Grace Never Lost

This is the 3rd post of a 3-Part Series of John 21

John 21:15-19

The breakfast is over, and now Jesus and Peter take a walk along the shore.  Peter has been waiting to tell Jesus how sorry and ashamed he is for all his mistakes over the last week.  Peter probably has his words locked and loaded.  He is probably desperate to say things like “it’ll never happen again” or “I am working on my resolve”.  But most of his words are probably rooted in fear and shame.  What is Jesus going to do with a failure like him?  But before Peter can start his monologue, Jesus begins asking him if he loves him.  Of course Peter is going to say yes.  He will say anything to get back in Jesus’ good graces… but Peter is about to find he was never outside of Jesus’ grace.

Jesus asks Peter if he loves him three times.  Each time Peter seems to become more distressed.  Jesus was still recreating and redeeming.  Jesus is again taking Peter back to his worse mistake and source of greatest shame.  Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times as Jesus was being slandered, wrongfully accused, and mocked.  Jesus is allowing Peter the chance to confess and proclaim his love three times for Peter’s sake not his.

Jesus is going straight for Peter’s heart.  The quickest way to reach someone’s heart is always through a wound.  Jesus was not interested in allowing Peter to continue to swim in his shame and guilt.  Jesus was not interested in making Peter pay for his denials.  And Jesus was not interested in Peter’s bargaining about how he would “be better” in the future.  Jesus was interested in transforming Peter for Peter’s good and The Father’s glory.  Jesus cared more about Peter’s reconciliation than some form of penance or promise.  Jesus loved Peter enough to enter into his greatest wound to bring healing and peace.

The peace came to Peter not because of what he got to say to Jesus, but instead because of what Jesus said to him.  Peter was a guy who had blown it.  All that he worked toward by following Jesus for three years seemed to crash and burn in one night.  He thought his disciple career was over.  That is why he went back to the boat to fish in the first place.  He must have felt his sin disqualified him from his discipling vocation.  But Jesus has other plans.

By repeating “feed my sheep” Jesus was giving Peter back something he thought he lost.  Jesus was giving him the calling and commission of being his follower.  Peace and freedom come when we hear Jesus break though our shame and guilt calling us to be what he always designed us for: shining the love and beauty God gave us out into the watching world.  As N.T. Wright puts it: “Jesus is sharing his own work, his own ministry with Peter.”

When I was younger I helped build a privacy fence around our home.  It was the first thing I ever tried to help build, so I was bad at it.  Everyday I seemed to do plenty of things wrong and make mistakes that someone else had to fix.  Everyday I felt like a failure when we stopped working.  But feeling like failure melted away when I was called outside to help again the next day.  It wasn’t the quality of my work that brought me joy, it was being called to help in spite of my previous failures.  In this same way Jesus goes straight to our hearts to heal our wounds of failure by allowing us to help him bring beauty, reconciliation, and shalom into his world.

How is Jesus calling you in spite of your past failures?