Scene # 1:

We explored scene two and three over the last two weeks. The calling of Peter to a radical commitment that day on the edge of the Sea of Galilee when Jesus asked him to put aside his own arrogance and trust in Jesus that massive boat-load of fish. Last week we looked at Peter’s walking across/ under the water.

Do you know why we so love to look at Peter’s life. Almost everybody in this room can relate to Peter easier than most other characters in the Bible. For some reason we are allowed to painstakingly see him as he grows from reed to rock.

Rocks harden more and more under pressure and we know that other Bible greats went through times of forming. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness, Joseph spend all that time from being sold by his brothers until he became Prime minister of Egypt being shaped, Paul after his conversion went into Arabia (Iraq) for three year followed by 14 years back home until he started his missionary journeys. For some reason we are not allowed to see the shaping process that went on in their lives.

We sure see it, painfully, in our own lives….actually, sometimes we are not quite sure what’s going on inside of us. We know we have committed our lives to Jesus, at least we are reasonably sure that’s true, but we seem to find our selves stretched and pulled and pummeled until we not sure if we are turning into spiritual rocks or Gumby’s.

God, in His wonderful mercy, let us actually see into the rock making process of one of his chosen “greats” in the Bible, to give us hope and motivation in our own spiritual development…. Let’s peak in some more….I was going to pass up this scene but I just can’t:

(Luke 9:28-35) About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)

Now there’s a pertinent statement.. The old “reed to rock” seems to be babbling. Every time he thought he was heading in the right direction….like a puppy on a leash. Running full tilt in one direction…Acccchhhh. Only to run in another…Acccchhhh. Only days before Jesus had asked him who he though He was and Peter had answered with that famous statement: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God! Wow! A few minutes later Jesus tells them he is going to have to die; Peter says “not on my watch” and Jesus says, “get behind me satan”. Accchhhhh!

That last part had to be the Heavenly Father, Creator of the Universe giving Peter some strategic advice. “Would you shut the hole I created under your nose and listen to my incarnate Son who has all truth…everything he is saying mirrors my thoughts and plans. You’ll know what El Shaddai is planning if you’ll just open your ears and close your mouth!

Now don’t we relate to that? One of the things Blackaby said last weekend that so affected me was:

There was the scene of the washing of feet during the last supper where Peter at first refused then when Jesus challenged him said “then wash all of me”

There’s the scene where Jesus declares, again, that he’s going to die, and , again Peter says, I’ll stop it…. I’ll lay down my life for you….. Jesus, you’ll all be offended because of me. No me, says Peter, I’ll go to prison with you, If needs be I’ll die with you. Watch this line up:

(John 13:37) Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." (NIV)

Then there’s that gut wrenching scene where when Peter’s faith in Christ is actually put on the line, Peter denies three times that he even knows the one he has sworn to protect with his very life. Acccchhhhh!

And then Jesus dies! I can’t even fathom the depths of mental anguish Peter must have lived through during the next three days. Have you ever had the overwhelming sense that your actions had so failed the very God you professed to love? What Peter (and probably us) didn’t realize was that all of his failures were part of the pressure cooker that was forming decaying reeds into solid rock.

There such a God-like touch in John 21:

(John 21:3-8) "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered. He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. (NIV)

At no point are the pressure cookers of life designed to crush you. They are only designed to turns rotting reeds into solid rock! Jesus is not a bit interested in kicking you when you are down. He reaches out his merciful nail pierced hands and lifts you back up, assures you of his love, dusts you off and you suddenly realize that even in failure, by accepting his grace and forgiveness, instead of becoming a mushy pile of useless rotted reeds a rocklike backbone begins to form.

Finally, it’s Jesus who breaks the awkward silence with a question to….guess who?

(John 21:15) When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John….

Oh how Peter hated it when Jesus started a sentence that way! Like when my mother said, Samuel Earl Chess…

(John 21:15) … Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." (NIV)

Words form with time. We are familiar with the word Jesus used here, Agape. It important to know that Peter probably was not. This is not a word you find in literature of the times. It appeared about the time of Jesus and he either borrowed a new word being used in society or he coined one.

Agape love- the self sacrifical giving of all of one’s self to another expecting nothing in return.

If you’ve been around church very long you have probably heard about this strange interplay of words…but let me point out what really struck me….especially as it relates to the rock forming process we are talking about.

What’s these? We’re never told…. Jesus makes some kind of a motion with his hand. We don’t know whether he’s pointing at the other disciples, at the fishing boat, at the fish, at the Sea of Galilee that had been Peter’s life.

Whatever Jesus was pointing at, it was the thing/s Peter was most attached to, the thing/s that Peter had the hardest time giving over to God.

This is not as simple as it first appears:

1) Simon son of John, do you truly love (agape) me more than these?"

2) "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love (phileo- love of a good friend) you." ….Jesus doesn’t say, that’s not what I ask you….He gives Peter an assignment.

3) Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." (pasture, graze….. young helpless sheep)

The story races on….I’m confident Jesus did not. I can see them sitting, munching… Peter mulling over what Jesus had said, the other disciples playing in their minds the word discrepancies…glancing at first Peter then Jesus.

(John 21:16) Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." (NIV)

3) Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." (shepherd my adult sheep)

You’re no longer a fisherman…you’re a shepherd. You remember the fishers of men statement way back there. You may not realize it but your ready. The rock is solid enough to support others. The reed has disappeared enough to not sabotage my plans.

Let’s try this one more time:

(John 21:17) The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because 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. (NIV) (graze my adult lambs)

Ummm, not so good. You still don’t understand… you still can’t say that you agape me… You still even get ticked off at my insistence, even though you haven’t answered my question… but you will… you will…