“Do You Love Me?” (Topical 7/7/19)
ATTN: We are pilgrims and aliens on this land. Therefore, we shouldn’t seek to feel completely at home here. I think we all have the natural bent to want to belong, put our roots here, and be with the people we feel at one with. For example, a while back, I was invited to a dinner at a friend’s house and gathered there were people very much like me – immigrants who were familiar with both cultures and languages. And it felt so good to be with them because we could just be ourselves and enjoy each other’s company without any prohibition. You’ve been there before, too, with family and friends whom you can say, “These are my people!” – Maybe over the 4th of July celebration… The temptation at that moment is to think, “Since I feel so one with these people, I want to surround myself only with people who are just like them – just like me!” I’m going to be honest with you. Sometimes, I think about how much easier it would be if our church was made up of just one group of people. But I realized that if I were to lead our church toward that direction, we’d be going against God’s will. We cannot be comfort driven. We must be mission driven!
That is what Pastor Eldie preached about last Sunday. From John 20, after Jesus’ resurrection, before being commissioned, Peter did not quite know what to do with his life. The disciples’ three year journey with Jesus was over. They had the most exciting experiences of their lifetime. They talked, walked, slept and ministered together with the greatest human being that’s ever to walk on the earth, Jesus Christ. They had hopes that He would become the next king of Israel and restore Israel back to its old glory, overthrowing foreign interferences and corruptions. But dashing all their hopes and dreams, He tragically died like a common criminal on the cross! So, now what do the disciples to do? Well, they were fishermen before following Jesus, so they thought it was a good idea to go back to it. Led by Peter, they went back to fishing. But God lets them fail in that as well. So, Peter in particular is 0 for 2. He failed spectacularly at following Jesus to the end – He denied Jesus three times at the most critical moment of Jesus’ life – and now he failed at fishing, which he thought he knew how to do. Can you imagine how low Peter felt at this point? Nothing is going his way! What a loser! Why is God so cruel to him? He isn’t. He’s leading him and guiding him to the light and a mission worth dying for. And, He let him fail spectacularly so that he won’t rely on his own smarts and strength, but would rely solely on Him because the nature of the mission is such that He will need God’s power and not just man’s strength.
Today, I want to pick up where Pastor Eldie left off last Sunday. This is arguably my favorite scene in all of the Bible. It is this dreamy, misty, and just absolutely beautiful scene of restoration and commission. Jesus waits for Peter on the seashore and spends one final moment with him before leaving. But Peter at this moment is probably dreading being alone with Jesus. Because they last time their eyes met, it was immediately after Peter denied Jesus the third time. So, Peter has no idea at this point what Jesus will say to him. He doesn’t know if he will be accepted back. But Jesus calls him to a breakfast table that he prepared for Peter and asks him a question.
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
Jesus accomplishes two purposes with this encounter. He is restoring Peter back in his relationship with Himself, and at the same time, commissioning him for the mission. How does Jesus do it? With just one question. The Word of God wastes no words – brutally efficient! One question three times: “Do you love me?” “Do you love me? “Do you love me?” I. Why was it asked three times?” And II. What is the significance of this question?
- Why 3 times?
First immediate reason we can see is because Peter had denied Jesus three times. Now, Jesus is giving him an opportunity to affirm his love three times. Why would Jesus do this? This no doubt brought to Peter’s memory the most painful failures of his life. Each time he said, “you know that I love you,” he was reminded of how he said, “I do not know Him!” Here’s what I believe Jesus is doing: He is erasing any self-confidence or self-reliance from Peter at this point. Peter was so self-assured and confident in his resolve before. He said, “even if everyone falls away, I will never fall away.” He had to eat those words just a few moments later. And the third time he denied Him, and Jesus looked right at him. (Luke 22:61).
But our God is a God of mercy and grace and not of revenge and bitterness. Jesus does not want to gloss over his failure, but using his failures to remind him to rely on God from now on. Rather than relying on his own resolve or will-power, which failed him spectacularly, relying on God’s power from now on.
Lesson: God must humble us greatly before He uses us greatly.
APP: Maybe you made similar declarations and boastful words before? Perhaps you thought, “all my friends are getting a divorce. But my marriage will be an exception. I will stay true to my husband/wife until death do us apart. But that marriage didn’t even last 5 years and ended up just like everyone else’s? Perhaps you are a young adult and you resolved to stay pure until marriage but you have loyally messed that up? Maybe you told yourself growing up that you will never be like your parents and never lose your cool and yell at your children, only to fail at that? Maybe you looked down on your friends for gossiping and said to yourself you will never do that only to have someone bring to your attention that you yourself are gossiping?
It is a good thing when we think, “I’m no better than my fathers (mothers)”. Then, and only then we have a chance to rely not on ourselves but on God. Do you know what I pray for secretly for you? When I see a young man or a woman who is just full of confidence and prosperity and have never known failure, I ask the Lord to let him/her fail. Yes, your pastor asks God for you to fail sometimes! Because I hate you? No, because I love you. I’d rather have you fail and be god-dependent than to succeed all your life and never humble yourself to God and end up in hell. Remember, hell is full of good people who were self-reliant, whereas heaven is full of bad people who admitted that they were evil and thus received mercy from God.
