Love
“Lovest thou me?” —John 21:17
Read John 21:15-25
You may have made a drawing at one time or another of a heart with an arrow through the middle of it. You wrote your own name at the bottom of it and the girl or boy you liked at the top. This may have been only infatuation instead of true love.
However, I would like to use this imagery in considering God and His Son Jesus Christ. The love of God towards a sinner is so great that He allowed His Son to be nailed, “pierced through,” making Him bleed so that He might save sinners. This is genuine love, existing for the most part of self-sacrifice. This love did not involve giving and taking, but only giving.
Again, same question as before. The Lord asks that you give an answer regarding your love as He did to Peter in our Scripture passage. Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him with all his heart. Peter did not dare to answer positively. He actually evaded the Lord’s question by answering with a word that literally means “I like Thee a lot.”
In our Bible the word “love” is used in every instance. It is only natural that Peter did not dare to respond positively, for the very opposite had happened. Peter hardly dared to look at the Lord eye to eye when this question was directed to him. The Lord asked this question two times, seeking a response of genuine love. Finally, He lowered Himself to Peter’s level. He, Who had been humbled to death upon the cross, stooped down to Peter’s level and asked him: “If you like Me a lot, that is enough.” What would be your answer to this question?
What answer did Peter give the Lord the third time?
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: bookorders@frcna.org.