John 21:15-17 – Do You Love Me?
The meal is finished, and the time has come for the conversation Peter has probably been half-dreading. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him. Peter can’t help but be reminded of his three time denial of Christ, and his confident claim that even if all the other disciples leave Jesus, he never will. ‘Do you love me?’ seems a simple question, but it is, in reality, a searching question. We may know much, and do much, and talk much, and work much, and give much, and go through much, and yet be dead before God because we don’t love Him. Do you love Christ? That is the great question. There is no life in Christ where there is no love of Christ.
Three times Peter replies that Christ knows that he loves Him. Peter is hurt that Jesus asks him three times, but Jesus intends this hurt. He wants to drive home the point of how hurtful it is for Him to be denied. The answer Peter gives is the one answer every Christian can give. The weakest Christian may not be able to answer questions of whether they are converted, justified, or sanctified, but ask them if they love Christ, and they will say, “I do”. They may add that they don’t love Him as much as they should, but they won’t say that they don’t love Him. What, after all, does it mean to love Christ? It is an inner sense of having been forgiven for our sins. We love much when we feel much forgiven. The more we realise that Christ has suffered for us, and paid our debt to God, and that we are washed through His blood, the more we love Him for loving us and giving Himself for us.
Christ tells Peter that if he loves Him, he is to serve Him by doing the work of an apostle – preaching God’s Word and caring for God’s people. Obediently serving Christ, in whatever situation He has put us, is the great test of whether we really love Him.
Questions
- What does it mean to love Christ?
- How do we show our love?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would love Christ more.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.