DEMAND # 5 "LOVE ME" @ 23 October 2016

PART 1: John 20:7-19 FEED MY SHEEP

(7-14) The disciples eat breakfast with Jesus.

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the
Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in
the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon
as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring
some of the fish which you have just caught." Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one
hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them,
"Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?"; knowing that it was the Lord.
Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus
showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

a. Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?" - knowing that it was the Lord: There
seems something unusual about the appearance of Jesus after His resurrection. Possibly it was a result of the
beatings He endured at the cross, the scars of which remained at least in part.

b. Jesus then came and took the bread: Jesus is often seen eating with His disciples after His resurrection.
This is a picture of intimate, friendly fellowship.

c. Full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three: Why 153 fish? This number has been a field day for
speculative interpretations of the Bible since the early church.

i. 153 is the sum of numbers 1 to 17. Some (like Augustine) say that it is a number representing the
number of commandments (10) added to the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit.

ii. 153 is the added numerical value of the Greek words "Peter" and "fish."

iii. Some ancient writers (such as Jerome) held that there were 153 different types of fish in the world; this
represents a "full harvest" of all of the world.

iv. Some (like Cyril of Alexandria) say that 100 stands for the Gentiles, 50 for Israel and 3 for the Trinity.

v. The truth is that all we know for certain is that 153 stands for the number of fish that they caught! We
must always be careful of manufacturing "hidden meanings" in the Word of God.

B. The public restoration of Peter.

1. (15-16) Jesus inquires about Peter's love.

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than
these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." He said to him
again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."
He said to him, "Tend My sheep."

a. Jesus met with Peter individually on the day of His resurrection, (Luke 24:34) but a public restoration was
also needed.

b. Do you love Me more than these: Jesus strangely asks Peter to compare his love for Him with that of the
other disciples.
 i. It is possible that "these" refers to the fish and a fisherman's life. Jesus could be asking Peter if he is
willing to give up fishing again to follow Him. But Peter had claimed a superior love (Matthew 26:33). Does
he still have this proud estimation of his devotion?

c. Do you love Me more than these . . . You know that I love You: Jesus asks about agapelove (all giving,
uncaused, unselfish love) and Peter answers with phileo love (reciprocal, friendly affection). Some
translations have Peter answering, "I am your friend."

i. Some commentators see no distinctions between the two different ancient Greek terms, but most say
that Peter is now more reserved in his proclamation of devotion.

d. Feed My lambs . . . Tend My sheep: For Peter to follow through with that love for Jesus, he must give
himself to the service of God's people.

2. (17) Jesus asks Peter a third time: Do you love Me?

He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the
third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said
to him, "Feed My sheep.

a. Do you love Me . . . Lord, You know all things: This time, Jesus asks if Peter does in fact have a friendly
devotion (phileo) to Jesus. Peter leaves the question with Jesus' omniscience.

b. Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time: What really grieved Peter was the three-time
repetition, because it was a plain reminder of his previous three-time denial.

i. Jesus restores us by causing us to face squarely our point of failure, then challenging us to set our eyes
on the work ahead.

ii. Jesus doesn't ask "are you sorry?" nor "will you promise never to do that again?" "Jesus Christ asks
each one of us, not for obedience primarily, not for repentance, not for vows, not for conduct, but for
a heart; and that being given, all the rest will follow." (Maclaren)

c. Jesus allowed Peter a three-fold public affirmation of love to replace a three-fold denial, and gave him a
three-fold challenge to feed My sheep.

3. (18-19) Jesus' call on Peter's life.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when
you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." This He
spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

a. When you are old, you will stretch out your hands: Jesus promises Peter that his life will end in utter
faithfulness, that in the end Peter will make a faithful stand for Jesus and be crucified.

b. And carry you where you do not wish: If Peter's principle of life once was a self-reliance, from now on his
principle of life will be the cross.

c. The most important, all encompassing words: Follow Me.

