Do We Love God More Than Others?
Do we love God? Why? How much?
Jesus asked Peter “Do you love me more than these? ” Jesus asked the same question three times as He wanted to hear Simon’s answer that he loved Him. A highly emotional situation! He called Peter ‘ Simon, son of Johah’. Jesus perhaps wanted to remind him about his lack of strength in standing firm with Him as a rock at His time of trial. Peter denied Jesus three times during His trial and Jesus looked at him to tell him how painful it is to be forsaken by a disciple and friend whom Jesus esteemed as leader. Peter wept bitterly when His eyes pierced through him at his denial.. Jesus met him after His resurrection and talked to him. Still it was necessary to bring Peter back to his earlier relationship with Jesus. Remember how Peter had declared his love for Jesus “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
Matthew 26:33
Jesus wanted to know about his love for Jesus and He wanted a public proclamation of that. Jesus knew about Peter’s love for Him and He wanted to hear that again. All His disciples and friends got scattered and left Him, John was the only one with Him at the cross.
Peter might have considered himself the chief among all, capable of leading others too. He fell from his own self esteem. Jesus wanted his restoration before assigning him with the Kingdom responsibilities. His denial of Jesus is a grave offense and he had to be reconciled with Jesus openly. Peter sinned more than others and the Lord took initiative to forgive him by asking him if he loved Him more than others. He received more forgiveness than others and it's natural that he would love him more. Lord's repeated questions about his love brought awareness of his weakness and assuredly he had never have boasted of his leadership and love. Jesus knows that greater is the love where there is more forgiveness. Jesus made him say that he loved Jesus three times as he denied Him three times.
The same idea is explicitly given in an incident reported in Luke 7.
Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, cancelling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said.
Luke 7:41-43
Paul admitted that he was the first among all sinners and God forgave him. This realisation made him proclaim: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
Jesus wants to restore us, restore our relationship with Him. If we look back on our own lives we may be able to find several occasions when we denied Jesus. Check our relationships, our behaviour, our talking, our dressing up, our entertainments and so on. He is holy and those who want His fellowship need to be holy. All our sins are imputed on Jesus and He took the punishment which we had to undergo. Go to the Lord and admit your wrongs, your sins, ask for forgiveness and get reconciled with Father God through Jesus.
Get yourself washed with the precious blood of Jesus. Believe in Him, trust Him. We have nothing to boast of, except the cross of Christ Jesus. He forgives all our inequities and heals all our diseases, both physical and spiritual. He is worthy to be loved, honoured and adored. He loved us while we were sinners , took our punishment on Him and He redeemed us for life in abundance.
Remain and rest in His love.
PRAYER
Thank you Lord for loving us and forgiving our sins. Help us to remain faithful to you. Fill us with love and peace that goes beyond human understanding. Praise and thank you Lord Jesus.
Sol.Salomi Kurian