Understanding the gifts of Easter

Those 4o days following Jesus’ death were important and spectacular, filled with awe and wonder. Jesus is dead, so we thought. But not just dead, he was crucified before our very eyes. Our hope is gone, or should have been. But, Jesus keeps showing up!

Today, we are going to discover the wonder of it all which helps us understand the gifts of Easter.

Several weeks ago, I wrote a blog entitled, What comes after Easter? Everything! Wonder becomes our gateway to God. To linger over miraculous happenings ushers in possibilities. These 40 days after Jesus’ death do just that! It leads us to explore the truth of resurrection, and even life after death. As Jesus continues to show up, He is laying the foundation of our faith which leads to our total commitment to Him.

“Do you love me?”

Let’s look at John 21. (Please read and reflect on the entire chapter.)

Let’s unpack it.

The men are still confused and grief stricken from the death of their Lord and Savior. So they go back to what is familiar to them, fishing.

They fish all night and don’t get a bite. They must have felt defeated.

Then, a stranger from the shore instructs them to throw their net to the other side. Miraculously, the fish are more than they can haul. They pull to the shore where the stranger invites them to “Come.” They join Him by the fire and share a meal, which seems familiar too. It seems odd to sit and eat when they just caught the biggest catch of their lives. They are more confused.

“Do you love me?”

Let’s pick up at John 21:15-17, from the amplified version;

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do—with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.” ¹⁶Again He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” ¹⁷He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]?” Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you [really] love Me [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend]?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”

“Do you love me?”

Jesus looks at Peter and calls him by his former name, “Simon, do you love me?” three times. To Peter, this sounds familiar. He probably wanted to hang his head as he cannot help but remember his three denials before Jesus’ death. It is hard for us to forget our pasts, who we once were. But Jesus asks us, “do you love me?” As Jesus asks Peter, and us, it is in our reply that we begin to learn. It is in the repetition that we become who God created us to be.

From Brian D. McLaren’s book, We Make the Road by Walking, “…And that was it. It was as if all Peter’s failures melted behind us in the past, like a bad night of fishing after a great morning catch. The past and its failures didn’t count anymore. What counted was love… love for Jesus, love for his flock. Like a lot us, Peter had a way of getting it right one minute and wrong the next.”

Sometimes it takes doing something over and over before we get it right. We learn through our failures and mistakes. But when we meet Jesus, our old name is gone, and the new self emerges. The past self is no more and we can look Him in the eyes and say, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.”

Let us pray,

Lord of love, thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for coming to us time and time again. Instill in us a total commitment to You so that we may go out and show others your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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