And Such Were Some of Youናሙና

The Restored Disciple

“I’m going fishing.”

Peter didn’t know what to do, so he returned to the only thing he did know: fishing. Even though Peter had seen the resurrected Lord, his three-time denial still haunted him. In the changing morning light, about a hundred yards from shore, a man next to a charcoal fire on the beach called out to them in the boat, “Children, have you any food?”

They answered him, “No.”

“Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”

Everything about this scene was familiar. Three years earlier, at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, Jesus told Peter to cast his nets into the deep after another fruitless night of fishing. Then, like now, Jesus divinely rearranged the fish under the water's surface and filled their nets to overflowing.

John remembered the event and exclaimed, “It’s the Lord!” Peter quickly put on some clothes, dove into the water, and swam to the shore to meet him.

As Peter drew near the campfire, he saw Jesus had laid out some fish over the charcoals. Instinctively, he held out his hands to warm himself and remembered the night he had denied Jesus. That night, he warmed his hands over a different charcoal fire in the courtyard of the high priest. It was there that instead of dying with the Lord, as Peter had sworn he would do, he denied ever knowing Jesus.

Jesus asked Peter three times, once for every denial, if he loved him. The Greek words Jesus used for love help us understand what Jesus was asking.

“Peter, do you love me unconditionally (agape)?”

Peter replied, “I have brotherly affection for you (phileo).”

A second time, “Peter, do you love me supremely (agape)?”

“Jesus, I like you a lot (phileo)!”

Then Jesus changed the verb. “Peter, do you like me (phileo)?”

Peter was grieved when he lowered the bar of his love and appealed to Jesus’ omniscience. “Lord, you know that I love you with brotherly affection.” Peter once boasted he loved Jesus more than all the rest, but now he knew better than to trust in himself. His self-reliance had led to his downfall, and now he hesitated to claim ultimate, unconditional love.

But Jesus did know Peter’s heart and gave the fisher of men the new title of “Pastor.” The repeated elements of the charcoal fire and the near-breaking net of fish were reminders to Peter of Jesus’ sovereignty over his story.

Is your life haunted by the sins of your past? Often, we’re humbled and better equipped to serve others from the humiliation of our failures. Do you love Jesus? Maybe, like Peter, you don’t trust yourself to claim true love anymore. Can you at least say you like him a lot?

While Peter’s devotion fell short of what he claimed it would be, the Lord saw his heart and restored and recommissioned him. Jesus’ parting message to Peter was, “Follow me.” No matter what sins are in your past, you can come to warm yourself by Jesus’ restoration fire and follow him. That’s enough for you to be of use to the kingdom.

Whether you’ve been a passionate denier, a vile betrayer, or a restored disciple, encountering Jesus will never leave you the same. Those who've been saved can say their former ways of life have been changed. We're no longer who we were; we've been made new by God's grace.

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Peter’s story came full circle. After commissioning Peter to feed his lambs, Jesus signified that Peter would die with his arms outstretched. History tells us he was crucified by Nero upside down. If death was the ultimate test of love, Peter finally passed.

How has encountering Jesus changed you? I’d love to hear your stories at cara@cara-ray.com.

If you enjoyed this plan, you can keep reading! Grab this free booklet with these stories:

The Extravagant Worshipper, The "Random" Cyrenian, The Distant Admirer, The Passionate Crier, The Two Foolish Travelers, and The Devoted Doubter.

And Such Were Some of You Bonus Devotions