How God Corrects Us 2/3
Dependance and Restoration 2/3
I think the interaction between Jesus and Peter is much more impactful than we might initially think.
At first, Jesus asked Peter if he (agape’) Loves Him more than the other disciples do. The Lord addressed Peter’s claim (in Mark 14:29 and Matthew 26:33) that even if the other disciples fell away, he would never do so.
This is a claim Peter could not make. This was true simply because the kind of Love Jesus inquired about is the self-giving (agape’) Love that comes only from God. Moreover, Peter had fallen away despite his boastful claim that he would not. This would surely have been foremost in Peter’s mind as the Lord Jesus questioned him.
The first time Peter had denied Christ he fell from the lofty view he had expressed that he would be the last one ever to fall away. There is no self-giving or sacrificial Love in that. Consequently, Peter did the best he could and told the Lord that he (phileo) loved Him. This kind of love is human love of the sort we have for other people. For example, love between siblings or good friends.
The second time Jesus made the condition a bit easier. Rather than needing to declare that he loves Jesus more than the other disciples do, this time Peter was simply asked if he had self-giving (agape’) Love for Jesus Himself. The additional criterion of comparing himself to the other disciples had been taken away.
Once again, Peter could not make this claim. Peter, on his own, was incapable of the kind of godly self-giving Love Jesus asked about. The second denial that evening made clear that even his friendly or familial love for Jesus was subject to fleshly failure as his desire for acceptance and personal wellbeing was prioritized over acknowledgement of his friend.
The third time, Jesus modified His question again, asking Peter whether he loved Him in a friendly or familial way. He asked if Peter loved Him with a human kind of love rather than with godly self-sacrificial and giving Love.
Peter’s response this time was different. This question cut Peter deeply. He was hurt by it because he realized something very important about himself. We can almost hear Peter’s ego deflating. We can almost see his shoulders slump a little and his eyes turn downward.
In response to this question, Peter gave up on proclaiming his love. He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Peter’s focus shifted from himself and his obvious and often proven love for Jesus. Instead, his focus was on the Lord Jesus. His attention was turned by the realization that Jesus knew him completely, perfectly.
Peter’s repeated response, “you know that I love you” (with a friendly or familial kind of love) showed that he finally understood that he had not Loved Jesus with true and godly Love. Consequently, he stopped making claims about himself. Instead, he deferred to Jesus’ intimate knowledge of him. He no longer tried to prove his love and devotion as we have come to expect him to do. Instead, he acknowledged that he was fully known and trusted that would be enough.
His actions in the moment were out of line with it, but Peter’s heart was one of love for the Lord. At his core he believed that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”, the truth upon which the Church is built and stands (Matthew 16:16 and following). Peter’s faith has shifted from faith in himself, to complete dependence on Jesus.
This is a really cool story, but it is one from which we can get a wonderful lesson. Observing how the Lord Jesus restored Peter can give us great comfort and great insight into the way we can expect Holy Spirit to train and correct us. Galatians 6:1a says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.” (NIV)
