John 21
John Restoration
Restoration Projects
I have always loved cars. I hate working on them, but I love to drive them and learn about them. I especially enjoy watching TV shows about restoring old classic hot rods. I’m always amazed at the detail the car builders put into their work when they take a broken-down old car and make it better than new.
Chapter 21 of John is a study of a complete restoration—not of a car but of a person. Here, we see Jesus go into great detail to restore his disciple and friend Peter after he had denied the Lord before his crucifixion. This effort shows us how much Jesus cares for us and wants us to become better than new.
Jesus Restored Peter
After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples several times. However, one of the most dramatic meetings happened on the shore of the Sea of Galilee when Peter and several other disciples decided to go fishing. Every detail of this encounter was designed to restore and empower Peter to develop into the great leader he became.
The fish. First, the disciples had fished all night without catching anything when Jesus suddenly appeared and told them to cast on the opposite side of the boat. The resulting catch was so large they could barely haul it into the boat.
That encounter no doubt reminded Peter of an encounter with Jesus three years earlier. At that previous meeting, recorded in Luke 5, Jesus demonstrated his power to Peter by miraculously helping him catch a massive number of fish. He then invited Peter to join him and become a fisher of men.
The fire. Secondly, when the disciples got to shore, they found Jesus had built a charcoal fire and cooked breakfast for them. The word for “charcoal fire” is used only one other time in the Bible. It was used to describe the fire that Peter stood around when he denied his Lord. Again, this forced Peter to remember his earlier denial of Jesus.
The three-fold call. Finally, Jesus took Peter aside and asked him three times, “Do you love me?” To which Peter responded, “Yes. Of course, I love you.” This led Jesus to call Peter three times to “Feed my Sheep.” I'm sure Peter could not miss the significance of Jesus' threefold challenge to offset his own threefold denial.
Called to Make a Difference
How did Peter fulfill his three-part calling to feed and shepherd Jesus’ sheep? The answer is in the Book of Acts. There, we see Peter as the key God used to open the Kingdom of Heaven through faith in Jesus to three different people groups: the Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles.
In Acts 2, at Pentecost, Peter led three thousand Jews to believe in the risen Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8, Peter presented the Gospel to the hated Samaritans, and they believed. Finally, in Acts 10, Peter unlocked the Gospel to Gentiles when he baptized a Roman centurion’s family who received the Holy Spirit.
We Are Being Restored to Serve
Jesus planned every detail so that Peter would be restored to service. He never rebuked Peter for his failures or turned his back on him when he sinned. He went to great lengths to love him, draw him close, and call him to service. And He does the same with us today.
He saves us. We are saved from sin and given new life when we receive Christ as our Savior. Ephesians 1:5 tells us that God… “made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”
He empowers us. Like Peter, God continually restores us because he loves us. I John 1:9 promises us, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
He sends us. God does all this because he has called us to fulfill a purpose bigger than ourselves. Ephesians 2:10 claims that “…we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
What part of you needs to be restored today? Maybe you need a minor tune-up, or perhaps you feel like you need a complete overhaul. Whatever it is, Jesus has proven to be a Master Mechanic who loves to get us running in the right direction, and his garage is always open through prayer.
Maranatha,
Andy
