do you really love me ?
Words such as those could be said by sweethearts in this month of hearts. But these words were not spoken by lovers, but were asked by our Lord Jesus Christ as as stated in John chapter 21 verses 15 to 17.
The story is quite a familiar one among Christians, but I believe we cannot fully grasp the full meaning of the chapter if we do not closely investigate the meanings of the words that Jesus used.
The story goes like this, as Jesus and Peter were having dinner, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him to which Peter replied "Yes" and then Jesus told him to "feed my lambs."
Later on Jesus ask Peter again the same question to which Peter gave the same reply. Jesus told him to "Feed my sheep."
Jesus again asked Peter the same question the third time. But instead of replying in the affirmative, the verse says that "Peter was grieved" He then told the Lord "thou knowest." Jesus then replies "Feed my sheep."
Several people believe that Peter was grieved because Jesus repeatedly asked if he loved him. But I believe there is another reason why Peter was grieved.
In order to fully understand the passagewe have to take close look at the word "Love" as used here.
The first time Jesus asked Peter if he loved him, the word used by Jesus is the koine greek word "agapao." This is the word that is used to describe a love that is pure or ideal. This kind of love is that would be willing to die for another person. In effect Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him so much to the extent that would he be willing to die for him.
At this instance Peter answered him "Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." The greek word here used by Simon Peter is the word "Phileo" refering to a love with a lesser degree than agapao. This is the word used for "brotherly love." Jesus asked Peter if he loved him to the extent that he is willing to die for him, but Peter offered only his "brotherly love."
Jesus Christ asked Peter the second time, using the same word "Agapao" to which Peter replied with the same answer using the word "Phileo."
The third time around, when Jesus asked Peter if he loved him he did not use the word "Agapao." The word "Phileo" was used by Jesus. In other words the brotherly love that Peter has for Jesus was even questioned by him. In short Jesus asked Peter if he even truly loved him as a brother.
So now we now why Peter was grieved. It is quite obvious that Peter was not grieved because he was asked three times by our Lord if he loved him. The cause of his grief is because even the "brotherly" love that he offered was questioned by the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter then humbly replied that Jesus knows everything so there is no need to ask.
You can notice that in all three instances after Jesus asked Peter for his commitment of love, Jesus always asked him to do something for him. That is to feed his lamb and sheeps. We can see here that He was telling Peter that love must be translated into action and not just expressed by mere words.
The application for us is this, how much do we truly love Jesus Christ ?. Do we love him so much that we are willing to die for him? We may not be able to answer this question correctly considering that we live in a free country and we are free to worship God. But what if we are tortured for our faith in Christ? Are we willing to die for the name of Christ ?
But to prove our love for him, we do not have to be tortured for our faith. All we have to do is demonstrate our love for him by being a good example to other Christians, discipling them and helping them grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
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Zigfred Diaz may not blog about love meanings everyday but he regularly write about several interesting topics including how to invest in the Philippine stock market, financial management, investments, as well as other informative topics Visit his blog today
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