John 21:15-17: Restored

One night when I was sixteen, I was allowed to borrow my parents’ car on one condition, that I bring my along little sister and she has a curfew; so I have to stop whatever I am doing to bring her home by 9 pm.

I take her down to the local hangout and tell her not to bother me. It is a good evening. I meet some friends. There is a party that night that we are planning to attend – there is just one problem – I have to get my sister home by 9 pm.

As my friends and I are in the middle of planning our night, my sister shows up and says, “It’s time to go” and she is not alone. She has found herself a boyfriend! And this boyfriend, Tony, is a friend of mine! I have an idea…

He can bring Lorinda home! There are, however, a couple of details to work out: (1) my sister isn’t allowed to date yet and (2) this boy will bring her home on a motor scooter. These won’t go over so well with my mom, so I come up with a plan: I tell him he can take my sister home but to make sure he parks around the corner from our house so my mom won’t see them and I tell her to tell mom that she got a ride home from Melody, a girl from church group, instead of from a boy on a motor scooter.

He gets her home all right but rather than parking around the corner he parks on the street, under a streetlight, and he gives her a good night kiss. Then my sister has a cigarette as she walks the rest of the way home - where my mom is watching this whole scene. My sister walks in the door and mom asks, “How did you get home?”

“Melody…”

A couple of hours later I come home. All the lights are on and mom is waiting at the front door… “How did your sister get home? How did she get home? Who took her home? I am caught. I know it. I betrayed my mom’s trust and now I am being asked these questions over and over again .

‘Do you love me?’ is the question Jesus asks Peter over and over again. Peter must feel just about the same way I did. “Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?” Jesus trusted him. Peter betrayed that trust and now he is in need of restoration.

Now, of course, Jesus does restore Peter. Jesus is faithful to build his church upon Peter’s work for the Kingdom. Jesus forgives him and restores him just like my mom forgave me and after grounding me for a month or so, restored me to being trusted with her car.

It is the same with each of us. Whatever it is that we may have done to deny our responsibilities or to betray Jesus’ trust we are forgiven and we can be restored; all we need to do is to come to Jesus and accept his offer to ‘feed his sheep’

What does it look like to ‘feed his sheep’? How can we do that today?

Presented to River Street Cafe, 24 February 2017

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