The Final Wrap-Up

The Gospel of John concludes after Jesus is raised from the dead, and before He ascends to Heaven. John records in the twenty-first chapter that Jesus appears to the disciples three different times. It was during His final appearance that Jesus takes the time to talk with Peter, the disciple who had denied Him.

John 21:15-17:

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, 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."
He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?"
He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."
He said to Him, "Tend My sheep."
He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, 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 all things; You know that I love You."
Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep."

We find here a very humble Peter. It was not the same Peter as before, when he had declared boldly during their final Passover together that he would gladly lay down his life for Jesus. Later that evening, when the soldiers had come to the garden as Judas betrayed the Lord, Peter drew His sword and with all valiance sliced off the ear of an attending servant!

Many things happened during that night, among them the fulfillment of Christ's prediction that Peter would deny Him three times. When Peter realized what he had done, he wept from shame. However, before Jesus ascended to Heaven and before sending the Holy Spirit, He wanted to have one final chat with Peter. He did not ask Peter about his faith, or his faint-heartedness. He did not inquire about his courage, or his cowardice. Jesus simply asked, "Do you love Me?"

Thank You, Lord, for all Your care for us. Thank You for seeing our condition and loving us so much that You came to die that Your shed blood might save us from Hell. Thank You for not leaving us in our hopeless state. Your mercy is everlasting. Amen.

Learning to Love One Another

John 15:17, "These things I command you, that you love one another."

Throughout the fifteenth chapter of John, Jesus takes great care in preparing His disciples for life without Him. We are now at a place where He is about to change subject matter, but before He does, Jesus echoes a vital theme one more time. He wants so much for the ones who perhaps had followed Him into the vineyard to remember this one thing. It had become a familiar phrase, one that their Rabbi deemed important enough to restate. "Love each other."

The word "love" in this case indicates a direction of the will; in other words, we can choose to love or not to love. If our choice is not to love, then we have disobeyed a direct command of the Lord.

It's interesting that God gives us everything that we need and not necessarily everything that we want. And yet, He is Love and therefore loves genuinely and perfectly. When we follow God's example of loving others, we are learning how to love the way He instructs.

1 John 3:17, "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?"

1 John 4:7, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born or God and knows God."

John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Jesus had forewarned His disciples that He was going to send a Helper to them. The Helper is the Holy Spirit, Who "convicts the world of sin, and of righteousness" (John 16:8). Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to comfort, counsel, and teach all things to the ones He was leaving behind. He will open our eyes to the needs of those around us and guide us to find ways to give. As we seek to abide in Christ every day, may others see His character by our actions.