From Coward to Pastor
Ever since I’ve been to Israel, I’ve fallen in love with geography. I know this might sound crazy to you since it’s no secret I made a 790 on SAT’s. The reason I’ve come to love geography, specifically the geography of Israel, is because of what it tells me about Jesus.
Let me explain…
Here is a map of Israel:
You can see on the map towards the top is the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus lived, in a town called Capernaum. It’s BEAUTIFUL and I can TOTALLY see why Jesus wanted to live there. (Here’s a photo so you can see for yourself just how beautiful it is.)
The thing I want you to notice is how far down Jerusalem is from the Sea of Galilee on the map. In a car today, you can get from the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem in little over 2 hours. But in the time of Jesus, there weren’t any cars. And so to get there, you walked. This journey would typically take around 7 days.
Now hang with me for just a sec…
John 21 tells the event of Jesus appearing to the disciples at the Sea on Galilee after he had been crucified.
Stop.
Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem. He was buried in Jerusalem. He came back to life in Jerusalem. And He appeared to the disciples all the way up at the Sea of Galilee?
If you’ll remember in John 13:36-38 that Peter told Jesus that he would follow Jesus even to death and Jesus told Peter that he would deny Jesus three times before sunup. Now skip to John 18:15-27 where Peter DOES deny Jesus the three times.
Can you imagine how Peter must have felt when he heard that rooster crow? He instantly knew what a coward he was. I can just imagine Peter being so angry with himself and eventually running away to escape the pain of denying a man he knew and loved so well.
And that’s where we see Peter in John 21. Peter ran an entire week away from Jesus. From Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee. He returned to his old profession, a fisherman, and I would bet he was still sulking because of what he had done and because Jesus was gone. The agony he must have felt knowing that there would never be another time where he would be able to apologize to Jesus face-to-face for what he had done.
While Peter and several other disciples were fishing, Jesus appears on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where they were. (This just proves that you cannot outrun or out-sin the love of God. Peter ran away and Jesus pursued him all the way up to the Sea of Galilee.)
Once the disciples came in from the boat, Jesus had a meal prepared for them. Think about it, Peter just denied Jesus three times and here’s Jesus serving him breakfast. Talk about forgiveness!
Now look very closely at this passage:
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” (these meaning the other disciples)
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
Have you ever noticed that Peter denied Jesus three times, and three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him? And three times Jesus responds with a challenge that is completely unfamiliar to Peter? Peter was a fisherman by trade, not a shepherd. What Jesus did here was not only restore the relationship with Peter, but also commission Peter into ministry. What an incredible act of grace! Jesus was saying, “Peter, you love me. You’re forgiven for ALL your sins, including the three times you denied me. I have covered you in grace. And now, I want you to go change the world.”
This same grace, this same Jesus, has covered you no matter how far away you’ve run or what sins you’ve committed. We can rest assured that He loves us, has greater plans for us, and wants us to change the world through His church!!!