Read John 21:15-19
Discover
1. How many times does Jesus repeat His question?
2. What answer does He repeat after Peter’s responses?
3. What emotions do you see in this exchange?
Respond
The events leading up to this passage are key to understanding the significance of this moment. Jesus has died and risen again, but before His death, He predicted that Peter would deny Him three times. His prediction came true (see Luke 22:54-62). Now He interacts with Peter in a new exchange, offering Peter a second chance from his previous faithlessness.
This type of restoration is available to us too. No matter what we’ve done or how we’ve denied God, He’s faithful to pursue relationship with us. And His faithful love is a model we can follow in our own relationships. Wherever we’ve been hurt, there can be restoration through the power of Jesus.
Spend some time in prayer right now, thanking God for the ways He’s faithfully pursued and loved you, even when you’ve messed up. Ask Him to bring to mind any broken relationships or hurts that you haven’t forgiven yet. As you pray through your relationships, ask for a filling of His faithful love and then take a step to show that love to someone close to you.
Want to go deeper? Watch Aaron’s Brockett’s previous sermon on this exchange between Jesus and Peter here.