The Lutheran Hour
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"Do You Love Me?"
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Text: John 21:15
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The living Lord Jesus Christ, having conquered sin, death, and devil comes to you this day. He comes to troubled hearts and convicted consciences. He comes offering forgiveness, and wholeness, and hope. It is our prayer that this day He comes to You. God grant it be so. Amen.
A story. It was the day before Valentine’s Day and the romantic-young-man-in-love had planned every detail of what would happen that night. He and the girl he had been dating had tickets to attend a professional basketball game. Since they had been at many such games before, she would never get suspicious, never think anything was happening, or that anything had been planned. He smiled at the thought of just how wrong she would be. Everything had been arranged. At half-time, the team mascot would take them out of the stands. He would lead them to midcourt and, with cameras rolling; he would drop to his knee and ask her to marry him. The big screen TV which showed game highlights and instant replays would feature a graphic: a cupid shooting arrows, the stadium organ would play “Here Comes The Bride”; the crowd would erupt in wild cheers, and he would lead his ex-girlfriend, his new fiancée off the court. No detail had been ignored; no possibility left unexplored.
The night played out flawlessly. When they were summoned, the man took his girlfriend by the hand and led the way to the stadium floor. As they walked out, he could hear her asking, “What’s going on? What’s going on?” He smiled.
The crowd grew quiet when the couple reached mid-court. The cameras were rolling and the giant TV screen flipped from him to her and back to him again. As he dropped to his knee, someone slapped a microphone into his hand. The loudness of his voice and the echo of the stadium surprised him… surprised him but didn’t stop him. He heard himself ask: “Will you marry me?” The crowd had grown silent. The young lady took a step toward him; she extended her hands, leaned forward and said a few words. Then she turned and walked off the court. She started walking, but with each step she increased her speed. By the time she reached the entrance she was at a dead run. And the young man, the young man was still on one knee and the ring was still in the box.
There was no cupid shooting arrows on the stadium’s TV screen; the Wurlitzer organ remained silent and the crowd didn’t stir. By now the basketball teams had returned to the court and some of the players, who understood what had happened, shook their heads in sympathy. Some who were close had heard the young lady say, she most definitely loved the man…but ‘she didn’t love him that much; she didn’t love him enough to sacrifice for him or spend her life with him. She didn’t love him enough to endure sadness or sorrow or pain or problem.’ With all that sinking in, the embarrassed young man was escorted off the floor. Somebody gave him a beer and he went home. He went home alone.
Another story. 20 centuries before our young man’s story took place; Jesus of Nazareth selected His inner circle of disciples. They were a strange lot. There was a tax collector, a religious super-patriot, a bunch of fishermen, including a fellow named Peter. Jesus asked them to follow Him, and they did. That these men received Jesus’ invitation and immediately left their past lives to take up this new mantle of discipleship was truly a magnificent act of faith. It was an act of faith which, for the next three years, proved to be incredibly interesting, mysterious, and at times, downright spooky. For example, there was that day when a squall swept down upon them as they sailed the Sea of Galilee. Even the professional fishermen amongst the brotherhood had been afraid their vessel might founder. They were afraid, but not Jesus. Jesus slept like a Baby in the back of the boat. Can you imagine? He slept. When the disciples, in fearful desperation, finally woke Him, the Christ made His way to the bow of the boat and ordered the storm to stop… and it did. Of course storm stilling was just the beginning of interesting stuff. If Jesus wanted to visit with them, He didn’t let a few hundred yards of stormy water stop Him. No, He just walked across the water.
Then there had been the months when Jesus and His disciples had enjoyed intense popularity. During that time they had seen things, wondrous things. At Cana, when a wedding had almost run out of wine, Jesus’ conversion of water saved the hosting family some serious embarrassment. When thousands of Jesus’ followers got hungry, Jesus fed them with a few borrowed loaves and fishes. Nobody ever knew just what Jesus was going to do next.
When He met a man with leprosy, Jesus did the unthinkable and actually touched that sick, scarred soul before He restored Him to health. Then there was the day when it seemed as if every Jewish mother in the whole world decided their child needed a personal blessing from Jesus. The Lord was exhausted but that didn’t stop those women. They wanted Jesus to bless their kids and they wanted that blessing now. The disciples tried to stop them, but Jesus brushed them aside and picked up those children and spoke God’s good word to each.
