CRUCIFIXION PART 20
JESUS REINSTATES PETER
JOHN 21:15 WHEN THEY HAD FINISHED EATING, JESUS SAID TO SIMON PETER, "SIMON SON OF JOHN, DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME MORE THAN THESE?" "YES, LORD," HE SAID, "YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU." JESUS SAID, "FEED MY LAMBS." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon Peter 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." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."
The Bible is so beautiful and so easy to understand, once you have given your heart and soul to our LORD Jesus Christ. Jesus asked Peter if he loves Jesus three times. Three times Peter had denied him, so three times he had to speak love for Jesus. At the third time Peter, having his feelings hurt, said, "Lord, you know all things". This is true, our Lord Jesus is the only one who knows the truth we hold in our hearts for him. But with this, Peter is reinstated in the kingdom of God and in the presence of Jesus, and in the company of the other apostles. He is whole again, mind, body, and spirit. Jesus continues.
Verse 18 "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
Where you do not wish. This is so true. When answering the call of God, sometimes he gives us burdens we do not wish to carry. Places, we do not wish to go to, things to do we do not care for. The apostles were not pampered, if you read the New Testament, you will find this is very true. Neither were the prophets in the Old Testament. So if you wish to do great things for God, do not expect pampering. For example, Billy Graham, he did great things. However, he had to spend great amounts of time traveling away from his family. Traveling is such trouble, and to be away from wife, children, and home for great amounts of time, only the love of God sustained him and kept him and his wife and children whole.
Verse 19 This He spoke, signifing by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, Peter, "Follow Me."
THE BELOVED DISCIPLE AND HIS BOOK
Verse 20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also leaned on his breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"
Remember how as children, if our mother or father asked us to do a chore, if we spied one of our siblings close by we would whine, "Why can't he/she help me, too?" And our parent would piously answer, "I asked you, to do this, do not worry about him/her?" Well, that was Peter. Only some of us are still looking around and wondering why the boss is piling work on us and not the others. Or if we are the boss, we wonder why the health department, or some other regulatory entity is on our case only, and not on others. Our parents got it right from the Lord.
Verse 22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."
I repeat, our parents had it right. some were not as gentle as Jesus. Some would pick up their instrument of discipline and give it to us. There went a rumor about that John would live until the return of Jesus. But it was only a rumor. Jesus did not say he would keep him for certain, he only said, "What if I keep him till I come, what is that to you", like parents would say, "Mind your own business."
The story of the crucifixion of our Lord is not to be told only on an Easter morning. It is to be told everyday. Because the result of the crucifixion is salvation and forgiveness of sins for us. It is sad that now some preacher is saying to keep the cross off the churches on the inside and the outside, not to mention sin, and not to give altar calls. Why bother to go to that kind of church. You might just as well go to a casino or nightclub. That is how this one preacher suggested that we remodel churches to become mega churches. Making churches resemble casinos or nightclubs is a surefire way to bring people in, so he thinks.. If you are serious about Jesus our LORD, you will not become involved in such satanic churches. The cross of the crucifixion is crucial to the Gospel. of Jesus.
The Bible is so beautiful and so easy to understand, once you have given your heart and soul to our LORD Jesus Christ. Jesus asked Peter if he loves Jesus three times. Three times Peter had denied him, so three times he had to speak love for Jesus. At the third time Peter, having his feelings hurt, said, "Lord, you know all things". This is true, our Lord Jesus is the only one who knows the truth we hold in our hearts for him. But with this, Peter is reinstated in the kingdom of God and in the presence of Jesus, and in the company of the other apostles. He is whole again, mind, body, and spirit. Jesus continues.
Verse 18 "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
Where you do not wish. This is so true. When answering the call of God, sometimes he gives us burdens we do not wish to carry. Places, we do not wish to go to, things to do we do not care for. The apostles were not pampered, if you read the New Testament, you will find this is very true. Neither were the prophets in the Old Testament. So if you wish to do great things for God, do not expect pampering. For example, Billy Graham, he did great things. However, he had to spend great amounts of time traveling away from his family. Traveling is such trouble, and to be away from wife, children, and home for great amounts of time, only the love of God sustained him and kept him and his wife and children whole.
Verse 19 This He spoke, signifing by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, Peter, "Follow Me."
THE BELOVED DISCIPLE AND HIS BOOK
Verse 20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also leaned on his breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"
Remember how as children, if our mother or father asked us to do a chore, if we spied one of our siblings close by we would whine, "Why can't he/she help me, too?" And our parent would piously answer, "I asked you, to do this, do not worry about him/her?" Well, that was Peter. Only some of us are still looking around and wondering why the boss is piling work on us and not the others. Or if we are the boss, we wonder why the health department, or some other regulatory entity is on our case only, and not on others. Our parents got it right from the Lord.
Verse 22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."
I repeat, our parents had it right. some were not as gentle as Jesus. Some would pick up their instrument of discipline and give it to us. There went a rumor about that John would live until the return of Jesus. But it was only a rumor. Jesus did not say he would keep him for certain, he only said, "What if I keep him till I come, what is that to you", like parents would say, "Mind your own business."
The story of the crucifixion of our Lord is not to be told only on an Easter morning. It is to be told everyday. Because the result of the crucifixion is salvation and forgiveness of sins for us. It is sad that now some preacher is saying to keep the cross off the churches on the inside and the outside, not to mention sin, and not to give altar calls. Why bother to go to that kind of church. You might just as well go to a casino or nightclub. That is how this one preacher suggested that we remodel churches to become mega churches. Making churches resemble casinos or nightclubs is a surefire way to bring people in, so he thinks.. If you are serious about Jesus our LORD, you will not become involved in such satanic churches. The cross of the crucifixion is crucial to the Gospel. of Jesus.
The rumor flew around that John would not die.
JOHN 21:23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If everyone of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Wouldn't we want to know what else Jesus did that was not recorded down. Maybe we will some day and maybe not. I am not asking, because Jesus might answer me like he did Peter, "What is that to you?"
JOHN 21:23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If everyone of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Wouldn't we want to know what else Jesus did that was not recorded down. Maybe we will some day and maybe not. I am not asking, because Jesus might answer me like he did Peter, "What is that to you?"