It's been a long time since I have written in Purchased.
This morning I was reading John 21. It's where Jesus appears to the disciples after he has been resurrected.
He stands on the shore of the lake of Galilee and asks Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, and four other disciples how the fishing went during the night...because it had been a bummer of a fishing night again. There weren't going to be any great fishing stories because they hadn't caught a single fish.
The first time Jesus asked about the fishing was the day he called Peter to follow him.
Jesus was coming full circle. Visiting some of the guys again after another unproductive night of fishing.
Both times Jesus pulls in the mother load of fish for them, and both times the massive amount of fish are left and we don't know what happens to them.
I imagine in a culture without a stock market and retirement plans that someone claimed the fish...but it wasn't the guys who pulled them in.
This could be a lesson in itself, but that's not where we are headed today.
After a great reunion the guys sit around a fire with Jesus and roast a couple of fish for breakfast.
And Jesus starts to question Peter.
You know the story right? Jesus asks Peter three times:
Do you love me Peter?
Do you love me Peter?
Do you love me Peter?
Peter gets kind of angry, but in the final response he gives Jesus the answer for which he has been "fishing".
The first two times Peter answers, he uses a word that in the Greek is phileo (I am your great friend) but Jesus isn't looking for a great friend.
The last time Peter answers Jesus, he uses the Greek word agape (I am wholly committed to loving you no matter what happens). When Jesus hears this, he is satisfied and gives Peter his life assignment.
This is what Jesus wants from us. Full commitment, full trust, and that we love him more than anyone, anywhere, at any time.
This won't come as any surprise to most of us.
The surprise may come when we find out that Jesus loves us this way. He loves you more than a mom and dad love there kids, more than the love you felt when you fell in love with your spouse. Yep, Jesus is massively in love with you.
He loves you enough to give you everything you need.
He loves you enough to give you a purpose.
He loves you enough to care about every tear that falls from your eye.
He loves you enough to cover your sin with a costly sacrifice so that where he is, you can also be some day.
Yep, it's all true (I've been reading up on it for a while now).
So go ahead and ask him to show you if he's for real.
If you are looking for him honestly, he will show himself.
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