DO YOU LOVE ME

Back to some thoughts from yesterday from John 21: Each of the three questions for Peter begins with, ‘Do you love me?’ Each time Peter answers, ‘Yes, Lord, I love you.’ Then Jesus answers each of the three directives with these answers: ‘Feed my lambs,’ ‘Take care of my sheep,’ and ‘Feed my sheep.’

It is a progression of love, the shaping of the shepherd and making affirmative response to restore and define the shepherd’s role for Peter… and us. It begins with the ‘lambs’ or little ones (or immature ones), ‘care for my sheep’ the entire flock and ‘feed my sheep’ the entire flock. Jesus seems to be asking two things: Do you love me? If so, do you love my sheep? Will you care for them in every way, every day for their every need?

I see this conversation no different today than with Peter and the others. If someone is to lead the flock of Jesus today it must be settled that they love him with their whole heart and must love his flock as he does.

As I looked again through the Acts of the Apostles, Peter preached at various kinds of gatherings (Acts 2,3, etc.) but he also spent the rest of his time as a daily shepherd among the people, down with sheep…sometimes for lengthy periods (Acts 4-10, 20, etc.) teaching small groups in homes, healing the sick, raising the dead, finding the lost, planting home churches, sorting out false teaching and such. This was less an organization and more of an organic supernatural action of shepherds caring for and feeding Jesus’ flock.

“Feed my sheep.” Jesus