It's not enough to talk the talk!

Walking the Walk

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
“Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
John 21:15

This is the post-resurrection Jesus speaking to his disciple, Peter. He asks Peter this question three times and Peter gives the same answer three times. Since we English speakers have only one word for love, we don’t get the conversation as it was originally recorded in Greek. If we did, it would sound more like this: Peter, do you love me unconditionally? Yes, Jesus, you know I love you like a brother.” Jesus was asking for a deeper kind of love—like a father for a child, or God’s love for us—and Peter, who had denied Jesus three times already, knew he was not capable of unconditional love. Finally, the third time Jesus asked the question, he matched Peter’s language and asked, “Peter, do you love me as a brother?” Jesus, too, knew that Peter, and we, are not capable of unconditional love.

Another important point to consider in this passage is Jesus’ request to, “Feed my lambs.” He did not say a multitude of things that he might have said knowing that he would soon be leaving. He did not say, “Believe that I am God.” Or, “Establish my church and call it Christianity.” He did not say, “Fall on your knees and worship me.” What he said was simply, “Feed my sheep.” In other words, continue my work. And, the work of this first-century, Galilean Jew called Yeshua, was to teach a new way of living, provide an open table for anyone who was hungry, forgive the sins of anyone who asked, and to provide healing for free. His ministry was one of ‘doing’, not simply believing.

Theologian Robin Meyers, in his book, Saving Jesus from the Church, says that we’ve become so centered in worshiping Christ that we’ve forgotten to follow Jesus. Worship is a passive response. It requires only our thoughts, prayers and praises. Following Jesus is work. It means not only do we feed the hungry, but we provide nourishment for their souls and work for their hands. And, especially, that we invite them to become one of us—unconditionally.

In the spirit,
Jane