[Talk given online during Graduation Service of Shalom Bible College, Nias, Indonesia on 20 Feb 2021.]
Our theme is taken from “John 21:15, “Do You Love Me?” These words must be understood plainly, in context, and by comparing Scripture with Scripture.
Plainly, the Lord is asking Peter whether he loves the Lord. The word used comes from “agape” which is self-giving love involving total commitment. Peter answered by saying he has affection for the Lord, using the word “philo” which is weaker than “agape”. Peter had denied the Lord three times, and was therefore not confident to express deep love for the Lord. The Lord’s instruction to him was that he must feed His lambs.
The Lord again asked Peter whether he loves Him, using the same word “agape”. Again Peter responded using the word “philo”. The Lord told Peter to take care of His sheep. The third time, the Lord changes to the word used by Peter, which is the weaker word “philo” and asked, “Do you have affection for Me?” Peter was grieved because the Lord asked him three times. Peter was also conscious that the Lord noticed he used the word “philo” instead of the stronger word “agape”. The Lord told Peter to feed His sheep.
The immediate context shows that the disciples had been fishing fruitlessly the whole night. By the Lord’s guidance they caught plentiful fish. The Lord is the One who blesses our labour in fishing for men, i.e. in the work of proclaiming the gospel. He assigned Peter, and therefore all His servants, to feed His sheep. From the wider context, it is clear that the Lord was ministering to Peter in his weakness. Peter had denied the Lord three times and lack confidence to express strong love for the Lord. He was afraid of failing the Lord again. The Lord asked Peter three times to show that He has forgiven Peter and was entrusting the care of His followers to him. In other words, although Peter has failed the Lord, he is nevertheless forgiven and is entrusted with the responsibility to take care of the Lord’s followers. This teaches us that although we are weak and lack confidence in ourselves, the Lord has forgiven us our sins and will empower us to serve Him. Peter’s denial of the Lord has caused him to become humble and careful, and not to trust in his own strength. Similarly, we must recognise our own weaknesses and learn to trust only in the Lord. Failure and sin does not disqualify us from serving the Lord in all areas. As long as we repent of our sins and remain humble, the Lord will give us a work to do. The work may be big, or it may be small, but we must rely on the Lord as we serve Him.
Peter was asked whether he loved the Lord more than the fish — i.e. his profession, the things he was familiar with, in short, the things of this world. The Lord wants us to serve Him with “agape”, i.e. whole-heartedly. That can happen only when we obey His commands. This is made clear when we compare with John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” The word for “love” here is “agape”, i.e. strong, committed, love, or whole-hearted love. You cannot claim to love the Lord whole-heartedly when you do not keep His commandments. In other words, if we truly love the Lord, we will be faithful to the teaching of His word — the Scripture. We cannot pick and choose what we wish to obey and what to leave out. Instead, we will obey whatever we are convinced is the teaching of Scripture. It follows that we must know the Scripture well in order to be faithful to the Lord.
Jesus Christ is the Mediator between God and man. He is also the head of the church. As Mediator. He occupies the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. As Head of the church, He also occupies the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. This is a basic teaching in theology. Prophethood concerns doctrine. Priesthood concerns worship. Kingship concerns church government and missions. If we are truly submitted to Christ — if we truly love Him — we must make sure that our doctrine is correct, our worship is correct, and the government and missions practice of the church are correct. Do we have the desire to serve the Lord faithfully? Do we believe in the sole authority of Scripture? Do we believe that it is sufficient for all matters of faith and practice? We must return to this Reformation principle of “sola scriptura”.
Let us love the Lord whole-heartedly. Let us serve Him with full love. May the Lord help us to do so, for His glory. Amen.
~~~~~