Toward the conclusion of His incarnate ministry, Jesus addressed a searching question to Peter: “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” (John 21:15).
The meaning of the word “these” was a kind of verbal gesture. Did Jesus gesture toward the other disciples when He questioned Peter? Since Jesus honored the individuality of each of His followers, it is unlikely He would have introduced into the apostolic band the idea of evaluating our lives by comparing ourselves with others.
More than anything
It seems more likely He gestured toward the boats and fishing equipment that floated near the shore of the Sea of Galilee where this encounter occurred. After all, just before this encounter with the risen Lord, Peter had declared he was going fishing, something he had been fully engaged in before Jesus called him to become a disciple (John 21:3). Other disciples joined Peter in a night of fruitful fishing, with John saying they dragged in a net full of 153 large fish (John 21:11).
When Jesus appeared on the shore the following morning, He invited those disciples to join Him for breakfast. After the meal, Jesus questioned Peter three times, saying, “Do you love Me?” Upon Peter’s declaration that he did, Jesus three times gave him a renewed call to discipleship, beginning with “Feed My lambs” (see John 21:15). The matter is quite clear: Discipleship has love for Jesus as its primary motive. The fact that Jesus repeated this crucial question two additional times (vv. 16–17) emphasizes that everything we do in the matter of sharing the gospel must be motivated by love for Him.
Primary motivation
It is as true for us as it was for those original disciples. Love is the motivation for Christ’s followers to obey His command to go and make disciples of all nations. Christ’s followers tell others about Him out of devoted love for Him, not merely for building a reputation for themselves or for building church membership.
People may doubt our capabilities. They may turn deaf ears to our words. They may deny our theology. They cannot escape the power of divine love being poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).
Believers must always remember the two great commandments Jesus left for His followers (Matt. 22:37–39), often summarized simply as this: Love God. Love others.
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