Grace — Week 1 – Friday
TODAY’S VERSE
John 21:17
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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (ESV)
Deep inside, we resonate with Peter’s story. I’m grateful that Scripture so honestly offers us the unedited version of him. Seeing his flaws on full display gives us hope in the midst of our own failings and allows us to better appreciate his eventual restoration, and ours. The story of Peter’s betrayal of Jesus is filled with drama, beginning with the vehement vow he made in Matthew 26, declaring he’d rather die than turn his back on Jesus. Then, he fell asleep in the garden as Jesus prayed in agony, cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, removed himself from Jesus but stayed close enough to watch what was happening to Him, and finally betrayed Jesus three times as he warmed himself by a charcoal fire.
After Jesus’s resurrection, Jesus intentionally and symbolically invited Peter back to the warmth of another charcoal fire. Three times Jesus asked Peter if He loved Him, but there were two different words Jesus used for love in this exchange. Jesus asked Peter twice if he had agapao (sacrificial) love for him, but Peter replied, saying he had phileo (friendship) love for Him. The third time, Jesus met Peter in his place of guilt and shame and asked Peter if he loved Him as a friend. It wasn’t lost on Peter what Jesus did there, to the point that it saddened Peter. But the grace offered to Peter in that deep conversation would propel him to be one of the most important figures in the birth of the church. It’s a game-changer when we realize, like Peter, that God’s love for us is not conditional based on our behavior or performance, past, present, or future, but His love is abundant because of grace!
APPLICATION
Like meeting Peter around a charcoal fire, God is eager to meet you at your lowest place. He wants to be there with you so you can see how much He loves you, and wants to lift you to a new life. There’s so much He wants to do through you and your story of forgiveness.
Interested in learning more about baptism? We’d love to hear from you.
PRAYER
Father, I’m grateful for Your patience and for knowing how much I just want to forget what I’ve done to betray You. And thank You for Peter’s story, which gives me hope for mine!
