Jesus’ questioning of Peter
three times reminded him of Jesus’ prophecy of Peter denying Him three times
before the rooster crowed. For Peter, when Jesus asked him the first time if he
loved Him, Peter thought Jesus was asking him truthfully. When Jesus asked him
the second time, Peter doubtless thought He was testing Him. When Peter listened
to Jesus question him a the third time, he remembered the prophecy Jesus spoke.
Jesus said Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. It was
then Peter realized Jesus wanted his attention. Jesus wanted to make sure Peter,
as a lover of Christ, heeded what He commanded him. He told Peter to feed His
sheep. Jesus then told Peter to shepherd His followers so they grew in the knowledge of and in
oneness with Christ, just as Peter and the other disciples had done. He also told Peter to love them and
care for them.
Peter
spoke on Pentecost. He became the leader of the Christians in Israel, but, Paul
became the leader of the Gentile Christian converts. Peter founded and lead the
church in Antioch for several years. In those days, the Bishop, the lead
pastor, guided the lay-peoples' work within society and the church. In that
regard, Peter was the Bishop in Antioch. Jesus preached the gospel
and taught and lead others again and again during His ministry. Peter saw his
mission from Christ as feeding
His sheep. Peter lead the people to Christ and trained them to be
one with Him just as Jesus is with the Father.
From this oneness with God, the followers of Jesus told
the gospel, taught, and trained other believers. Jesus did not want Peter and the other disciples only to testify of their
love for Him. Jesus
wanted Peter to “spend out” the love of Jesus into other peoples’ lives. It did
not matter if they were people who had not bathed, people who drank too much,
or people who danced to strange music or ate dog or whatever. Jesus told Peter
to spend out in living the love of Jesus to these people. This love has no
mortal temperament to make it prejudiced or to stop, but is an unending,
overflowing blessing from God in heaven. This
is “feeding” His sheep. Jesus gave Himself completely, spent out to the utmost,
by becoming the sacrifice for our sins. In addition, Jesus healed peoples’ physical
illnesses. We must be willing to heed God’s call for us to do the same thing. If we are in truth
one with Jesus as He is with the Father, we will be spent out for others to come to know
Christ. We will love others even when we do not want. This
love goes beyond bounds. Love comes from God so is always unending and
available for use. This is what Jesus told Peter. Do you really love Me, Jesus asked?
Then feed my sheep... to the nth degree.
Peter
spent himself out for the rest of his life. He preached at Pentecost, led the church
of Antioch as bishop, and went to Rome at least three times. Scholars say Peter
became Bishop over the Christian church at Rome. In the end, Nero tortured and
persecuted Peter and passed the blame for the burning of Rome onto the
Christians. Christians made a handy scapegoat. Peter hung on a cross upside-down.
Peter and Paul, both leaders of Christian converts, Peter to the Jews and Paul
to the Gentiles, gave their lives to be spent feeding Jesus’ sheep with their
lives. Are we allowing ourselves to be spent out for Christ, to feed His sheep? Are we in a similar oneness
with Him?
