Why Shepherding is So Important to Jesus
MEMORY VERSE
MEMORY VERSE
Jesus asked him the third time, "Do
you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things, you know that I
love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." (John 21:17)
REFLECTION
John 21 is a fascinating chapter. In it we read of the third encounter of Jesus and the disciples after the resurrection. No doubt all of them were still a bit uneasy about having deserted Jesus in His greatest hour of need, but no one more than Peter. Jesus not only restores Peter, but commissions him with becoming a shepherd and feeding the sheep. Why such a task, and to someone who had proven himself so unfaithful? Our clues lie strewn throughout the gospels and in the very verses preceding Jesus' words.
We know Jesus' vision was to see the kingdom of heaven extended to earth. Jesus knew how grand a vision this was. He didn't call believers to complete the task, He called disciples - disciples who would deny themselves, take up their daily crosses, and give up everything. He knew very few would be willing to become true disciples - that was true then, and it is just as true now. So, He needed one who would feed the sheep, and one who could train others to feed the sheep as well. This feeding of the sheep, or discipleship, was central to Jesus' strategy of extending the kingdom of heaven to earth.
With such a challenging strategy, why did Jesus entrust it to the likes of Peter? Two thoughts come to mind. First, because Jesus knew it was really His work, not Peter's. In the first part of John 21, we read of this miraculous catching of fish. Peter and others had fished all night but caught nothing. Then a man calls from the shore and tells them to throw the nets on the other side. It made no sense, but they do it, and catch 153 fish. John knew that couldn't be just any man on the shore - it had to be Jesus. It was the work of Jesus that led to the nets bursting with fish. What Jesus needed then and now is people who would just do what He told them to do. And that gets to the second reason Jesus chose Peter. Peter had failed miserably, and the fruit of his failure was that he no longer trusted in just in own skills, intelligence, or resources. He had caught a glimpse of all that Jesus could do through him if only he would do what Jesus told him to do, even when it seemed irrational or costly. Peter was just the man Jesus needed to extend His kingdom from heaven to earth.
What about you? Are you willing to become a disciple of Jesus, or are you comfortable simply being a believer? There is no greater joy than joining Jesus in extending His kingdom from heaven to earth, but that joy is reserved to those willing to be His disciples.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. Are you willing to be a disciple of Jesus or are you comfortable just being a believer? Are you willing to give up your life for Him, or just expect Him to give up His life for you?
REFLECTION
John 21 is a fascinating chapter. In it we read of the third encounter of Jesus and the disciples after the resurrection. No doubt all of them were still a bit uneasy about having deserted Jesus in His greatest hour of need, but no one more than Peter. Jesus not only restores Peter, but commissions him with becoming a shepherd and feeding the sheep. Why such a task, and to someone who had proven himself so unfaithful? Our clues lie strewn throughout the gospels and in the very verses preceding Jesus' words.
We know Jesus' vision was to see the kingdom of heaven extended to earth. Jesus knew how grand a vision this was. He didn't call believers to complete the task, He called disciples - disciples who would deny themselves, take up their daily crosses, and give up everything. He knew very few would be willing to become true disciples - that was true then, and it is just as true now. So, He needed one who would feed the sheep, and one who could train others to feed the sheep as well. This feeding of the sheep, or discipleship, was central to Jesus' strategy of extending the kingdom of heaven to earth.
With such a challenging strategy, why did Jesus entrust it to the likes of Peter? Two thoughts come to mind. First, because Jesus knew it was really His work, not Peter's. In the first part of John 21, we read of this miraculous catching of fish. Peter and others had fished all night but caught nothing. Then a man calls from the shore and tells them to throw the nets on the other side. It made no sense, but they do it, and catch 153 fish. John knew that couldn't be just any man on the shore - it had to be Jesus. It was the work of Jesus that led to the nets bursting with fish. What Jesus needed then and now is people who would just do what He told them to do. And that gets to the second reason Jesus chose Peter. Peter had failed miserably, and the fruit of his failure was that he no longer trusted in just in own skills, intelligence, or resources. He had caught a glimpse of all that Jesus could do through him if only he would do what Jesus told him to do, even when it seemed irrational or costly. Peter was just the man Jesus needed to extend His kingdom from heaven to earth.
What about you? Are you willing to become a disciple of Jesus, or are you comfortable simply being a believer? There is no greater joy than joining Jesus in extending His kingdom from heaven to earth, but that joy is reserved to those willing to be His disciples.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. Are you willing to be a disciple of Jesus or are you comfortable just being a believer? Are you willing to give up your life for Him, or just expect Him to give up His life for you?
2. When have
you failed in life? Are you willing, like Peter, to allow Jesus to redeem
your failures and have it lead to a greater dependency on Him, not you?
3. Are you ready to feed or disciple others? Do you need to be fed or discipled first? Are you ready for both?
4. Where is Jesus calling you to throw your nets? What simple thing is He asking you to do through which He could act powerfully to extend His kingdom?
ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK
1. If you are ready to deny yourself and give up everything, tell Jesus you would like to become His disciple.
2. Identify one you consider a true disciple of Jesus and ask that person if (s)he would be willing to disciple you. (If you don't know of anyone and would like to join our discipling community at PEER Servants, email us at volunteer@peerservants.org.)
3. Identify one you would like to disciple. Just like Jesus, start praying for that person. Then, approach that person and ask them if they would like you to disciple them in joining Jesus as He extends the kingdom of heaven to earth.
3. Are you ready to feed or disciple others? Do you need to be fed or discipled first? Are you ready for both?
4. Where is Jesus calling you to throw your nets? What simple thing is He asking you to do through which He could act powerfully to extend His kingdom?
ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK
1. If you are ready to deny yourself and give up everything, tell Jesus you would like to become His disciple.
2. Identify one you consider a true disciple of Jesus and ask that person if (s)he would be willing to disciple you. (If you don't know of anyone and would like to join our discipling community at PEER Servants, email us at volunteer@peerservants.org.)
3. Identify one you would like to disciple. Just like Jesus, start praying for that person. Then, approach that person and ask them if they would like you to disciple them in joining Jesus as He extends the kingdom of heaven to earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment