From Blessing to Significance

John 21:15

When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”

In most commentaries I have read and in most sermons I have heard preached on this passage, scholars and preachers believe the word, “these,” refers to the other disciples. Indeed, Peter often spoke boldly of his love for Jesus in comparison to the commitment of others. As I read the verse this morning, however, I saw another possible meaning for “these.”

Just prior to their breakfast, Peter and some other disciples had gone fishing. They had been out all night and had caught nothing. If this sounds familiar, it should. They had done the very same thing when they first encountered Jesus and were called to follow Him as a disciple. Jesus called to them from the shore, instructing them to cast their nets to the right side of the boat, where they caught such a huge catch of fish they could hardly haul it all in. When Peter saw what happened, he immediately recognized the man on the shore as Jesus, and he jumped into the water to swim to Jesus as fast as he could, leaving the huge catch behind.

This was the same Peter who had just denied Jesus a few days earlier and had gone back to the only thing he knew how to do – fishing. Just what would he do now that Jesus had died and rose from the dead? He didn’t even know where Jesus was or how to contact him. What was he supposed to do at this point? He had failed Jesus miserably, so what was there left for him to do? He reverted back to what he had been trained to do for a living. The only problem was that it didn’t work for him anymore. Since his encounter with Jesus, his success in fishing for a living ceased because he was purposed for greater things.

Peter was simply trying to find his way, but he couldn’t find it on his own. He needed Jesus to reveal Himself to him once again and restore him. He needed the assurance that Jesus still wanted to use him in ministry and still had a plan for him, despite his failure. When he saw the large catch, he knew for certain Jesus was still with him, although not physically present in his boat as He had been previously. The huge catch was not as important to him as finding Jesus. He left the blessing to get to the Blesser! When Jesus asked Peter if he loved him more than “these,” could it be that He was referring to the huge catch of fish? Did Peter love Jesus more than His blessing? Absolutely! Peter demonstrated with his actions that getting to Jesus was more important to him than the blessing he had just received. Still, Jesus questioned him.

In questioning Peter’s love for Him, Jesus was letting Peter know what was important to Him. If he truly loved Jesus, he would feed His lambs. He would shepherd His sheep. He would feed His sheep. To love Jesus is to care about the things He cares about. To do His will is to extend His mission on earth and expand His kingdom. To do these things, we can’t let His blessings become more of a priority to us than our mission – to make disciples and care for His sheep. Yes, He will bless us in the process, but our objective should never be the blessing. Our goal should always be to follow Him.

Jesus did one more thing in questioning Peter. He identified him as Simon, son of John. Peter was the name Jesus gave Simon. Jesus saw him as a rock to build His church, and that is exactly how He used Peter. In this verse, however, Jesus called him by his given name and uniquely identified him, specifically, as the son of John. This reference was a personal, individual calling that only Simon could answer. Jesus appealed to the person he was before he was called – Simon, which means, “hearing.”  He knew everything about him and how he would later deny Him when He called him, yet He called Him anyway. Simon’s flaws were no secret to Jesus. They were hidden to Peter, and Jesus revealed them to him when He allowed the Devil to sift him as wheat. Such a sifting was necessary before he could be effective in ministry. Jesus would take this fisherman from “hearing” to being the “rock” which He would use to begin the building of His church. Peter had a significant role to play in expanding God’s kingdom, and both the sifting and the restoration were important parts of his transformation.

Do you love Jesus more than the blessings He gives you or is capable of giving you? Is your comfort more important to you than the mission of making disciples of all nations? Do you feel you have failed Him too much to be useful to Him again? He knew your flaws and limitations before He called you, yet He still called you. Truly loving Jesus and following Him requires feeding His lambs and tending to His sheep, and we never retire from it. Any blessing we receive is secondary to the relationship we experience as a result of obedience to His call. Let your focus be getting to Him, rather than receiving the blessing you so greatly desire. In Him you will find significance, which is greater than any blessing you can imagine.

Have a blessed day!