PART 2: MATTHEW 10:32-39 JESUS PREPARES THE DISCIPLES FOR PERSECUTION.

6. (32-39) The attitude Jesus' disciples must be equipped with.

"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever
denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace
on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter
against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of
his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or
daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of
Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

a. Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven: The
disciple must confess Jesus publicly - before men. If we will not be public about our allegiance to Him, we cannot
expect Him to be public about His allegiance to us.

i. Everyone Jesus called He called publicly. There is really no such thing as a "secret" Christian, at least
not in a permanent sense. This is a contradiction in terms - an oxymoron.

ii. Each individual Christian life should supply enough evidence - evidence that can be seen by the
world - that they are indeed Christians. It is to be feared that many modern Christians, if arrested for the
crime of following Jesus and tried in a court, would have the charges dismissed for a lack of evidence.

iii. "What Christ is to you on earth, that you will be to Christ in heaven. I shall repeat that truth. Whatever
Jesus Christ is to you on earth, you will be to him in the day of judgment. If he be dear and precious to
you, you will be precious and dear to him. If you thought everything of him, he will think everything of
you." (Spurgeon)

iv. Yet we dare not miss that Jesus here claimed that one's eternal destiny depended upon their
response to Him. "This 'egocentricity' is a striking characteristic of the teaching of Jesus. 'It is without
parallel in the world of Jesus' (Jeremias, NTT, pp. 250-255). Even more remarkably, the saying is
patterned on 1 Samuel 2:30, where the one honoured or despised is God himself." (France)

b. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword: The
message of Jesus - as reflected in the Sermon on the Mount - is indeed a message of peace. Yet since it calls the
individual to a radical commitment to Jesus Himself, it is a message of peace that divides between those who
choose it and those who reject it. The division between these two choices explains how Jesus did not come to
bring peace but a sword.

c. For I have come to "set a man against his father" and "a man's enemies will be those of his own
household": The dividing line between those who accept Jesus and those who reject Him would even run
through families. The sword Jesus spoke of would sometimes cut through families.

d. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: In strong terms, Jesus explained that the
disciple must love and follow Jesus supremely. Our devotion to Jesus must come above even our own
household.

i. We should expect that normally, following Jesus makes us better husbands, fathers, wives, mothers,
sons, daughters and so forth. Yet there are times when the presence of Jesus divides rather than
unifies.

ii. The greatest danger of idolatry comes not from what is bad, but from what is good - like love in family
relationships. The greatest danger to the best comes from second best.

e. Take his cross and follow after Me: The disciple must follow Jesus even to the place of taking his cross.
When a person took a cross in Jesus' day, it was for one reason: to die. The ancient Roman cross did not
negotiate, did not compromise, and did not make deals. There was no looking back when you took up your cross,
and your only hope was in resurrection life.

i. His cross: Your cross isn't really your particular trial or trouble. The cross means one thing: death -
death to self, but resurrection life unto God.
 ii. This is the first mention of the cross in Matthew's Gospel, and it is not directly associated with Jesus'
own crucifixion. Such an extreme statement - likening discipleship with the horror of crucifixion,
something too terrible to be mentioned in polite company - must have jarred the disciples.

iii. Yet they knew what the cross was all about. "Crucifixion itself was not an uncommon sight in Roman
Palestine; 'cross-bearing' language would have a clear enough meaning, even before they realized how
literally he himself was to exemplify it." (France)

iv. "When the Roman general, Varus, had broken the revolt of Judas in Galilee [4 BC], he crucified two
thousand Jews, and placed the crosses by the wayside along the roads to Galilee." (Barclay)

f. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it: The disciple lives in a
paradox. He can only find life by losing it, and he can only live by dying. Resurrection life can only come after we
take up our cross to follow Jesus.

i. "Bearing the cross, we are to follow after Jesus: to bear a cross without following Christ is a poor
affair. A Christian who shuns the cross is no Christian; but a cross bearer who does not follow Jesus
equally misses the mark." (Spurgeon)