48: Do you love me? Feed my sheep and follow me (John 21:15 – 25)

At the first encounter, Jesus had told them, ‘Follow me, I will make you fishers of men.’ Now, Jesus is telling them what is to be the fishers of men. The 2nd phase of discipleship starts after Jesus’ resurrection. 

πŸ‘‰ Read John 21:15 - 25


Q1. After an awkwardly silent breakfast, Jesus got to the point of restoring Peter's broken spirit. Jesus didn’t rebuke Peter but asked him if he (         ) Jesus. But, Peter dared not to confirm his love. Instead, he said, ‘Yes, Lord, you (        ) I love you.’ Then, Jesus said, ‘Feed (      ) sheep.’ 

After an awkwardly silent breakfast, Jesus got to the point of restoring Peter's broken spirit. Jesus didn’t rebuke Peter but asked him if he (  loved  ) Jesus. But, Peter dared not to confirm his love. Instead, he said, ‘Yes, Lord, you ( know  ) I love you.’ Then, Jesus said, ‘Feed ( my ) sheep.’

“Do you love me more than these do?” Jesus’ question reminded Peter of his saying, ‘Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.’ (Matt 26:33). 

Love for the Lord matters more than ministry success.

Jesus helped Peter to be restored after the three times of denials. Though Peter denied, his love has not changed. Jesus knew this and wanted Peter to realize that He knew Peter's love for Him. Jesus foreknew of Peter's denial but loved him nonetheless. Even after Peter's denial, Jesus died on the cross for him. 

Now, Jesus came to him and confirmed that He knows Peter still loves Him, despite his denial. Jesus understood Peter's heart, which couldn't bring itself to confess his love for the Lord out loud, and He embraced that pain. 

To Peter, who was in despair, unable to call himself a disciple because of his failures and weaknesses, Jesus acknowledged that Peter loved Him more than anyone else and entrusted him with His flock.


Q2. What should be the motivation when you serve the church?

Love for Jesus

Our love for Jesus should be manifested through feeding and shepherding the Lord’s flock. 


Q3. Peter wanted to love Jesus more than anyone else. The passion for the Lord and the desire for the flesh intermingled in his heart and made him overconfident that he could follow Jesus to death. He followed Jesus as much as he could but found himself denying the one he loved. His weakness was his desire to be the first to love and serve the Lord. What was Jesus’ remedy for this? (18 – 19, 21 – 22)  

Self-denial

No comparison


Q4. How did we come to know the works of Jesus? (24)

Through the testimony of the disciple.

We are to believe his testimony.



Do you love Jesus? He knows it. Don't try to prove your love by some religious acts. Instead, serve and shepherd the brothers. 

Don't compare yourself with others in ministry. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

25: ‘Tell us plainly’ vs ‘The Father and I are one.’ (John 10:22 – 42)

As Jesus announced the Father and Jesus were one, the Jewish leaders tried to stone him. πŸ‘‰ Read John 10:22 - 42 Q1. Why did the Jewish leaders not believe in Jesus? Answers πŸ‘‰ They refused to believe in Jesus, for they were not Jesus’ sheep. ‘you refused to believe.’ This tells their willing refusal.  Note that Jesus Himself doesn’t call Himself the Messiah. Instead, He called Himself the One sent from God. He focused on doing the Father’s works and proclaiming His words. From Jesus’ works, they could have concluded that He was the Messiah sent from God. But they refused to admit it. Instead, they asked Jesus to admit His identity as the Messiah plainly, which Jesus wouldn’t do. Q2. They asked Jesus if He were the (           ). But Jesus claimed that the (          ) and He are one. Because of this, they condemned Him of (             ) and tried to stone Him. Answer πŸ‘‰ They asked Jesus if He were the ( Christ ). But Jesus claimed that the ( Father  ) and He are one
Read more

26: Other Laws concerning human life (#6 no murder) (Deut 21:1 – 22:8)

The command ‘do not murder’ should be extended to its full measure and completeness. They needed to remove the guilt of unresolved murder, keep the dignity of the female slave, respect the patrilineal inheritance, and preserve various lives. πŸ‘‰ Read Deuteronomy 21:1 - 22:8 When a homicide victim is found, and no one knows the murderer, the elders of the nearest town must do a ritual of atonement through the death of a heifer. What is the purpose of doing so? (7-9) If you had made your female slave your wife, you can divorce her but not (             ) her. For a man with two wives, if his less-loved wife’s son is the firstborn, let him inherit the (            ) portion. He should not show favoritism according to his affection for one of his wives. When a son doesn’t listen to his parent, he is like a glutton and (             ). Why should they not leave the corpse on the tree of execution overnight? When you see someone’s lost possession, do not (           ) it. You must not re
Read more

35: I am the True Vine. You are the Branches (John 15:1 – 17)

Image
The vine tree analogy so vividly illustrates our relationship with Jesus. As the branches of a vine share the life of the vine, we share and live from Jesus’ life. πŸ‘‰ Read John 15:1 - 17 Q1. Why do we need to remain in Jesus? (2, 4) Answers πŸ‘‰ To bear fruit. God takes away any branch that doesn’t bear fruit. We might debate the security of salvation: do we lose our salvation if we bear no fruit? However, it is better to focus on how to bear fruit rather than how to get salvation.  “You are clean already.” It would refer to a born-again status, a rightful relationship with the Father, one who bathed (13:10). John uses the imagery of cleanness for salvation. In the OT bible, one should be ritually clean to stand before God.  When we believe Jesus’ gospel, we are reconciled with the Father. Though sinners, we can approach God by Jesus’ blood. The pruning (lit. cleaning) (2) of our life is to make us bear more fruit. “Remain”: You should stay, not stop by. No plant produces fruit
Read more