Unfinished Business

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you 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 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 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. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

John 21:15-19

Easter is the annual apex of Christian joy. Gathered with the largest crowds we’ll see this year, we shout, “He is risen!” and “He is risen indeed!” We sing praise before celebrating with feasting and fun for the little ones and then …

We go back to work. Back to the same old routine. Back to our unfinished business.

The story of Peter isn’t that different. Easter came. Jesus rose. Peter rejoiced. And when all the excitement died down, Peter went back to work. Back to his unfinished business.

Peter was a fisherman, but his unfinished business wasn’t fishing. He cast his net racked by guilt. In the hour of trial, when the Lord’s life was on the line, Peter denied knowing Jesus thrice.

Peter wasn’t expecting the Lord to come to his workplace that day. Jesus came anyway. He called to Peter from the shore, and Peter swam to him. Then, on the shore, Jesus and Peter talked about this unfinished business. 

It’s tempting to think Peter was right: that the unfinished business was the shame of his denial, that the Lord had to remove that by giving Peter the opportunity to thrice proclaim his love. But the truth is that guilt was removed by the cross. Those things that weighed Peter down came not from the reality of his standing before his Lord, but from his misperception thereof.

The unfinished business the Lord had in mind wasn’t finished on the shore that day. The true unfinished business was the feeding of the lambs, which symbolized Peter’s role in building up the church, caring for the body of believers, and spreading the good news of God’s grace.

Our unfinished business is much the same. Easter behind us, we must realize that the guilt of our sin is gone and that the Lord has work for us to do. It’s the same work he had for Peter: build up the Lord’s church, care for the body of believers, and spread the good news of God’s grace. 

Cast Your Nets, One More Time

This month my husband and I celebrate 19 years of marriage. I remember early in our marriage my struggles with cooking. I would try and duplicate something my mom had cooked, or even something on TV and it would flop. I was a bad cook. What went wrong? Why did every attempt to feed my husband totally fail? Easy I didn’t go to the source of success, a recipe.

I didn’t cook well, because I was doing it my way. The disciple Simon, had an experience with the true source of success, Jesus. In today’s passage. Jesus climbs into the fisherman’s boat and uses it as a place to sit and teach the crowd which had gathered. After he was done teaching, Jesus tells Simon to go fishing.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

I absolutely love how Simon says, “But because you said so, I will let down the nets.” Simon had been unsuccessfully fishing all night, but now he new it would be different. Jesus was the key. Just like a recipe was the key for me to be able to cook. Jesus was all Simon needed. Before he new it, so many fish were in the nets, his boat started to sink!

Is there an area in life where you are trying to do something without a connection to Jesus. It’s not going to work.  Perhaps you feel like it is working just fine, let me ask you…is your boat so full it’s sinking? Stay connected to Christ. Seek him first in all you do. And if he tells you to do something you have already tried without success, do it again, just because he said so.


Read today’s entire passage here. Luke 5: 1-11

Not Just the Son of God

Today’s reading is John 1:35-51. Jesus is gathering 12 men to be his disciples. Andrew and Simon were the first to be called. Jesus then called Nathanael and Phillip.


Jesus gave Simon the Aramaic name Cephas. The Greek name is Peter, which means “rock”.

Peter was anything but a rock. He babbled at Jesus’ transfiguration. He cut off a soldier’s ear. Perhaps worst of all, he disowned Jesus just prior to his crucifixion.



Jesus Revealed as God at the Transfiguration

It wasn’t until Jesus died that Peter understood what being a disciple meant. It was only then that he began to live up to his name. Peter became solid as a rock.

 

Jesus was known by many names and phrases. He was Son of God, Son of Man, King of Israel, Messiah, Teacher, Beginning and the End, Root of David, Light of the World,  the Lamb of God, Bread of Life, Word become Flesh, Good Shepherd, and many, many more.

 

Let’s look at a few of them.

 

Jesus was a teacher. He taught his disciples many things and also taught the crowds that followed him.

 

Descended from King David, Jesus had a right to be called the Root of David.

 

Many at the time liked the name Son of God, a term not unfamiliar to them, or to mankind. Since early civilization, many kings claimed to be the son of some god. Theoretically, at least, potential rivals would not wage war against the son of a god, lest the god destroy the attacker.

 

As the Lamb of God, many Israelites of the time knew that Jesus would be their sacrificial saviour, their Messiah. Unfortunately, when he was called King of Israel, many thought that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom and restore Israel to greatness.  Jesus is King of the Jews, but, he did not, nor will he ever, rule an earthly kingdom. As Jesus told the Roman official Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

 

Peter had trouble living up to his name. Unlike Peter, Jesus lived up to all of his many names. He was all this and more.

 

Jesus is not just the Son of God; He is God!

Luke 7:36-50

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

She learned of Him.

She brought an alabaster jar of perfume.

She stood behind Him at his feet.

She wet His feet with her tears.

She wiped them with her hair.

She kissed them and poured perfume on them.

She was a sinful woman.

He sat at the table of Simon a Pharisee.

He spoke as the woman wept.

He said “I have something to tell you Simon.”

He narrated the story of a money lender.

He explained the connection between the parable and the woman.

He told her “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:47: Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much.  But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

If he who has been forgiven little loves little

Then he who has been forgiven much loves much

So what was the heart of Jesus teaching them, and us?

Increased forgiveness results in greater love. In turn the outcome of love is forgiveness.

Think about that. 

Read/Listen to Luke 7:36-50