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. 

Conflicted about Conflict

Psalm 133:1 (NIV)

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!  

I hate conflict.  I find it difficult to face uncomfortable situations and address them head on. I suspect many of you reading this feel much like I do.  It used to be so bad that my husband would compare my temperament to that of our Golden Retriever, Izzy, who would jump up on me if ever he heard a raised voice.  His tail would wag he'd and pant nervously, using every trick in the book to bring peace back to his world.

Naturally, I had to grin when I read verse one of today's scripture.  Age and wisdom have taught me how to hurdle this shortcoming.  While peace is wonderful, there are times when it is necessary to face truth and speak it with love.  Facing difficult situations is part of life. We would never want to ignore warning signs of illness or disease.  It might not be high on your list of things you want to do, but some things we have to face, if only for the peace it brings.

Once conflict is faced and we have stepped out of denial, relief washes over us. There is such a feeling of contentment and perhaps even a thought of, "Why did I wait so long?" When family disputes are discussed and when fractured friendships are mended, then truly we can know “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”

Is there something you have been avoiding, someone who needs to hear from you a few words of love or forgiveness? Is it time you have that difficult conversation with a loved one or co-worker?  Let your words be the balm for someone's heart today.

Psalm 133

Mark 8:31-33

What a difficult time this must have been for the Disciples of Christ.  Here they have devoted about three years of their life to following this man.  They have learned from Him and have loved him deeply as a brother.  Christ has been teaching them how to go on without Him at their side, but they weren't listening because the reality was too much to bear, too difficult to hear.

"He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him." (Mark 8:32)

The followers of Jesus did not want to hear this, they preferred to live in denial; and Peter was obvious about his feelings; maybe arguing with Jesus about this topic. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where the truth was devastating, even though you needed to be informed?  Has there been bad news from the doctor, or a phone call from law enforcement advising you of a child's trouble, and you just wanted to look the other way?  There are any number of things we, as humans deny, and attempt to go on as though everything were Okay.

Jesus needed these men to listen up, to take note, to understand and prepare to pick up where Jesus was leaving off.  We know, that is just what they did.  More than likely, we too, eventually listened to the bad news.  Once we go through a valley and come out on the other side it becomes clearer.  These valleys in life are part of living.  The key is to get back up and continue on with living, loving and laughing through the pain.  Jesus needs us to pick up where He left off.  There are many who still need to hear the Easter Story.

Read Mark 8:31-33 here
Listen to Mark 8:31-33 here

John 18:15-27

My daughter and I were talking about the day when Jesus comes back and of the time that leads up to that glorious day.  We both were saying how frightening it might be to have to endure the hardships the Bible talks about, the pain of hunger or the anguish of a plague.  I have always feared the possibility that I would not have courage to stand up for Jesus if physical pain threatened me or someone I love.  I have always wondered if I would cave like Peter.

“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

   He replied, “I am not. (John 18:17)

The fact is there is opportunity every day to experience and proclaim Jesus as my Lord and the one I follow through thick and thin, just as there is occasion to deny that He means anything to me.  When I ignore my conscience and toss my principles to the wind, I am rejecting Jesus just as Peter did.  When I allow my 'wants' to overrule my needs and pursue worldly passions, I reject Jesus and His love.

On the same note, when I forgive a friend for hurting me I am acknowledging Jesus' forgive me too.  When I give of myself to people who need what I have, I am showing the world that Jesus is more important.

Read the John 18:15-27 text here.  Listen to a reading of the John 18:15-27 text here.

Luke 22:24-34

"A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest." (Luke 22:24)

The Life Application Commentary says this, "The most important event in history is about to take place and the disciples are still arguing about their prestige in the kingdom!"  First they are mumbling to themselves, wondering who was going to betray their Lord and in the next breath they are asking which of them was the greatest.  Very human conduct, don't you think?

I can't help but wonder if all this posturing for position isn't a nervous maneuver.  When I know a truth but do not want to face it, I can come up with all sorts of ideas to distract my heart from reality.  Jesus has been teaching his followers about His death for some time now, preparing them for the day He would not be with them.  Just maybe they are beginning to understand and are in a state of denial.

This type of behavior is often a coping mechanism, a way of carrying on in an effort to deny tomorrow its place in our life. Is there something we need to be preparing for; some event that will change our world?  Perhaps we need to take a strong look at our finances and lay out a better plan, curbing our spending.  There might be a relationship that needs attention and really can't wait until just the right moment to arrive.

Whatever it is, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus is praying for us just as He prayed for his disciples, just has He prayed for Simon right before the man denied knowing His Savior.

“But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32)

Read the Luke 22:24-34 text here.  Listen to a reading of the Luke 22:24-34 text here.

Not me, Lord! - Matthew 26:17-35

The reading for today is rich with lessons of denial, a place where I find myself all too often.  For years I denied that I needed Jesus in my life.  I denied that He wanted to live in my heart.  How could He?  I knew myself, I knew what my heart was truly like - but then again, so did Jesus.

Once I got over myself and discovered there was a much better way to live, really live, my heart softened.  Jesus did that.  Often when reading from the Bible, a line, a phrase or a word will stand out on the page.  In this lesson the words "Surely not I, Lord?" were high-lighted with a heavenly boldness.  How many times have I said the same, proudly boasting - "I would never do that!"

Matthew 26:21-22 (NIV) 
 And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."
 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?"


How many of us still live in the denial that what we do, say, or believe doesn't really matter?  We do matter and Jesus wants us to know that we matter so much to Him.  For today, that is just what I need to hear and hold in my heart.  Blessings to each reader today.  May God reveal himself to you in a great big way.  Share if you will, what that would look like for you.



Read the entire text for today at Biblegateway.