AMAZING GRACE, THE SEQUEL

READ: John 21:1-17

ANSWER THIS: Who in your life do you wish would forgive you?

THE BREAKDOWN

Seven of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James and John (the sons of Zebedee), and two others who aren’t named, are standing on the shore of Galilee, where Jesus often preached to the crowds.

Out of the blue, Peter says he’s going fishing. The others join him, and they fish through the night without any luck.

At dawn, when the light was low and the disciples were too far away to recognize him, Jesus yells out to them from the shoreline, asking if they’d caught anything. When they tell him no, he instructs them to throw their net out on the right side of the boat, where they’ll catch some fish. When they do, the net fills up with so many fish, they can’t pull it in.

At that moment, John (“the disciple whom Jesus loved”) says to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” and Peter throws on some clothes, jumps out of the boat, and swims to shore. While Peter’s swimming to Jesus, the others start paddling the boat to shore, dragging the net full of fish with them.

Once there, they find Jesus and Peter waiting for them, along with some fish cooking over a fire, and some bread. Jesus tells Peter to bring some of the fish they caught, so Peter goes back to the boat and helps drag the net full of fish to the shore—more fish than their nets could ordinarily hold without tearing.

Once everyone is gathered, Jesus invites them to have breakfast with him. Even though this is the third time they’ve seen Him since his crucifixion, they’re still surprised by His presence. But, it’s undeniably Jesus.

Then, in an incredibly grace-filled exchange between Jesus and Peter, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?”, once for each time Peter denied he knew him. And, each time, Peter replies, "Yes!” And, each time Jesus instructs him to take care of his lambs and sheep (meaning his followers), showing Peter he trusts him to carry on the ministry.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Certainly, Peter was overwhelmed with guilt, having denied he even knew Jesus three times, prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. He must have wondered if Jesus could ever forgive him for such a betrayal.

Earlier in his ministry, Jesus told the story of the rebellious son, whose father showed amazing grace when he accepted him back into the family with much fanfare (see Day 16). Jesus told that story to illustrate how much God loves us, no matter what poor choices we make in life.

Now, Jesus extends that same kind of grace to Peter, offering his love and forgiveness. By doing so, he removes the heavy burden of guilt from Peter’s shoulders and restores their friendship.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR ME?

Jesus offers all of us the same grace he showed Peter. But, it takes a great deal of humility to admit our faults, ask for forgiveness, and accept his grace. Yet, every one of us has it in us to swallow our pride and admit we’ve made selfish choices in life. When we sincerely ask Jesus to forgive us, he does. And, in so doing, our relationship with God is restored, and a party breaks out in Heaven (see Luke 15:7).

So, now, the big question is this: When Jesus asks, “Do you love me?”, how will YOU respond?

PRAYER

“Lord, I do love you. But, I don’t feel very lovable. Forgive me for the poor choices I’ve been making in my life. I want to experience your amazing grace and forgiveness.”