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Do you love me?
The risen Lord Jesus Christ asked Peter.
Now, our society is very mixed up about love, just as it is confused about most things.
Of course, Jesus is not talking about romantic or sexual love. Neither is he being sentimental. This is not Jesus as my boyfriend or girlfriend. Neither does it necessarily involve a gooey feeling in the heart or a far-away look in the eye.
This is love that will lead to obedience, to dedicated service and even to a gruesome martyr's death.
But it is real love nevertheless. It's a passionate business. Love that involves heart, mind and strength. It is connected to the intellect, the emotions and the will. It is to do with thinking, feeling and acting in certain ways towards Jesus.
And it involves all heart, mind and strength. It is a controlling, consuming, dominating, motivating, energising, enabling love. It is not a love that excludes other loves, but it puts them in their place, reorders, and reorients and redefines them. It makes them possible.
Perhaps it's a bit like love for a brother or father. Perhaps the kind of love some footballers might have for the manager who has been like a father to them. Or a boxer for his trainer who helped him to climb out of the gutter. Or the loyalty of a medieval knight to his lord. Or of a soldier to his comrades, or to an officer who loved his men and was willing to lay down his life for them.
But perhaps this is about a love affair after all. It is the love of pauper bride for her prince-bridegroom. He makes her free and clean and beautiful. Their relationship ennobles her.
How could we not love him?
Now, our society is very mixed up about love, just as it is confused about most things.
Of course, Jesus is not talking about romantic or sexual love. Neither is he being sentimental. This is not Jesus as my boyfriend or girlfriend. Neither does it necessarily involve a gooey feeling in the heart or a far-away look in the eye.
This is love that will lead to obedience, to dedicated service and even to a gruesome martyr's death.
But it is real love nevertheless. It's a passionate business. Love that involves heart, mind and strength. It is connected to the intellect, the emotions and the will. It is to do with thinking, feeling and acting in certain ways towards Jesus.
And it involves all heart, mind and strength. It is a controlling, consuming, dominating, motivating, energising, enabling love. It is not a love that excludes other loves, but it puts them in their place, reorders, and reorients and redefines them. It makes them possible.
Perhaps it's a bit like love for a brother or father. Perhaps the kind of love some footballers might have for the manager who has been like a father to them. Or a boxer for his trainer who helped him to climb out of the gutter. Or the loyalty of a medieval knight to his lord. Or of a soldier to his comrades, or to an officer who loved his men and was willing to lay down his life for them.
But perhaps this is about a love affair after all. It is the love of pauper bride for her prince-bridegroom. He makes her free and clean and beautiful. Their relationship ennobles her.
How could we not love him?
Do you love me
more than these?
What is the risen Lord Jesus asking Peter here?
Who or what are the these?
Is it "do you love me more than [you love] these?"
Or, "do you love me more than these [love me]?"
The "these" might be the other disciples, the fishing kit and boats or the fish.
It seems to me that Jesus is unlikely to be asking Peter if Peter loves him more than the other disciples love him.
It seems to me that Jesus does require Peter to love him more than Peter loves the other disciples, or his old way of life which is represented by the fishing gear and than the fish, which stand for what Jesus can do for him and for "success".
Let us consider these temptations:
We are to love Christ more than we love anything else
We are to love Christ more than we love anyone else
We are to love Christ more than we love life without him / our old pre-Christian way of life
We are to love Christ more than we love success or what Christ offers
Who or what are the these?
Is it "do you love me more than [you love] these?"
Or, "do you love me more than these [love me]?"
The "these" might be the other disciples, the fishing kit and boats or the fish.
It seems to me that Jesus is unlikely to be asking Peter if Peter loves him more than the other disciples love him.
It seems to me that Jesus does require Peter to love him more than Peter loves the other disciples, or his old way of life which is represented by the fishing gear and than the fish, which stand for what Jesus can do for him and for "success".
Let us consider these temptations:
We are to love Christ more than we love anything else
We are to love Christ more than we love anyone else
We are to love Christ more than we love life without him / our old pre-Christian way of life
We are to love Christ more than we love success or what Christ offers
Do you love me? 3x
Obviously Jesus' three-fold question to Peter, "do
you love me?", recalls Peter's earlier three-fold denial of Jesus.
Here Jesus confronts Peter with his sin, but gently and kindly.
Peter is offered forgiveness and restored.
Our love for Christ will always be weak and imperfect.
Sometimes it will fail utterly, maybe repeatedly, dramatically and publicly.
Jesus' love for us comes first.
His love for us is far more important than our love for him.
His love is stronger than our failure and sin.
It is a love that forgives and restores.
Here Jesus confronts Peter with his sin, but gently and kindly.
Peter is offered forgiveness and restored.
Our love for Christ will always be weak and imperfect.
Sometimes it will fail utterly, maybe repeatedly, dramatically and publicly.
Jesus' love for us comes first.
His love for us is far more important than our love for him.
His love is stronger than our failure and sin.
It is a love that forgives and restores.
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