Peter

Sunday Reflection – Easter III, May 4, 2025

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Feed my sheep

John 21 Jesus later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake Tiberias. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James and John,[a] were there, together with two other disciples. 3  Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing!”

The others said, “We will go with you.” They went out in their boat. But they didn’t catch a thing that night.

4 Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was. 5 Jesus shouted, “Friends, have you caught anything?”

“No!” they answered.

6  So he told them, “Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish.”

They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.

7 Jesus’ favorite disciple told Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon heard it was the Lord, he put on the clothes he had taken off while he was working. Then he jumped into the water. 8 The boat was only about 100 meters from shore. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish.

9 When the disciples got out of the boat, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. 10 Jesus told his disciples, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” 11 Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the net to shore. In it were 153 large fish, but still the net did not rip.

12 Jesus said, “Come and eat!” But none of the disciples dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord. 13 Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from death.

15 When Jesus and his disciples had finished eating, he asked, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than the others do?”

Simon Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I do!”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus said.

16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you!”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus told him.

17 Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he loved him. So he told Jesus, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”

Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you for certain that when you were a young man, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will hold out your hands. Then others will wrap your belt around you and lead you where you don’t want to go.”

19 Jesus said this to tell how Peter would die and bring honor to God. Then he said to Peter, “Follow me!”

Kids Korner: Feed my sheep (May 4th)

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Read John 21:1-19 with your family.

This is an add-on chapter that was not part of the original Gospel of John. We do not know when it was added, but it is important because it asks questions of Peter and the closest followers of Jesus: If you love Jesus, take care of the people Jesus cared about.

In this story Jesus tries to get Peter and the others to understand how important it is to look out for each other and make sure everyone has a safe life with enough food and good places to live.

Even though the questions are asked of Peter, we know those questions are also asked of us.

If we love Jesus, it is our responsibility to love and care for every other person.

Kids Korner: Jesus will rise up (Mar. 3rd)

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Read John 2:13-22 with your family.

In the Gospel of John, everyone knew that Jesus was the Messiah from the very start. The other Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke kept Jesus’ identity a secret until almost the end.

Since everyone knew who Jesus was supposed to be, they didn’t listen well to what he said. They wanted to take things ‘literally’, which means only hearing the words and thinking that is the whole message. However, Jesus wants people to understand his words had more meaning than just the surface understanding. He wanted to talk about God’s world with word pictures so people would use their imaginations to learn more about how wonderful God really was.

When Jesus said he would ‘raise the Temple again in three days’, he did not mean a whole new building would poof into existence after three days. He was trying to get people to understand that a building like the Temple was not the only place to worship God. That Jesus would rise on Easter morning, three days after he was killed, and we were to celebrate how good God was with Jesus anywhere, not just one building, because Jesus was the “new Temple” (he wasn’t meant to be a building, it was just a word picture for a place to talk to God).

Sunday Reflection – Lent II, February 25, 2024

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Jesus predicts his death

Mark 8 31 Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, “The nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise to life.” 32 Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant.

Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. 33 But when Jesus turned and saw the disciples, he corrected Peter. He said to him, “Satan, get away from me! You are thinking like everyone else and not like God.”

34  Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. 35  If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. 36 What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? 37 What could you give to get back your soul?

38 Don’t be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Kids Korner: Don’t say that (Feb. 25th)

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Read Mark 8:31-38 with your family.

Sometimes we have friends who support us in everything we do without a problem. Sometimes we have friends who support us even if they think we are making a bad choice.

And sometimes we have friends who try to talk us out of things because they are afraid we will get hurt.

In this story before Jesus and his followers get to Jerusalem, Peter was trying to talk Jesus out of doing things that would hurt and probably kill him. The language Jesus used “Get behind me, Satan”, sounds really harsh, but what it really meant was “stop tempting me”.

Jesus knew what he had to do, and he knew that the people in Jerusalem would be angry once he was finished. So Jesus needed all his strength and the support of his friends to do the job. Anyone who questioned what Jesus was going to do was just too hard for Jesus to deal with.

Jesus was never angry at Peter, he just needed Peter to understand how hard it was already, and Jesus simply could not hear the thought of doing something differently.

Sunday Reflection, Easter III – May 1, 2022

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Jesus Commissions Peter

John 21 Jesus later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake Tiberias. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James and John, were there, together with two other disciples. 3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing!”

The others said, “We will go with you.” They went out in their boat. But they didn’t catch a thing that night.

4 Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was. 5 Jesus shouted, “Friends, have you caught anything?”

“No!” they answered.

6  So he told them, “Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish.”

They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.

7 Jesus’ favorite disciple told Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon heard it was the Lord, he put on the clothes he had taken off while he was working. Then he jumped into the water. 8 The boat was only about 100 meters from shore. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish.

9 When the disciples got out of the boat, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. 10 Jesus told his disciples, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” 11 Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the net to shore. In it were 153 large fish, but still the net did not rip.

12 Jesus said, “Come and eat!” But none of the disciples dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord. 13 Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from death.

15 When Jesus and his disciples had finished eating, he asked, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than the others do?”

Simon Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I do!”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus said.

16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you!”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus told him.

17 Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he loved him. So he told Jesus, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”

Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you for certain that when you were a young man, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will hold out your hands. Then others will wrap your belt around you and lead you where you don’t want to go.”

19 Jesus said this to tell how Peter would die and bring honor to God. Then he said to Peter, “Follow me!”

Performed by Margaret Whisselle

Kids Korner: Peter, feed my sheep (May 1st)

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Read John 21:1-19 with your family.

The writers of the Gospels had many names for the followers of Jesus, not just the closest ones being called ‘disciples’, but all of Jesus’ followers. ‘Sheep’ was a word they used often because everyone in Galilee and Judah grew up seeing sheep and shepherds all over the countryside. It was familiar.

Sheep and shepherds had a very special relationship. Shepherds would fight wild animals and robbers, and stay with the sheep in all kinds of weather. The sheep followed their shepherd everywhere, knowing their shepherd’s special whistle and calls, and were confidence in the care and protection of that shepherd.

After resurrection, Jesus told his followers that he was leaving and his closest disciples were now responsible to take care of all the people who had started following Jesus.

Peter was one of those disciples. Even though he denied knowing Jesus three times when he was challenged before Jesus’ trial and execution, this story shows that Peter felt sorry and three times he promised that he really did love Jesus and was now brave enough to do what Jesus asked of him.