Do You Love Me?
John 21:1-19
When my daughter was little and someone asked how much she loved her Mommy and Daddy she’d spread out her arms and say, “Up to the sky, everywhere and back!” Today’s story is about Jesus asking Peter how much he loves Him. Now imagine that this story isn’t about Peter, it’s about you! Imagine Jesus looks you straight in the eye and asks you, “How much do you love me?” How would you answer?
That question probably didn’t come as a surprise to Peter because his last action before the crucifixion was to deny Jesus three times. But rather than condemning him, Jesus goes straight to the heart of the matter, asking him three times, “Do you love Me?”
I think there’s a connection there. Three denials. Three times asking, “Do you love Me?” Jesus wasn’t asking Peter to just give a profession of faith. Jesus was asking about his heart. Peter had already made a great profession of faith when he said, “I believe you are the Christ, the Son of the living God, but Jesus was obviously looking for something more. Good doctrine is no substitute for loving God. Love is what’s important.
If Jesus was standing face to face with you today, looking in your eyes, he wouldn’t ask you, “Are you a card-carrying Christian”. He doesn’t want to know about your doctrine. What He wants to know is, “Do you love Me, and do you prove it by the way you live?”
He also wouldn’t be concerned with your position in the church. He wouldn’t ask, “Are you a pastor, or a deacon, or just a member of the congregation? Are you a member of the church council? Do you volunteer for every project that the church engages in?” That’s not what Jesus would be asking you and it wasn’t what Jesus was asking Peter.
Peter was an apostle, and he was Jesus’ chosen leader among them. He was the rock on which Jesus would build the church. But Jesus still wanted to know, “Do you love Me?”
Jesus isn’t worried about our accomplishments. He’s not asking if we’ve done enough, or if we’ve tried hard enough at it. Jesus isn’t interested so much in the things we accomplish; He’s interested in how we love. All Jesus wants to know is, “Do you love Me?” That’s what it’s about.
You may not be able to give millions of dollars for Christ like some great philanthropist or erect a cathedral or a monument to faith. But you can love Jesus as much as any human who has ever lived!
So, with heads unbowed and eyes wide open, when the day comes and we’re asked, “How much do you love Him? How much do you love Jesus?” I hope we can say, “Up to the sky, everywhere and back!” And mean it!