PETER: "FEED MY SHEEP"
By; Joel Bjorling
Mary Magdalene came to me with this outlandish story that
Jesus' tomb was empty! She was hysterical and crying. She grabbed my arm
and exclaimed 'Someone has taken the Lord!' There had to be a mistake!
Anyway, she drug me to the tomb. Some of the other disciples went, too.
I hadn't been there when Jesus died. I was hiding. I couldn't bear to see
him suffer like that. Once he said that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer
many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers
of the law, and that he must be killed. How could this be! I said to him,
"Lord, this can never happen," but he rebuked me and said that I was a stumbling
block to him. Before he was arrested, I told him that I would never forsake
him, but he said that before the cock crowed, I would deny him three times.
I, Simon Peter, the strong fisherman, the arch defender of the faith- did
I ever fool myself! When Jesus was on trial and being condemned to death,
I ran like a coward.
I protested all the way to the tomb. Mary had to be crazy. The dead don't
just get up and walk. Actually, it terrified me to even think about seeing
Jesus again. I had deserted him when he needed me most. Mary had been with
him in the end. I feared for my life. She had been a faithful disciple.
I had been a failure.
When we got to the tomb, I froze in my steps. The tomb was empty. Was
I crazy, too? The boulder had been rolled away. It would take several men
to move it. Was I dreaming? Suddenly, something seemed to grab hold of me.
I ran to the tomb. The strips of linen were lying there on the stone slab.
I took them in my hands, ran my fingers through them, and held them to my
heart. Jesus wasn't there. Mary said that somebody had stolen his body.
I didn't know what to think.
I came away from the tomb confused and frightened. Maybe there was foul
play, but who could have done it and why? Then I had a strange thought,
what if Jesus was alive! But how could he survive the torture and hanging
on the cross? The soldiers thrust a spear in his side. There is no way he
could have survived. But suppose he was alive? I don't think I could face
him. I failed him as a disciple and as a friend. What would he want with
me?
So, what did I do? I went fishing. Thomas, Nathaniel, the sons of Zebedee,
and some of the other disciples and I took our nets and the boat and set
out on the Sea of Tiberius. It was early in the morning. We always seemed
to do the best fishing then. It was a quiet morning. There was a brief rain,
then the sun came up.
As we sat out, there was someone standing on the shore. He called to us,
"Have you caught anything?" We were a short distance from the shore, and
I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I didn't recognize him. I just figured
he was out on a morning walk, watching the boats. As of yet we hadn't caught
anything. What a let down! We always did our best fishing at sunup! Then
the guy on the shore said "Throw your net on the right side of the boat
and you will find some." I thought, "Who is this guy? He must think he's
some kind of expert or something!" Thomas lowered the nets and do you know
what happened? We hit upon the biggest school of whoppers I'd ever seen!
The boat nearly sank! I was beside myself! I jumped in the water and ran
to the shore.
I heard one of the disciples call, "It is the Lord!" When I got to shore,
I looked at the stranger and it was like my eyes were opened for the first
time. It was Jesus. He was OK. He was alive. And he was smiling at me.
Jesus said, "Come and have breakfast." He had the fire and the burning
coals ready. I remembered how he broke bread with us at passover. Now he
was breaking bread again.
When we finished eating, Jesus said to me, "Simon, son of John, do you
really love me more than these?" I said, "Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Feed my sheep."
For a moment he turned and tended the fire. Then he asked me again, "Somon,
son of John, do you truly love me?" I said, "Lord, you know I love you."
What did I have to do to tell him that I loved him? He had forgiven me.
What more could I do to make up for when I had deserted him? Jesus said
"Take care of my sheep."
He went and talked with the other disciples, then he came to me again.
"Do you love me?" I didn't know what to say. Didn't he believe me? I said,
"Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you." Then Jesus said,
"Follow me."
Ever since that day I have followed him. Even though Jesus is not with
me physically, his Spirit gives me the strength and power to do his Will.
I will follow him, even in the face of death. He will give me the words
to say. When I was weak, when I failed him, Jesus loved me. How can I show
my love for him but by serving his people?
I will feed his sheep.