Several preachers imply Jesus asked “Peter, do you love me?” three times because Peter denied Him three times. Each time I hear that I groan, wondering how many times the Lord has to reconfirm my love for Him. A dozen times every day? Seventy times seven? How about you? How many times will Jesus have to reconfirm your love for Him? Only God and you know because only God knows those who are His.
Peter also groaned but finally managed a coherent response, leaving everything in God’s hands. He famously said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Unfortunately, not many of us believers are as honest as Peter. Say you are in church and you ask all who love the Lord to put up their hands. Naturally, all hands shoot up eagerly, each hand vying to be the highest.
Yet, like Peter, who denied Jesus thrice before the rooster crowed, we regularly deny Jesus. You ask how you deny Jesus. Whenever you have a chance to speak up for Jesus and you stay silent, you deny Jesus. Each time somebody maligns the name and person of Jesus and you do not defend Him you deny Jesus. We could go on and on, but the point is clear; we regularly deny Jesus, just like Peter did. “Do you love me?” is what I hear Jesus asking us each time we deny Him.
If You Do Love Me, Keep My Commandments
You do not deny someone you love, which means our love for Jesus is in question. And how do we know whether or not we truly love God? Jesus gave us the short and sweet answer in John 14.15. He said simply. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
The question for you and me there is not whether we love Jesus. Our question is how well we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous. All He asks us to do to show we are His disciples is to love one another. Of course, related to your love for me is your love for God. You see, God is love and you cannot be God’s child unless you love. So, let me ask on God’s behalf “do you love me?”
If the answer is less than 100% “yes”, we have a lot of work still to do. Peter recognized that he had a long way to go but he submitted to Jesus. Are we willing and ready to submit to Jesus so He can help us to love Him and others? Don’t forget, love one for another is the measure of your discipleship.
Christian, Feed My Lambs
After asking the church on God’s behalf “Do You Love Me? try the follow-up question. Try asking for volunteers to go out with you to feed the poor. Suddenly, the worship hall is less boisterous as hands start to droop. You see people start gazing deliberately out of the window, reluctant to look you in the eye. And yet, that is precisely what Jesus charged Peter to do with his love for Him. “Feed my lambs.”
so, where is that love we claimed to have? My counsel for you and for me is that one day will not end until we ask ourselves this question. “Christian, do you love me?” on behalf of God. I suspect the answer, in practical terms, will surprise us.
Maranatha!