Yes, it was an interesting time for those disciples. As the months came and went, the twelve noticed that Jesus seemed to be drawn to the dregs, the outcasts, the untouchables of society. He visited with a seriously sinful Samaritan woman at a well; He ran interference for a woman who had been caught in adultery. In the temple He had pointed out and admired a penniless widow; and He was unafraid when a demon-possessed maniac charged Him. No doubt about it, Jesus was interesting, intriguing, unpredictable. He called people to repentance of their sins and then He forgave those sins. There is a Psalm (51:10) which says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” The disciples saw that kind of transformation taking place in the people who heard Jesus’ call to repentance and forgiveness.
Of course, not everybody responded to Jesus with enthusiasm and not everyone listened to His words with eagerness. The pushy, pompous Pharisees didn’t have much nice to say about Jesus and He didn’t have much positive to say about them, either. The priests didn’t like Him; the political powers found Him dangerous, the shopkeepers and the moneychangers in the temple were scared of Him. His hometown of Nazareth tried to kill Him. Eventually, most of these groups, groups who usually loathed each other, managed to put aside their differences and come together in the great cause of getting rid of Jesus.
If the disciples had been paying better attention, they might have warned the Lord of the plot against Him. They didn’t because they seemed pretty preoccupied with thinking about themselves. They were pretty sure they were going to graduate from discipleship school and they had some career choices to make. It was this concern about their futures which had them spend so much time wondering and arguing about who would be greatest in God’s kingdom. They might not have always understood what Jesus was doing, and why He was doing it, but they knew they were going to be pretty important when He established His kingdom. True, they had no inkling where Jesus’ kingdom would be, or what it would look like, or what positions they might hold, but such minor matters didn’t stop the discussion. The boys were ready to get authority and power. They were so ready that when Jesus said He was going to Jerusalem so He could be murdered, Peter tried to talk Him out of the idea. Sure Peter was concerned about His friend, but Jesus’ death didn’t fit into the plans Peter had for his own life.
You might need to know, over the years Peter had come up with many plans. Unfortunately, Peter’s plans seldom worked out the way he had hoped they would. For example Peter had tried to walk on water when he saw Jesus doing that on a dark and
stormy night. That was Peter’s plan, but that plan got scuttled when fear eroded the
disciple’s faith and undermined his confidence. The walking-on-water plan became the
call-to-Jesus-for-help plan. Peter had planned on not having Jesus wash His feet at the
Last Supper, but he ended up asking Jesus to wash him from stem to stern. Peter had
promised to stay awake with Jesus, but he didn’t. Peter had planned to suffer anything,
even death, rather than fall away from the Savior. That was the plan; the reality was Peter had run away with the others. Peter had planned on being brave when he followed the arrested Jesus to the High Priest’s Courtyard. That was the plan, but when he was accused of being one of the Savior’s disciples, he had, with oaths and expletives, denied ever knowing the Redeemer. Three times Peter had denied Jesus.Do you remember our opening story? The story about the young man who, in front of an entire basketball stadium of people, had his proposal shot down by his girlfriend? Well, that’s what Peter did to Jesus that night. Jesus had asked Peter to be His friend, to stay with Him, to stand by Him, to believe on Him. That night in the High Priest’s courtyard, when heaven and earth and history were watching; while Jesus was on trial for His life, when no one else was standing up for the Savior; Peter was given a once-in-a-lifetime-chance to be counted on the side of the Christ. Scripture records that Peter chose to save his own hide. In effect, he said, “Jesus, I don’t love You enough; I don’t love You enough to sacrifice my life. I don’t love You enough to endure sadness or sorrow or pain or problem or persecution. Jesus, these last three years have been great, but as near as
I can tell, right now it’s every man for himself.”You’ve heard the story of Peter’s denial before, haven’t you? Do you know what happened next? Yes, the rooster crowed, and Peter remembered Jesus’ warning, and he went out and wept bitterly. But something else happened. The Gospel writer Luke is the one who mentions it. He (22:60-61) says, “while Peter was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered …. ” The Lord turned and looked at Peter. That look … I can’t be sure, but I think I’ve seen that look before. Once, many years ago, I did something wrong … it’s not necessary for me to share what that wrong thing was. You only need to know my father caught me in this major, this disciplinary offense.
