Precious Restoration | John 21:1-19
Sermon Discussion | John 21:1-19
We are coming to the end of The Gospel of John, and in John 21:1-19, Jesus appears to 7 disciples but the passage is about Peter and his relationship with Jesus. We find Peter in the midst of this feeling and belief that he has massively failed Jesus. Pastor Paul challenges us to think about this very important question: What does God think of me when I blow it? Do you fail Jesus? What is your first response to your own failure? Peter has failed so severely that he is returning to his old life of fishing. What and where are the things that you return to?
"It's the Lord!" John tells Peter in verse 7 and Peter immediately dives into the water from the fishing boat in order to show Jesus just how serious he is now about his relationship with Him. He gathered his garments around his waist and jumped in in order to get to Jesus. Picture the scene of Peter flailing about in the water, looking ridiculous but in his mind doing his absolute best to prove himself to Jesus. Where do you try to prove yourself to Jesus? How does Jesus respond to Peter? What do we have to learn about the heart of Jesus in this scene?
Bold, brash, confident, all heart but sometimes not all mind, shoots before he aims, speaks before he thinks, denyer of Jesus . All of these are words and phrases used to describe the person of Peter. And Jesus loves him and has huge plans for him in the future. Are you like Peter? Where do you identify personally with these descriptions of him? When have you experienced the love of God in spite of your likeness to Peter?
Jesus shows Peter love and gentleness several times throughout the passage. He appears to him and the other disciples at dawn, knowing that they have not caught any fish, tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat where they catch lots of fish. Jesus recreates a scene around a fire for breakfast, giving Peter a chance to be with him where only a short time before Peter had denied Him three times while sitting around a fire. Jesus simply talks with Peter and asks him questions. When have you experienced the love and gentleness of Jesus in your own life? Why do we so often fool ourselves to think that we will only experience Jesus like this when we are doing really well in our walk? Why is this thinking so dangerous?
In verse 15, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Peter's response is of course- "You know I love you." Jesus then asks him two more times and gets the same response from Peter. What is the significance of the response of Jesus to Peter's answers?