Daily Devotions
Peter’s behavior in this story makes me laugh. When he knows that it’s Jesus standing there on the shore, he jumps overboard to swim to Him. He can’t bear to waste a single minute, even though they’re such a short ways out.
But that’s not enough. To show Jesus honor, Peter puts all his clothes back on first—and pays the price by having to sit around in soggy robes for the rest of the day!
Then later, when Jesus says, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Peter jumps up and goes to haul the net in all by himself—even though the grammar makes it clear Jesus was talking to the whole group. And he isn’t content just to bring the fish like Jesus said—no, he actually counts them!
What’s going on? Why is Peter acting like this?
There’s a clue in 1 Corinthians 15:5. That’s where Paul is listing the times Jesus came to His disciples after He rose from the dead. And based on that, it looks like the very first thing Jesus did after appearing to the women was to go have a private meeting with Peter, the disciple who denied even knowing Him while He was on trial for His life.
What happened at that meeting? Jesus kept it confidential. But my best guess would be that Peter completely broke down in tears and grief over what he’d done—and Jesus forgave Him. And since that time, Peter has been so happy and so much in love with the Lord who loved Him that he can’t do enough to show it. That’s certainly how I would be!
And that’s how I am, to tell the truth. If you know Jesus’ forgiving love for yourself, you know what I mean by experience. How could we possibly do enough to say “Thank You” and “I love You” to the One who lay down His life for us?
WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord. I love You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. Name one of the happiest times in your life.
2. How did you behave then?
3. How do you know that Jesus has forgiven you all your sin?