Knowing I was in trouble, I made a mental list of possible punishments I might have earned. But that day, Dad didn’t go to the list. Instead, he merely looked at me, gave me a sad, sorrowful, disappointed look and then, without a word, he walked away. No spanking, no tongue lashing, no punishment has ever stayed with me like that look has. Scripture says, “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered …” With that look, all of Jesus’ earlier words and warnings washed over Peter like a giant tidal wave. Seeing that look, Peter went out and wept. Peter wept because he remembered. He remembered what Jesus had said; he remembered how he had been so boastful; he remembered how he always seemed to fail … and he wept because he
knew, with Jesus’ condemnation and crucifixion a certainty, he knew he would never
have a chance to apologize or make it right.While Peter was crying, Jesus was about the business of dying. Bound and on trial for His life, Jesus was unable to give Peter anything more than a look. In the next hours the Savior was shuttled from trial to trial. Each time He entered a new courtroom the charges against Him were changed. He had no hope of escape; no thought of release. After He had been whipped, spit upon, beaten, and crowned with thorns; Jesus was taken to Calvary where He died on the cross. Understand, Jesus had already fulfilled the law so that we might be saved; He had already resisted every temptation the devil had laid in His path and now, Jesus had carried our sins to the cross. On His cross the sinless Son of God paid the ransom price our sins demanded. He paid the price and by the end of the day Jesus’ lifeless body was placed into the grave.
As for Peter, poor Peter, he, like the rest of Jesus’ disciples, went into hiding. Like the other disciples, Peter would have felt guilty about falling asleep when Jesus had asked for his prayers; like the other disciples, Peter would have felt bad about running away when Jesus was arrested. But unlike the other disciples, Peter had the memory of the terrible and traitorous thing he had done, the threefold denial he had made. The conscience of the big fisherman would have cringed every time he recalled his saying, ‘Jesus, I don’t love you enough to endure sadness or sorrow, pain, persecution or
problem for You. Jesus, I just don’t love You that much. ”How sad Peter’s life would have been if every day had been filled with the accusations of a screaming conscience. Indeed, every life is sad when it is filled with the memories of sins unforgiven. Excuse me for asking, but did I just describe your life, your situation? If so, I would like you to know, the crucified Christ, the murdered Redeemer didn’t stay dead. Three days after His lifeless body was buried, the living Lord burst out of that tomb in resurrection victory. Now, because He has paid the price of sin, all who believe on Him as the heaven-sent Substitute and Redeemer are forgiven and saved.
That’s what Peter found out. One morning Jesus met with Peter and some of the other disciples at the Sea of Galilee. They had a small meal together and then, in front of the others, Jesus asked Peter if the disciple loved Him? I mean Jesus asked, “Peter do you really, really, love me? Do you love me more than anything else?” Peter replied, “Lord, I love you pretty much.” Three times Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” Three times Peter replied, “I do.” For every public denial Peter had made, Jesus offered him a public opportunity to state his faith. It was the Lord’s way of hearing Peter’s confession, pronouncing an absolution, that is forgiveness, for past sins. It was the Lord’s way of saying, “Peter, since you love me, I need you to work for me.” It is what He says to each of you. Remember your special, secret sin from a moment ago? The Lord Jesus died to take away that sin. Moreover the risen Lord Jesus assures you that this sin, this special sin, is taken away. With Holy Spirit-given faith in Jesus you are forgiven of the past and empowered for the future. It is God’s blood-bought gift of grace for you.
Years ago, Ogden Nash wrote a little poem. It reads, “There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, And that is to have either a clear conscience or (to have) none at all.” Today your living Savior comes to you and asks, “Do you love me?” I pray your answer is, “Yes”, for if it is… if Jesus is your Savior, your conscience can be clear. It can be clear because you, like Peter, have a Savior who lives and who forgives. If you need to know more of this Savior and the forgiveness He so freely offers, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers)
April 18, 2010
Topic: JudgingAnnouncer: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus answers a question from a long-haired listener. I’m Mark Eischer.
Klaus: Hello. to you, Mark. This sounds interesting.
