The Call

John 21:17 (New International Version)
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."

What a strange conversation between Jesus and Peter; Jesus repeatedly asking Peter if he loved him--Peter becoming hurt and perplexed at Jesus' questions--and Jesus already knowing the answer, as Peter pointed out.

Each time Peter answered, "Yes," Jesus told him to feed his sheep or lambs.

Peter and six other disciples had been fishing. Because Peter's business was fishing before he left it all to follow Jesus, it's possible that when Jesus was crucified, he felt a chapter of his life was closed and he went back to what he knew.

This fishing trip was disappointing--they caught no fish--until the "stranger" on the shore called out to them to put down their nets on the other side of the boat--and then they caught a whopping 153! I wonder if this felt eerily familiar to Peter. What happened that day mirrored something that happened at the start of Jesus' ministry and is recorded in the book of Luke chapter 5, in verses 1-11. It's Jesus' original call to Peter, which involved leaving his fishing business and becoming a fisher of men.

The fish that Jesus was cooking on the beach had not been caught by the men in the boat. Jesus fed them and then he reminds Peter of who he is--a fisher of men, not aquatic animals. "Feed my sheep," he tells him.

Then Jesus gives Peter a picture of his mortality.

John 21:18-19 (New International Version)
18 Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

Time is finite--life and opportunities to be seized and used now. Jesus repeats the words of what was his call to Peter all along--his call to me, too..."Follow me."

Comments

Shawna said…
Wonderful! We are all called to spread the Good News. I was just stopping by as a suggestion from your daughter who visited one of my blogs. I'm glad I did.

I have two blogs -- Scamp's place is about my everyday life and daughter. Through the Midst of Despair is my poetry and journaling blog about what God has shared with me. Stop by anytime.
Anonymous said…
Dear Bel(Q)-Thank-you.Poppy
Leann said…
Hi to belinda,susan and everyone else.
susan thanks for stopping on my blog.the fishing story of me and my grandson is the one you stopped on.I am so blessed with the fact my grandson comes to be with me.he is a good boy and he has a good heart.pray for him.being a teen isnt easy.Teg,jake, Em and sar.(pray for them all}
he lives in a family who doesnt let him do things the Lord would not aprove of.and he learned alot about Jesus from me.
He knows I was no angel,and he knows I love the Lord cause he saved me.
I always say "what you put into a child you get out.nothing in,nothing out."
some mothers and fathers are missing out on so much with their kids cause they put more time into their job,or their church,or their spouse or any number of things then their kids.
yes we all have things we need to do.but God put the line up this way.
1.GOD.
2.wife or husband.
3.children
4.everything else.
if the line up is wrong then all is out of wack.God intended for us to meet our familys needs first then the rest comes naturely.
too many people are losing out on their kids cause they are doing too much other things.
I know of so many christain familys,even pasters familys to who have lost their kids cause they were too busy with other peoples kids to be there for there own.
God put those in our family to love and care for first.and if we dont do a good job with the ones He put into our care, how we going to face him?

feed the sheep in our own pastures and then go and feed the others.cause if the pasture at home is in oder everything else runs smoothly to.

we follow Jesus and he made sure his family came along to.he was there to do as his mother asked.
he worked in his stepfathers carpender shop.
if we dont do right by our loved ones,we dont show Gods love.we can look cool out side of home but if we look like jurks to our own family then where is our testimony?
I see it all the time.pasters who pay more atention to their church members then they do to their own kids.
Jesus put the paster there to teach and preach,not to babysit.

I feel sorry for the man or woman who puts the ministry before his family.
cause its not what the Lord wanted.the family is the picture to sinners of how the home should be.and if us christains cant get it right how do we figure the sinners will.

I aint a good church person.I mean I wasnt raised to be.I met Jesus out side the church.and Im so glad.
I met him at a time in my life when I was sick of people playing church in stead of living it.
I wouldnt go to church cause I seen so much junk.
I was sreaching for Jesus but didnt know how to find him or even where to look anymore.
and I was soooo scared Id run into some thing that wasnt him.
so I prayed for him to find me.and you know he did.
he sent me two sweet pentcostel people to tell me "you need Jesus in your life."
now I was a good luthern girl.came from a long line of them.went to church and sunday school bible school in summer, and sat in a pew with granny.but I didnt know Jesus.

O I knew of him,but had never opened my own mouth and said"Jesus Iam a sinner please save me."
and untill I did that I was lost.
and sad to say so was my granny who had lived 70 some years and went to church and still wasnt saved.

after I got saved she followed.then she went back to her church and asked her paster why he never told her how to be saved?come to find out he wasnt eather.
scares me to think about the people who died in that church!!
are they in heaven?

I spent time from the time my kids were little to teach them how to live on this earth,but also to be ready for the life to come.

my grandkids learned about Jesus and were saved at 2years,5years,4years,3year.too young you may say?
no just right.cause like Jesus said"let the "little" childern come unto me."I just did as he said.
if someone had done it for me I may not have turned out to be the jurk I had become.and Id have lived a better more blessed life.

I didnt meet Jesus tell I was 19.thats a long time to wonder without him.and alot of mistakes to make.

dont know why I said this all,maybe someone needed to hear it.or maybe me my self.all I know is it came out of my heart.and if God can use it good.

I touch those who wouldnt step foot into a church.so please pray for me and my blog.its Gods blog cause its his computer.he made the way for me to get it.He gives me things to say.and others are coming to it.and they arent believers "Yet".but they will be!!!

:)+(:=(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:
this little sign means "me plus you" can reach the world with the cross.
God bless you and have a great week.
Leann said…
peter had only shortly before denyed Jesus three times.so Jesus was helping peter know He forgave him and called him back into the work he had been in before Jesus died.Jesus was saying I knew your heart peter,I know you were scare,and I forgive you.I came to find you to let you know I still love you.now go and feed my sheep!!!

my sign should have looked like this.
(:+:)=(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:+

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