Setting Things Right – May 15, 2022

Psalm 23, John 21:14-19
May 15, 2022

Jesus said to Peter, “Feed my sheep.”  Like I said last week, that was part of this event that became their call – their “commissioning” – to be “Apostles.”  And again, that word means “ones who are sent.”  That is, those who are “sent out” with the Gospel message.  However, before Peter could “feed the sheep,” he needed to be fed himself.  And that’s the story we have for today.

For Peter, there was a need for “Re-petrification.”  I’m not sure if that’s an actual word.  I know “petrification” is a word.  It means “turning something to stone.”  So, re-petrification” means turning something “back to stone.”  And that’s what was needed here.  Earlier in his ministry, Jesus had given this man Simon a new name.  He called him “Peter,” which means “The Rock.”  Not only that, but he called him “The rock on which I will build my church.”  That was Peter.  He was solid as a rock.  He was formidable.  He was steadfast.

But, the Rock had crumbled!  On that terrible night that Jesus was arrested, Peter had denied he even knew who Jesus was – and before a simple servant girl!  He had lied to save his own skin.  And that still had to have been haunting him!  And I wonder, did he even know that Jesus knew about it?  It happened after Jesus was taken away.  Well, I think in this story we see that Jesus did know!

The first thing that happens here is that Jesus addressed him by his old name.  He turned to him and said, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”  In verse 17, it says, “Peter was grieved because Jesus asked him a third time, ‘Do you love me?’”  But I think he was grieved when he heard Jesus use his old name!  The Rock had crumbled, and Peter knew it, and so did Jesus!

I heard it once said that we cannot read too much into this.  We cannot infer from this story that Jesus was referring to Peter’s threefold denial, just because he asked him three times, “Do you love me?”  Well, I say, “nonsense!”  There’s no doubt in my mind that this threefold question was intentional on Jesus’ part, and there’s no doubt that it referred directly to Peter’s denial.  I think that denial was hanging heavily on Peter’s heart – especially now that Jesus was alive again, and I think he now had to “confront” that denial!  He needed to have this chance for redemption.

But don’t forget!  Peter wasn’t the only one feeling guilty here.  All the disciples had forsaken Jesus in the garden!  They had all bolted!  Jesus may have been addressing Peter directly, but they all knew what was happening.  They all felt that guilt in their hearts.  And yes, they were being commissioned as Apostles, like I said last week, but first they had to set things right.  Because, if you think about it, that guilt could have affected their mission.  It could have gotten in the way of them being Apostles!

Sometimes things like that can get in our way, too!  Sometimes our failings, sometimes our guilt, can get in the way of our growing in our faith.  I believe that’s one of the reasons the Church developed the idea of confession.  It started here with Jesus.  Actually, it started before this.  Remember, John the Baptist called the people to “repent,” not just to be baptized.  And confession and forgiveness were already part of their tradition.  The Jews had their “Day of Atonement.”  It was known as “Yom Kippur.”  And they still celebrate that today.

But the church developed the idea of confession.  It was even made a sacrament over the years!  We don’t have it as one of our sacraments, but our Catholic friends still do.  But sacrament or no, it’s important to our faith, isn’t it?  And as I say about confession, it isn’t as though we’re telling God something he doesn’t already know.  Confession is an acknowledgment of our need for his forgiveness.  It’s “owning up to” things.  It’s asking for forgiveness.  It’s setting things right with God.

There’s more going on here, too.  Because this isn’t just Jesus “clearing the air” with Peter.  In fact, he doesn’t actually confront him with his mistake.  He doesn’t have to!  He gets to the heart of the matter.  And with Jesus, the heart of the matter is always… the heart!  He asks Peter, “Do you love me?”  Confession is more than just acknowledging our need for forgiveness.  It’s also remembering that we love God.  Sometimes Jesus’ question to Peter is right on for us, too.  God asks, “Do you love me?”  That’s what he cares about.  What is our heart towards him?

Like Peter, some people deny that they know God.  And I think that grieves him!  But there are others who are angry with God.  Maybe that’s us, too, at times.  Sometimes “setting things right” means dealing with that anger.  The psalmist talks about “pouring our hearts out” to God.  I believe that’s what he wants!  You may remember me saying that sometimes people think if they argue with God he might abandon them.  They think it might hurt their very belief in God.  They feel like he might cease to exist, somehow – at least for them.

But like I’ve also said before, if you argue with God, he can take it!  God wants us to pour out our hearts before him!  An old pastor friend of mine once said that God would rather we have an argument with him, than ignore him!  And I think that’s true.

Part of confession is also acknowledging our need for God.  After all, what’s at the heart of every sin?  Sin is not just doing bad things.  It’s our wanting our own way.  It’s choosing our own will.  It’s us going against what God wants for us.  It’s forsaking him and running the other way, like the disciples in the garden.  My favorite example of sin is that sin is not jumping on the bed.  Sin is jumping on the bed after Daddy told you not to!

To “set things right,” we need to remember about God that it is “he that has made us,” and not the other way around.  Mark Twain once said that “God created man in his own image, and man has been trying to return the favor ever since.”  In other words, we try to make God in our image!  There’s a whole sermon in that alone!

We need to remember that “we are his.”  “We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.”  Those are the words to Psalm 100 – one of the greatest psalms!  And it’s a psalm that goes so well with the one we read today, the 23rd Psalm.  (There’s a whole “sheep theme” going on here!)  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”  I shall not want.  I shall not be in need.  But I need to know – I need to accept – that the Lord is my shepherd!  We need to say, like our song today, “You are my king!”

I think we need to acknowledge that every day!  Because we people tend to want to be masters of our own destiny.  That’s our nature.  And that’s ok.  We can be masters of our lives – as long as we acknowledge that we too have a master!

So, with all of those meanings of the question I just laid out, Jesus asks us, too, “Do you love me?”

Prayer

Eternal God, we acknowledge our need for you and for your forgiveness in our lives.  Help each of us to know every day that “the Lord is my shepherd.”  Help us to remember your love for us, and our love for you.  We thank you and we praise you for your redemption and your Grace, which we need every day.  And we pray in our Savior’s name, Amen.