’t and down she goes… right to the tile floor. And all the shame of it, and everyone was watching, and I thought Jeremiah’s Dad was going to KILL me. And I ran. And I hid. In the trunk of my parents car. I think I just hid there until we left for church.

And, ideally, at that point, I just wanted a new church. I want to never see those people again. And even though I didn’t get that wish… nobody was handing me babies anymore.

I had messed up. Publicly. Badly. And I was embarrassed and unworthy.

Unworthy for Ministry

You may have things in your past that you feel completely disqualifies you for ministry. “If they knew that… they wouldn’t ask me to serve!”

If they knew that once I…

If people had seen me then…

They wouldn’t ask me to teach a bible study, lead a small group.

Public Denial

Peter was perhaps the most vocal of all the disciples in his passion for Jesus, in his devotion to Jesus. He is in the innermost circle. He is loud and bold, he argues with Jesus about how committed he is. He is passion on fire.

He essentially says this:

Jesus I love you the most, I will follow you the best.

But Jesus knows. He says to Peter:

John 13:37 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Jesus knows Peter’s heart… and he knows the limit of Peter’s intention when it actually meets reality.

John 18:17-18; 25-27

17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Just imagine the weight of that on Peter. While Jesus is in the tomb, this is his last memory of Jesus. The personal guilt of having denied Jesus publicly, of having betrayed him when it counted.

Now Jesus, we hear from Luke and Paul, appeared to Peter at some point before he appeared to the other disciples… but we never get to hear that story. Maybe Jesus addressed the subject, maybe he spoke words of forgiveness to Peter and began the process of restoration… we don’t know.

But just as Peter’s denial was public, Jesus sets the stage for public restoration.

Public Restoration

Jesus has appeared to the disciples and miraculously blessed them with fish. He builds a charcoal fire, really setting the stage much like that day in the high priests’ courtyard.

And Peter is so excited to see Jesus he gets dressed in his robes on the boat and he swims to Jesus! Jesus gives them bread and they cook fish and they have breakfast on the beach. It’s kind of a beautiful picture.

John 21:15-19

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.”

Agape vs. Phileo

For those of you who are very familiar story, you have probably heard that the word used for “love” here in the Greek is changing. Jesus says “do you Agape” me and Peter says “I phileo you” until the third time, when Jesus says “Do you phileo me?”

Now many have looked for and found profound meaning in shadings of these words but not many have agreed on the precise distinctions made. I don’t think we want to do that, we miss the forest through the trees.

Keep in mind that the original conversation was likely happening in Aramaic, so any shading of meaning would be John conveying something in translation.

The Greek words, in their first century usage, are synonyms and did not have clearly distinct meanings. John uses them interchangeably throughout his gospel. And, stylistically, even in this encounter, we see him changing up the phrasing with synonyms elsewhere. From “Feed my lambs” to “Tend my sheep” to “Feed my sheep”.

And Peter’s reaction to Jesus asking the third time is not to the change in word but to being asked three times.

See the point is not in the tone or the character of the love. The point is in asking Peter three times if he loves Jesus… and then calling, or even ordaining Peter into ministry three times.

Love -> Ministry

So back to the story.

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.”

Simon Peter has been the loudest and most vocal in professing his love for Jesus. It has been all about intention.

But when push came to shove… did Peter love Jesus more than the other disciples, for that’s got to be what Jesus means here “Do you love me more than these?” He isn’t comparing to the fish.

And this is a humbler Peter who answers. You know that I love you! He seems to have lost some of that boastfulness, he has lost some of that brashness, that comparison… but he has searched his heart, and he knows that he loves Jesus. And he knows that Jesus loves him. He claims that knowledge. “Yes,Lord; you know that I love you.”

Jesus asks Peter over and over. What does it mean? Peter is hurt by Jesus asking again and again. But notice the humility with which he responds.

He doesn’t draw on any proof or any experience he has had or any promises… he just falls back on Jesus knowledge.

“You know everything... Don’t you know that I love you?”

Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, as three times Peter had denied him.

Three times, not because Jesus needed to check, but I think because Peter needed to say it three times. Three times I love you. Three times: you know that I love you!”

And three times, Jesus responds to Peter’s profession of love “Feed my lambs”, “Tend my sheep”, “Feed my sheep”. It is kind of an odd response. He doesn’t say “Peter, I believe you, I love you too.” Peter knew that Jesus knew that Peter loved him… that was already his profession of faith. “You know that I love you.”

Instead, Jesus invites him, commands him, into ministry.

Three times, in challenge of Peter’s love, in response to Peter’s love, Jesus commands him into ministry. Into Jesus’ own ministry. To be a shepherd of Jesus’ own sheep.

Peter do you love me? Show me.

Peter do you love me? Show me.

Show me: love my people.

Prophecy

And it leads to this odd prophecy.

After calling Peter into ministry three times, Jesus prophesies Peter’s death:

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.”

“Peter do you love me? Show me…” “… and you’re going to do it until you die!”

Jesus calls himself the good shepherd who would lay down his life for his sheep. He invites Peter into that same ministry. Caring for his people, serving his people, loving his people.

