SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/14/2017
7:57 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 Committed Christians Love Christ More Than
Anything Else
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
John 21:15-17
Message of
the verses: “15 So when they had finished breakfast,
Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than
these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."
He said to him, "Tend My lambs." 16 He said to him again a second
time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him,
"Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd
My sheep." 17 He said to him the
third time, "Simon, son of John, 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, "Tend My sheep.”
After breakfast Jesus began the restoration by
confronting Peter. We have talked in
earlier SD’s about the different names that Peter has and also whenever Jesus
would call him by his old name “Simon” He was going to rebuke him because he
was acting like his old self. Jesus asks
Peter “do you love me more than these?”
I suppose that my thoughts have always been did Peter love Jesus more
than the other disciples did, but since I have read MacArthur’s commentary I
have changed my mind. Jesus is asking
Peter if he loved his fishing business more that he loved Him, for after all
that is what he had been doing all night.
As we get into the answer that Peter gives we will begin
to look at the different words in the Greek language for love. John MacArthur writes “There is an
interesting wordplay in the Greek text.
The word Jesus used for ‘love’ is agapao,
the highest love of the will, love that implies total commitment (cf. 1 Cor.
13:4-8). Peter, plainly aware of his
disobedience and failure, felt too guilty to claim that type of love. The brash pronouncements were a thing of the
past; broken and humbled and fully aware that his action precluded him from a
believable claim to the highest love, Peter answered by using the word phileo, a less lofty term that signifies
affection. He also appealed to Jesus’
omniscience, reminding Him, ‘You know that I love You.’”
We know that Jesus knew what Peter was saying and why he
said it, and yet our Lord accepted this and then tells him “Tend My lambs.” MacArthur writes “tend translates a from of
the verb bosko, a term used of
herdsmen pasturing and feeding their livestock.
The present tense of the verb denotes continuous action. In keeping with the metaphor He introduced in
10:7-16 (Cf. Pss. 95:7; 100:3; Ezek 34:31), Jesus described believers as lambs,
emphasizing not only their immaturity, vulnerability, and need, but also that
they are His (cf. Matt. 18:5-10). It is
the same responsibility given to every pastor, as Paul pointed out in Acts
20:28 and as Peter himself exhorted in 1 Peter 5:2.” As we think of what Peter writes in 1 Peter
5:2 “shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under
compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid
gain, but with eagerness;” we can see that Peter learned his lesson well that
our Lord was teaching him here.
As we look at the second time Jesus questions Peter it is
with the same word for love He used before and Peter used the same word for
love he used before, as he was still unwilling to use the higher word for
love. Jesus then charges him with “Shepherd
My sheep.” MacArthur writes “This word,
a form of the verb poimaino is likely
a synonym for the previous verb, both of which are suitable to express the full
scope of responsibility that pastoral oversight entails.”
As we look at the last exchange between Jesus and Peter
we see that Jesus uses the word phileo, the same word that Peter had been using
and it grieved Peter that Jesus changed his word for love. MacArthur adds “The implication that his life
did not support even that level of love broke Peter’s heart. All he could do was appeal even more strongly
to Jesus’ omniscience, saying to Him, ‘Lord You know all things, You know that
I love You.’ For the third time Jesus
accepted the apostle’s recognized failure and imperfection and graciously
charged Peter to care for His flock, saying to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ Peter’s restoration was thus complete.”
MacArthur quotes Andreas Kostenberger once again who
writes:
Perhaps as long last Peter
has learned that he cannot follow Jesus in his own strength and has realized
the hollowness of affirming his own loyalty in a way that relies more on his
own power of will than on Jesus’ enablement…Likewise, we should soundly
distrust self-serving pledges of loyalty today that betray self-reliance rather
than a humble awareness of one’s own limitations in acting on one’s best
intentions.”
As we look at the ministry that Peter had as seen in the
NT we know that Peter was obedient to the Lord as the Lord brought Peter back
from relying on himself and beginning to rely on the Lord through His Holy
Spirit.
“1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your
fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of
the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you,
exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the
will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording
it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of
glory (1 Peter 5:1-4).”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I know that in my
life it is at times difficult for me not to rely on my own self and rely on the
Lord. I guess that I do have some things
that are in common with Peter. It is not
that I want to do that it is that at times I just do it.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to guide me as I go throughout
my day, leaning on His power, mercy and grace.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Simeon” (Luke 2:29-32).
Today’s Bible
question: “Cyrus was king of what
country?”
Answer in our next SD.
6/14/2017 8:38 AM
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