So, three times for three painful memories of denying Jesus, to humble Peter and knock self-reliance out of him. But I think there is another reason why Jesus asked this question three times. Whenever, something perfect is mentioned in the Bible, it is repeated three times. For example, the angels cry out “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” So, by repeating essentially the same question 3 times, Jesus is reminding Peter and us that this indeed is the most important question of all!
- Why this question? “Do you love me?” What is the significance of this question =?
Have you thought about what other question Jesus could’ve asked him at this point? Jesus is not only restoring him, but also commissioning him. He’s commissioning Peter to carry on the work of literally saving the world from hell! Talk about a job interview! What questions could Jesus ask? “Peter, what marketing techniques do you know to advertise Christianity to the world?” “Peter, have you learned conflict-resolution techniques within the church as it will soon grow large?” “Peter, what organizational structure are you going to use to govern the church?” None of that. Only one question because only one question mattered: “Peter, do you love me?”
The greatest command which summarizes all other commandments is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” Our life has one purpose and one only – that is to love God above all else. That is why we are created and that is where we find our greatest happiness – when we are One in love relationship with the very source of happiness in God. And if you’ve coming to As One, you’ve heard us say that every other love relationship is there to point us to the love relationship between God and us. E.g. 1) If you are looking into your 8 day old daughter’s eyes and you lock eyes for the first time, and the love like you’ve never known arises in you to protect and provide for this child, that is pointing to the love that God has for you. God lets you experience that love so that you will understand God’s love for you. E.g. 2) When you see the lovely form of that girl you are in love with and you think to yourself you would do anything for her, again God is letting you experience that to know the love God has for us. So, when Jesus asks one simple question to Peter, “Peter, do you love me?”, He’s asking the most important question from God to the mankind – you and me! Do you love God? Do you love Jesus?
The most important thing, the very thing we are all created to do is to love Jesus. Sometimes we see the importance of it only in light of other questions that we perceive to be important. But no other question is as important as this one. Consider these questions:
– Have you been faithful to your family, providing, protecting, and modeling? Important, but not as important.
– Have you worked hard to get good grades, procuring a secure future for yourself. Important, but not as important.
– Do you have a vision for your life? What do you want to accomplish for God? Again, important but not as important.
– What legacy will you be leaving to the next generation? Important, but not as important.
– To those of us in ministry: What contribution have you made in growing the kingdom of God both through your church and missions? Again, important but not as important.
The reason why this question asked by Jesus to Peter and to us all is the most important is because it is the question that undergirds every other question. It is the fundamental motive behind every other motive that will move us to action. Colossians 3:23 “23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” 1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love.
For example, we care for our children and discipline them as our expression of love for God. We don’t raise our children so that we will be accepted and approved by them and through them, but as unto the Lord. We work hard for our boss not so that we will get our promotion and avoid conflict risking getting fired, but as a love expression toward God. We try to get along with our spouse not for the sake of the children, but after receiving love from God and as an expression of love toward God, supernaturally we love our unlovely and imperfect spouse. Now, if you are recently married and you are still in love, you have no idea what I’m talking about. I say give it a couple years, and you will know what I mean…
In the end, it won’t matter how many degrees you have earned, how much money is in your bank account, how large a church you have helped build, how many of the bucket list you have crossed off, how many continents you have visited, or how successful your children are – if I hear another asian parent bragging how his child went to an Ivy League school, I will scream at his ear – Yeah, but does she love Jesus? Because in the end, that is the only thing that matters. Do you love Jesus?
APP: 1) To those who are new to Christianity: Christianity is a relationship. It’s personally knowing God and loving Him. It’s not about our good outweighing the bad. It’s not about obeying the rules, and doing religious things like coming to church, reading the bible, and praying so that our life will go better. It’s not about “if I give God what He wants, He will give me what I want” – a barter of some sort. It’s about having an intimate and personal relationship with this God who loved us so much that He gave us the most precious gift in His only Son, and that all you have to do is to believe on Him and trust in Him. Would you start on this relationship with Him by admitting that you are a sinner- selfish and self-centered, and receive Him to be the center of your life – to guide and order your life His way?
2) As One, would you receive and love those who have a checkered past? You are already very good at this, but we can excel in this even more. God uses broken vessels that he has restored. Peter was allowed to fail so that he will not become self-dependent but Christ dependent. Paul was murdering Christians around before he himself became a Christian. Some churches have a standard so high that Peter or Paul could not become their pastor. When I was in seminary, a professor told me that a divorced person could never serve as a pastor at his church. I remember thinking, “why not?” God called David man after God’s own heart even after his adultery and murder. Peter denied Jesus three times and was a racist. Paul was bent on killing Christians. They repented and God forgave them all and used them greatly. Who are we to say that some people are not fit for service because of their past? Let us love our leaders like Jesus did, out of our love for Jesus.
3) Workers, volunteers, leaders, pastor, let us focus on loving Jesus before serving Jesus. In other words, be a Mary rather than Martha – slow down and sit at Jesus’ feet daily. Let me make this bold statement – If you are too busy to spend time daily with Jesus, you are unnecessarily and detrimentally too busy. Yes, I know you have to pay the bills and feed the baby. But not as important as loving Jesus. Only one thing matters – Do you love Jesus?
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