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Seeking the perspective of Jesus

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? … " John 21:15

Those must have been some penetrating words to the former fisherman, Peter, as he and Jesus stood on the shores of the Sea of Galilee? Peter had been on a roller-coaster ride of emotions for the last several days, from a joyful high of being told that Christ would build His church on his life, to the shock of being told, “Satan get thee behind me!” Then there was the denial. This would come after he had declared his unswerving loyalty to Jesus, only to see himself a few hours later wimp off frightened and ashamed because of a simple question that came from a young slave girl who had asked him if he were a friend of Jesus. The sober truth to Peter was that he had stood aside and watched his Messiah taken, beaten, and he did nothing but deny Him. After that, he had experienced the deepest low with the crucifixion of Jesus and the greatest high when His life was resurrected and restored. But Peter’s humiliation now caused him to feel deeply unworthy to be in the company of Jesus and to serve His cause. He now couldn’t look Jesus in the eyes and that old “Simon pride” was trying to send him back to fishing for fish instead of fishing for men. However, even though he didn’t know it at the time, Peter was now ready to serve his King as never before, as evidenced by what followed at Pentecost. Ever been where Peter was, humiliated and ashamed of yourself to the point of wanting to drop out of sight and be forgotten? Are you there now? If so, like Peter you have something great to look forward to, for God has been rooting out the former man, so that the new man can live and serve your King in the best way possible.

Back at the shore of the Sea of Galilee, it didn’t help matters when Jesus was a little formal with his question to Peter. Notice Jesus used the name “Simon, son of John” when He addressed His question, instead of the nickname “Peter” He had given to him. What happened to the affectionate name Jesus had given to Simon when they first met 3 years prior? "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter) John 1:40. It had been a long time since Jesus had called Peter by his birth name. Why was Jesus going back to this old name when He addressed Peter on the shores of the sea this time? Well, why shouldn’t He, for Jesus knew that Peter was obviously going back to fishing and to the old life he had 3 years before? Can you see the connection, as Jesus recognized the inner turmoil that Peter was going through? Peter wasn’t just going fishing for the day. He was on his way back to a way of life to be Simon, son of John … the fisherman, again. He was dropping out of the “Peter thing.” I believe that this was the point Jesus was making by using the formal name when He addressed Peter. He knew what needed to be done to help Peter to take the last steps in leaving the old man behind so that the new man could completely embrace his call and purpose.

The next challenge that cemented this truth to me about where Peter was headed was what Jesus pointed to when He asked Peter the question: "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" Don’t you know Jesus was pointing to those fish Peter and his buddies had just caught and cooked? Now, certainly Peter loved Jesus more than mere fish. That part is obvious and neither Peter, nor Jesus, needed any assurance on that point. But, it was what those fish represented that Jesus was asking Peter to consider. Those fish represented dependability, independence and a familiar comfort zone. It was a profession and an identity that Peter could go back to and hide out in. Peter had been on the ride of his life the last 3 years and if he needed anything to prove that he was not the man for the job, he had just proved it to himself a few days before. The one thing Simon (notice I use the name Simon) knew about himself, and the one thing he knew he could always count on about himself, was that he would never desert a friend and never be a coward. But, he sorely discovered that he couldn’t handle the pressure of being “Peter” when the chips were down, for he flat out failed his Messiah and himself when he denied Jesus. Therefore, he was going back to fishing to try and recover some remaining self-worth by doing what he knew he could do best, which was to catch fish. Peter knew exactly what Jesus was asking him when He pointed to those fish. But where was Jesus headed with it?

The restoration and mobilization of Peter was at work in this drama between the man and his King. Jesus was skillfully challenging Peter to understand that he could never return to his old life, for he had seen and experienced things that would forever define his life. How could he ever throw fishing net in the Sea of Galilee again and not remember Jesus walking on those very waters? When he sailed his fishing boat out into the open sea, how could he not remember the stormy night that had them frightened out of their minds and how Jesus calmed the storm with a spoken word? Then there was that day that Jesus asked him to use his boat to preach from and how He rewarded him with a magnificent catch of fish from waters that he had worked the previous night without success? How about Jesus feeding 5,000 men and their families with a few fish and loaves of bread? Could he ever fill his boat with enough fish that would be as satisfying as picking up those 12 baskets of leftovers from that miraculous picnic? No, Peter was forever changed and he could never go back to his old life. He had to go forward and Jesus knew it. But like so many of us, Peter wouldn’t or couldn’t go forward with his new life until he looked Jesus square in the eyes and deeply understood the questions and what his answer had to be. Let’s you and I do the same.

Peter was going through a necessary transition that all of God’s men must go through if we are to join Him and live out His purpose for our lives. Like Peter at that particular time in his life, there are times that we get hung up in transition. This means we want to be the new man Christ is inviting us to be who lives with abandon and trust, but the old man and his way of thinking keeps holding us back. We are like someone who has one hand gripped tightly on a spirited horse that wants to take us for the ride of our life and the other hand holding onto the barn door with every fiber of strength we have. But, one force is too strong to hold back and the other is unmovable. As a result we are pulled from both ends and stretched to a breaking point unless we abandon and trust one force over the other. Peter was about to abandon Christ and put his trust in his old way of life. How about you? Are you being stretched? Are you trying to hold onto both your comfort zone and Christ? If so, you are hung up in transition and a choice will have to be made by you to go one way or the other. Will you serve Christ and live with abandon and trust in Him, or will you return to “fishing,” where a life of silent desperation and shallow significance awaits you. You cannot have it both ways. You must either go one way or the other, for remaining neutral with Christ and the world is not an option. It will tear you apart if you try to do both.

Jesus loved Peter far too much to allow him to return to the old ways. Therefore, He skillfully restored Peter by removing the burden of his guilt by giving his life a purpose that would forever change the old fisherman. For the rest of his life, Peter would fish for men and he would never look back at the old life and its predictable comforts. The Master Fisherman had hooked Peter, and he no longer wanted out of the boat. He was in it for life.

Men, if you have tasted the Living Water, you know that you can never be the same. But, don’t just visit the “well” and take an occasional drink when you need it to sustain you. Don’t live a life of maintenance, as you try to maintain a two-life existence in trying to be a new man in Christ but afraid to leave the comfort zone of the old man. Dive into the Living Water and immerse yourself in it. Jesus wants you to let go of the world and take hold of His hand in order to take all He has to offer you. He wants to make you into a man that can do amazing things with Him. But, you will never be that man as long as you are hung up in transition. Like Peter, He is asking us. “Do you love me more than these?” Let us answer that question by living our lives with abandon and trust in Jesus and then ……