Stretched out like the cross.

Tempered Ministry

I suspect that Jesus challenges Peter’s love because Peter maybe was questioning his own love. His own courage. And above all, questioning his worthiness to participate in the ministry of Jesus. What kind of a disciple am I, what kind of a follower am I to deny Jesus at the first opportunity?

And Jesus makes it simple. It isn’t about worthiness. It isn’t about skills. It isn’t about past mistakes. It is simple. “Do you love me?” “Yes.” Then show me: love my people. Care for my people. Tend my sheep.

Peter’s love has now been tempered in failure, his love has been tested and it found weakness. And then Jesus speaks into that weakness. He heals and he restores. And he calls Peter back into ministry.

Is that the last time Peter failed? No.

Peter failed to see God’s mission to the Gentiles. Three times again, Peter has to hear things in threes, three times God repeats his vision of having extended his ministry to the Gentiles. Later Paul rebukes Peter for not eating with the Gentiles. Peter fails again and again in his ministry.

And that’s human. This is divine. Jesus calls him back to love. Back to ministry. UNTIL HE DIES!

Peter’s Death

And that is what Peter does.

In the mid 60s, Peter is crucified for his faith. Tradition tells us, and this may be legend, we don’t know, but that he considered it such an honor to be crucified as Jesus was that he felt unworthy of it and he asked to be crucified upside-down.

He came to see that the prophecy Jesus made concerning his death wasn’t a bad thing. In fact it was the gift he asked for, to follow truly in Jesus path, to go where he was going. Jesus had said “you can’t follow me now but later you will.”

In the meantime, his road was to love Jesus’ people. To take all that passion that he has for Jesus and pour it out upon Jesus’ people. He had failed and he would fail over and over again… but if I were Peter, at every moment of failure, I would replay this scene in my mind.

Jesus, I have failed again! I screwed up again!

And Jesus says to me “Do you love me?”

“Jesus, you know I do. The intention is there. The passion is there. The desire is there… I just keep messing up the how! Or failing in the moment. Or falling short. Or doing it the wrong way…”

And Jesus says “Do you love me?”

Yes.

Feed my sheep. Tend my lambs. Love my people.

What’s Your Failure?

I love Peter because he has so much bluster, so much passion, so much intention, and makes an idiot of himself over and over again. He messes it up. He does it wrong… and that is me.

I have messed it up. I have hurt people with my words… and I have hurt people with my silence. I have hurt people as a friend, I have hurt people as a pastor. And it KILLS me. Because like Peter I want to shout out to Jesus “I LOVE YOU, you know how much!” And I already know Jesus’ command on me to “feed his sheep” and I want to shout “And you know how much I love your people!”

And sometimes it works out great… and sometimes it looks like failure and hurt.

But again and again, Jesus restores… because it isn’t about my worthiness. It isn’t about your worthiness. It is simple. Jesus says “If you love me… show me: feed my sheep.”

Love leads to ministry. Which really is to say: love leads to love. Love of God leads to love of his people. That isn’t new and it isn’t crazy but it was transformative for Peter and it means the world to me.

It means that, even though I am worthy, God commands me to serve His people again, love His people again, Feed his Sheep again.

The Day I Saved Nicole’s Life

You know, the Owen’s did eventually trust me with Nicole again. Years later I started babysitting for Nicole. Technically my older sister was supposed to be “head” babysitter but she was just shut up in her room and I was the one actually caring for this little 5 or 6 year old girl with a dent in her head (just kidding).

And this time, I didn’t drop her on her head… I saved her life! I smelled smoke that morning and started searching the house. Nothing. I searched around the house and spotted smoke in the sky, tracked that smoke to where a power line had started a tree in our backyard on fire.

I grabbed Nicole and started out of the house… then remembered my sister and told her… we called 911 and basically saved the planet!

They trusted me again with their daughter… and this time I got it right.

God trusts me and commands me to love his people, to serve his people… even though I have messed it up before again and again. If I love him (and I do) I am commanded to love his people.

What’s Your Ministry?

What is he calling you to?

This is Jesus commissioning Peter… but it is the echo of his command to all his disciples: “by this all men shall know you are my disciples, by how you love one another.”

And that is going to look different for each of you, according to the gifts he has given you. For Peter, we hear that Pastoral calling in the shepherd metaphor, we associate teaching of the word with “Feeding” the sheep.

If you love Jesus, love his people.

Feeding his sheep looks different for each one of you, tending his lambs looks different… but I do believe that He is calling you to love his people. To take your love and passion for Him and pour it out for the sake of his people.

And that might be intimidating… because you might fail. In fact, you will fail. We will fail again and again. We will do it wrong. We will fall short.

But he says “Do you love me?” “Jesus, you know that we love you. You know all things, you know our heart, our intention, our desire.”

Feed my sheep.

And he sums it all up in two simple words. Verse 19.

And after saying all of this, he said to Peter “Follow me.”

If you love Jesus, he is calling you, commanding you to love his people. Follow him.