Peter
was deeply affected; quite hurt that Jesus asked him a third time, “Peter, do
you love me so much you will pay the cost?” He said to Jesus, “Lord, you know
me inside and out. You know how much I love you!” Jesus replied, “Feed my
little sheep.” (John 21:17)
Here, John captures Jesus’ presentation to
Peter of the job description for a person who will make following Jesus their
vocation for life. In a word, Jesus says, “love who I love, how I tell you to
love them.” Remember, Jesus identified himself as the bread of life (John
6:35). When telling Peter to feed the weak, little sheep, He was not only
saying, “make sure they eat,” but also “give them Me.” Given the challenge as
to how dearly Peter loved Jesus, Peter must have understood that his calling
was to give his very own life for the benefit of others, so they could know and
grow in Christ.
The job you are called to do, as you lead
your people, is to love them as Jesus loves them, feeding them at your cost;
feeding them the bread of His life, and paying for that meal with your life as
He did with His own.
Do you love Jesus so much you will pay the
cost of feeding His sheep? Feed them as He sends them to you – one at a time.
No comments:
Post a Comment