17 March 2013 - feeding our confidence

17 March 2013 - feeding our confidence

Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,

“Do you love me?” and he said to him,

“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Jesus asks Peter to confirm his love three times.  Peter is so distressed because he has given Jesus every reason to disbelieve him by denying him.  On his own Peter might never trust himself again after that failure.  But Jesus gives him a tangible way to express his love for him.

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

We ourselves give Jesus reasons to doubt our love for him.  We often don't love as we should.  But instead of dwelling on our failures Jesus calls us to affirm our love for him here and now.  He shows us that this isn't a subjective state.  It isn't feelings which we have to spend time figuring out if we have or don't have.  It manifests in concrete action.  When we feed the poor we feed him.  When we persecute his people we persecute him.  

He wants us to walk in the freedom that comes from his love.  He does not want us to be bound to our past.  Penance isn't about dwelling and suffering in guilt.  It is necessary to put to rest the consequences of our sins.  But it is about loving Jesus now.  It is about a concrete answer to his question, "Do you love me?"

As far as the east is from the west,

so far has he put our transgressions from us.

He will not leave us under the power of sin.  Neither past wrongs nor future temptations can match his power.  He doesn't want us to be trapped and powerless.  He wants to clothe us with power from on high so that we can be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.  

He wants to give us the laser focus that Paul has about the truth of the gospel.  He wants us to know that Jesus lives even right now in this very moment.

Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion

and about a certain Jesus who had died

but who Paul claimed was alive.

He even wants to give us the courage and confidence to follow him even unto death just as Peter does.

He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.

And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

The LORD's throne is eternal but the psalm says it is established.  His eternal throne established through the victory of the resurrection and through that power at work in believers by the Holy Spirit.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven.

and his kingdom rules over all.

Bob Dufford - Like a Shepherd