FRIDAY- 7^TH WEEK OF EASTER -A

I Reading: Acts 25:13-21: A dead man called Jesus whom Paul alleged to be alive.

Gospel: John 21:15-19: Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.

The Great Question of a Disciple’s Love and Devotion, Jn 21:15-17

This is a critical passage for the church and its ministers. It has one great lesson: Love is the one basic essential for ministry. Without love, ministry counts for nothing in God’s eyes. This passage concerns three questions asked by our Lord. There are three kinds of  love according to Greek language: agape (sacrificial love), phileo (relational love) and eros (feelings or emotional love).

1. After the meal, Jesus focussed on Peter (v.15)

2. Do you love me more than these? (v.15)

a. Pointed to disciples

b. Pointed to fishing equipment

c. Feed my lambs

3. Do you love me with God’s love-love me enough to feed my people? (v.16)

a. God’s love (agape)=sacrificial love of God

b. Peter’s love (phileo)=blood relationship or relative love of Peter, (erotic love)=emotional or feelings or attractions love of people

c. Feed my sheep/tend my sheep

4. Do you love me as a royal brother-love me with agape love or phileo love? (v.17)

a. Lord’s love (agape)=sacrificial love

b. Peter’s love (phileo)=relational love

c.  Feed my sheep

thought: Agape love is a seed that can be planted in the heart only by Christ. It is a fruit of the Spirit of God. It is a great love that God holds for His Son (Jn 15:10; 17:26). Agape love was perfectly expressed when God gave up His own Son to die for humanity (2Cor 5:14;Eph 2:4;3:19;5:2).

Agape love holds believers together as Jesus held his disciples for three years. Agape love is the love believers are to have for one another (Jn 13:33-35; 1 Jn 3:17-18). Agape love is the love which believers are to have for all people (1Cor 16:14; 1Th 3:12; 2Pet 1:7). Thus agape love seeks the welfare of all, works no ill to its neighbour, seeks opportunities to do good to all especially to those of the household of faith and is proven by obedience to Christ. Doing as one wishes instead of doing as God wills shows that one does not have agape love. (Jn 14:15,21,23;15:10;1Jn 2:5;5:3; 2Jn 1:6)

Thought: The greatest of all tragedies is that some still do not accept and believe the Lord’s death and resurrection despite the irrefutable evidence.

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