John 21: Keep Following the Light!
“… do you love Me more than these? … Then feed My lambs…. Jesus replied, ‘… As for you, follow Me.’” John 21:15; 22 (NLT)
Congratulations! You’ve made it through the Gospel of John! As we follow the Light of Jesus in this final chapter, we will discover some liberating truths that will set us free from guilt and shame in the encounter that Jesus had with Peter.
In his classic devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes, “Three years before, Jesus had said – ‘Follow Me,’ and Peter had followed easily, the fascination of Jesus was upon him, he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him to do it. Then he came to the place where he denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit, and now Jesus says again, ‘Follow Me.’ There is no figure in front now saving the Lord Jesus Christ. The first ‘Follow Me’ had nothing mystical in it, it was an external following; now it is a following in internal martyrdom.”
If you’ve been following the Light with us in this journey through John’s Gospel, you know that between the times that Jesus invited Peter to follow Him, Peter had denied Jesus three times and each time with greater intensity. First, he denied knowing Jesus. Then he denied being one of His disciples and finally, he denied even knowing what there were talking about. After that final denial, Luke’s Gospel tells us “At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: ‘Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know Me.’ And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.” Luke 22:61-62 (NLT)
Like Peter, we often have to learn through failure what we cannot seem to learn in success. Peter had to come to the end of himself and all his self-sufficiency until there wasn’t a strand of himself that he could ever rely on again. But here’s the good news about failure – Our failure is never final if we will keep following the Light! Any of us who have failed like Peter understand the sorrow and shame that sin can bring. But unlike Judas, who took his own life, Peter continued to follow the Light. When he encountered the risen Christ beside the Sea of Galilee that morning, Peter experienced restoration! Restoration of hope! Restoration of life!
Because Jesus rose from the dead we can begin again! We are not a product of our past. Our failures don’t define us anymore! That’s the message of John 21! Just keep following the Light!
As we conclude our journey through the gospel of John, we find ourselves overhearing a personal conversation between the Lord Jesus and Simon Peter as Jesus restores Peter and commissions him for service. Twice Jesus extends that second invitation for Peter to follow Him in verses 19 and 22.
Jesus was not through with Peter. Maybe like Peter, you’ve made some bad choices, some terrible mistakes, and your past haunts you. As you read this final chapter in John, experience the restoration that the risen Christ brings. Hear the Lord Jesus asking you, “Do you love Me?” Then do what Jesus told Peter, “Follow Me.” God is not through with you either! Your best days are just ahead! The resurrection of Jesus brings restoration! Rejoice in the risen Christ who restores your life and promises to fulfill His purpose in you! Trust your future to Him and continue to follow the Light each day in His Word as you read John 21.