SUNDAY, MAY 22
READ JOHN 21:15-23
JOHN 21:15 After breakfast, Yeshua said to Shim‘on Kefa, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, do you love me more than these?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Shepherd my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, are you my friend?” Shim‘on was hurt that he questioned him a third time: “Are you my friend?” So he replied, “Lord, you know everything! You know I’m your friend!” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my sheep! 18 Yes, indeed! I tell you, when you were younger, you put on your clothes and went where you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate the kind of death by which Kefa would bring glory to God. Then Yeshua said to him, “Follow me!”
20 Kefa turned and saw the talmid Yeshua especially loved following behind, the one who had leaned against him at the supper and had asked, “Who is the one who is betraying you?” 21 On seeing him, Kefa said to Yeshua, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Yeshua said to him, “If I want him to stay on until I come, what is it to you? You, follow me!” 23 Therefore the word spread among the brothers that that talmid would not die. However, Yeshua didn’t say he wouldn’t die, but simply, “If I want him to stay on until I come, what is it to you?”
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Failure, broken promises, betrayal, and denial—Peter has done all these things after publicly vowing never to deny Jesus. Jesus’ disciples fail him and abandon their call. The runaway disciples have fished all night and caught nothing. As dawn breaks, Jesus calls to them and tells them to put the net on the other side of the boat. They catch more fish than the boat can hold. The Bible says this was Jesus’ third appearance to the disciples after the Resurrection. It is a miracle of mercy. Jesus comes to them, guides them, reveals himself to them—and then comes the detailed account of Peter’s restoration. Three denials, three questions, three affirmations—the process of healing and restoration takes time. It is a process, then and now.
We all need revelation, restoration, and guidance. Yet, within minutes of Peter’s restoration and his positive response to Jesus’ command, “Follow me!” he takes his eyes off Jesus and focuses on the behavior of another disciple, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus’ response to Peter “What is that to you?” flashed through my mind and into my heart in 2006 when I questioned the actions and attitudes of others in our United Methodist Church. “What is that to you, Tom? Follow me!” I believe the call of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit is the same this Pentecost season: “Follow me!” The call to follow comes to every disciple. Regardless of our words or actions, our sense of loss or gain—nothing matters except our response to the call of the Lord Jesus Christ, “Follow me!”
Jesus, forgive my sins, my failures, and my need to determine others’ actions. Enable me to be a faithful disciple—to feed your lambs, tend your sheep, and follow you. Amen.[Tom Albin]
Our mailing address is:
The Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
Failure, broken promises, betrayal, and denial—Peter has done all these things after publicly vowing never to deny Jesus. Jesus’ disciples fail him and abandon their call. The runaway disciples have fished all night and caught nothing. As dawn breaks, Jesus calls to them and tells them to put the net on the other side of the boat. They catch more fish than the boat can hold. The Bible says this was Jesus’ third appearance to the disciples after the Resurrection. It is a miracle of mercy. Jesus comes to them, guides them, reveals himself to them—and then comes the detailed account of Peter’s restoration. Three denials, three questions, three affirmations—the process of healing and restoration takes time. It is a process, then and now.
We all need revelation, restoration, and guidance. Yet, within minutes of Peter’s restoration and his positive response to Jesus’ command, “Follow me!” he takes his eyes off Jesus and focuses on the behavior of another disciple, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus’ response to Peter “What is that to you?” flashed through my mind and into my heart in 2006 when I questioned the actions and attitudes of others in our United Methodist Church. “What is that to you, Tom? Follow me!” I believe the call of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit is the same this Pentecost season: “Follow me!” The call to follow comes to every disciple. Regardless of our words or actions, our sense of loss or gain—nothing matters except our response to the call of the Lord Jesus Christ, “Follow me!”
Jesus, forgive my sins, my failures, and my need to determine others’ actions. Enable me to be a faithful disciple—to feed your lambs, tend your sheep, and follow you. Amen.[Tom Albin]
Our mailing address is:
The Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
Nashville, Tennessee 37203, United States
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