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nnouncer: We’ll get to that long-haired “part” in just a moment. There are other issues we need to cover first.Klaus: Sounds like a plan. Let’s begin.
Announcer: Our listener writes: “I understand that we are all sinners. I try my best to keep from sinning. I don’t want to disappoint my Lord. I try to teach my friends to be the same way. They tell me they’ve already messed up in life. There’s no turning back and they would rather point the finger at me and point out my sins.
Klaus: OK, well, right away that brings to mind St. Paul’s words, that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. To our listener, I give thanks that the Holy Spirit is working in your heart and I rejoice that you are doing your best in trying to avoid those things you used to do that were wrong. Sad to say, there are a lot more¬experienced Christians who don’t strive very hard not to disappoint God. When your friends say they’ve messed up, they have. Everybody in this world has messed up, by the sinful way their heart is and in the things they do. But your friends are dead wrong when they say that there’s no turning back.
Announcer: But, on our own, there’s no turning back. By nature, we’re dead in our sins.
Klaus: Right. If there is to be a turning back or a repentance–it isn’t going to happeh on our own power. On our own and apart from the Holy Spirit, we are spiritually blind, dead, and enemies of God. But that’s why Jesus came into this world. It’s why He lived His life¬-to take our place, to do for us what we could never have done ourselves. Where we sinned, He didn’t. Where we fall victims to temptations, He successfully resisted those temptations. His entire life was lived for us. When He died, He suffered the punishment that we deserved. He is our Substitute and now all who believe in Jesus as their Savior, their Substitute, are saved.
Announcer: Which means we get another chance because Jesus has turned us around.
Klaus: It’s impossible to turn yourself around, but God has the ability to turn you around.Announcer: Very good. Our listener continues, “Is it a sin to judge someone? Doesn’t Jesus judge everyone before He lets them into heaven?”
Klaus: Matthew 7:1 says, “Judge not that you be not judged.” A lot of people pull that passage out of context and force it to mean something Jesus never said, would NEVER have said. Christians are to exercise discernment, to judge… but we are to judge the things God judges. If God says, ‘This is wrong, don’t do it”, we have to say the same thing. If God says, “This is okey-dokey, you can do it”, then we have to say that, too.
Announcer: So, when we say what God says, it’s actually the Lord who is doing the judging. But we’re also saying we shouldn’t make things up as we go along.
Klaus: Indeed, the Lord has told us certain things are wrong … but all too often, people start adding to God’s list. They add to God’s list of right or wrong and they pretend that extra stuff was all God’s idea.
Announcer: Like the Pharisees did.
Klaus: Yeah, exactly. The Pharisees made up laws and said they came from God. That’s the kind of thing that made Jesus really upset. He deals with unbelievers very gently … He understands folks who have questions and doubts … but He had no patience with folks who pretended their rules were God’s rules.
Announcer: Which, sort of, brings us back now to that question about the hair.
Klaus: We haven’t had one of these in a long time.
Announcer: Our listener says, “The older folks where I live say it’s a sin for a man to have long hair. Is it?
Klaus: Sometimes people quote 1 Corinthians 11 :14 where it says it’s a disgrace for a man to have long hair, but here St. Paul is specifically talking about propriety in worship. He was writing to people who were self-centered and obsessed with notions of personal freedom and individual rights. And he uses the example of long hair on men to make a point to the women of Corinth concerning modesty in public worship.
Announcer: Now, one Bible commentary describes ancient Corinth as “the most frivolous, dissipated, corrupt, and ultimately the most effeminate and feeble” part of Greece.
Klaus: And long hair on a man in church would have been seen as identifying with that aspect of Corinthian culture. It would have taken on a sign of disrespect for God and others.
Announcer: But, what might be the modern equivalent of what St. Paul was saying?
Klaus: If he were writing that today, he might say women shouldn’t come to church in bikinis and the men shouldn’t wear dresses and pearls.
Announcer: OK. Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selection for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“That Easter Day with Joy Was Bright” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“Create in Me a Clean Heart” by Healey Willan, arr. Henry Gerike. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Alleluia! Sing to Jesus” arr. Walter L. Pelz. From Hymns for All Saints: Lent, Easter, Pentecost (© 2006 Concordia Publishing House)