Luke 22:31-64, John 21
With Easter coming up fast, I think this is a great time of year for us to take some time to reflect on the grace of Jesus Christ. This thing we call grace is best defined as a blessing that comes to us from Jesus despite that fact that we in no way deserve it. Practically speaking, grace provides the framework for our faith. If you believe that His grace can wash away the stain of your sinful behavior, that’s an indication of an abiding faith. If you see grace transforming you so that you are no longer conforming to the ways of the world, that’s an example of abiding faith.
Even among the most fervent believers though, the concept of grace can be misunderstood. Folks struggling in ongoing sin can come to believe that grace isn’t available to them because their sin is so off the hook bad that Jesus just can’t go there. Others see grace as a “license to sin”. The idea being that “Hey if Jesus loves to forgive me when I mess up and I find messing up to be a lot of fun, I’ll just keep messing up! Win Win!”
Yeah, except it doesn’t work that way. Again, when we claim to be saved, the whole idea is for sin to become repugnant, not more convenient. Grace is meant to change who you are from the inside out.
One of my favorite examples of Christ’s transformative grace is found in the life of the apostle we know as Peter. When we meet Peter, he is a simple fisherman who doesn’t have whole lot of luck catching fish. In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 5 Jesus enters Peter’s life, helps him make a huge, net breaking catch and then invites him to make a career change, fishing for people instead of fish. In that moment Peter drops his nets, moors his boat, and follows Jesus.
In a fairly short period of time, Peter becomes Jesus’ best friend. He also becomes a leader among the apostles. But Peter’s got his challenges too. He leans towards being impulsive. He talks too much. He can be a bit aggressive when he wants to be. He can be brimming with faith one minute and not so much the next. Because of his personality quirks it’s unfortunate that Peter is best known for having denied Jesus three times the night Jesus is arrested. Those denials were preordained by Jesus shortly after Peter’s boast, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with You, and even to die with You.”
Jesus knows that this is standard Peter bluster, so He calmly reveals to Peter what’ really is going to happen. Peter will desert the Him. But in that same conversation, Jesus also tells Peter that although Satan is coming for him, he won’t get him. Why? Because Jesus is praying for Peter to remain strong in his faith.
Jesus prays that same prayer for you and me by the way. Then Jesus gives Peter a foretaste of the grace that will flow from the cross. He tells Peter, “When you have repented, and turned to Me again, strengthen your brothers.”
In other words, Peter, grace is going to allow you to live up to your name. You will be the rock on which the church will find encouragement and motivation. Understand that Peter is not the church. He is not Jesus’ replacement. Jesus is simply reconfiguring in a sense the original calling He put on Peter’s life.
So…Jesus is arrested. Three times, as predicted Peter denies knowing Jesus to a group of onlookers outside of the high priest’s home. After the third denial, the rooster crows and Luke 22:61 tells us that “At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” Not angrily by the way. No, Jesus’ look was one of loving concern. Peter, realizing what he has done walks away, weeping bitterly.
Not two weeks later, after having already appeared twice to the apostles Jesus shows up on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where Peter and John and a few other apostles have spent a night on the water fishing. They have caught nothing. Once again Jesus directs them from the shore to cast their nets one last time and – of course – they pull in a huge catch, 153 large fish. Peter, realizing it’s the Lord there on the beach, throws on all his clothes and dives into the water swimming 100 yards to get to Jesus.
And I look at that moment as Peter’s baptism of repentance. He goes into the water and puts to death the sins of his past up to and including denying his Lord. And he comes out of the water at the feet of that same Savior and when Jesus asks him, “Peter do you love Me?” Peter’s response is the key to everything. He says, “Lord, You know I love You.”
And that’s it. Jesus does in fact know the love Peter has for Him. As well as He knows the love you and I have for Him. And if that love is real, just as Jesus calls on Peter to continue to share the Good News of His gospel, He calls on you and me to serve Him as well, knowing that one day that love, that obedience, that grace will lead us to eternal life with Him.
So, with Easter right around the corner one of the most worthwhile ways we can challenge ourselves is by acknowledging how Jesus’ grace has brought us through so many trials and by asking ourselves “Does Jesus know how much I love Him?” Is it evident? Does it guide me? And if your answer is uncertain, do like Peter and dive into repentance. Jesus will take it from there. Amen?