The Tiberius Question
John 21: 8-19
By Dave Redick
Our love for Jesus isn't measured by how warm our feelings get toward him when things are going well. Our love is measured by our tenacity to hang on and keep His commandments when it isn't comfortable.
Introduction
The little craft knifed silently through the glassy calm waters as a mist was just beginning its climb into the cool morning air. The small band of tired Galilean fishermen aboard had decided to call it quits after a fruitless night of fishing. Though weary and disappointed, they had learned to accept such failures gracefully - after all, that was the business of fishing, and everyone who has fished knows it. The distant horizon began to take on its morning colors and the only sound was the rhythmic slapping of the oars in the water as the men strained to propel their craft shoreward.
So much had happened in the last weeks that it was hard to keep one's mind of fishing. Perhaps the distraction of thoughts had been the cause of the poor results on this trip. Still vivid in the minds of each of them was the sudden turn of events - the last supper they had shared with Him, then the arrest, the trial, the awful crucifixion. They were so sure He had come from God, yet he had died as a common criminal. Even if somehow that could be explained, one brutal fact remained. He was gone. All that was left was the icy grip of fear that filled all eleven of them as they contemplated the possibility that the Jews might do the same to them.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. As hard as it was to imagine, the tomb had been found empty. The story had been circulated that some of the disciples had stolen the body. These men knew better. They had seen Him, and, even though it was still difficult to grasp for the rational min, they had seen Him alive!
His words had been short: "I will go before you to Galilee." Now they were waiting - waiting and wondering how it could all be possible.
Peter had been the one to suggest fishing - and it seemed like a good idea since they still must earn a living.
The men continued in their musing as they strained at the oars.
Suddenly, a voice echoed across the water from shore:
"Men, have you caught any fish?"
Figuring it was probably an overly eager fish merchant wanting to make an early purchase, several of them answered in unison.
"No."
"Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find a catch."
Had the stranger seen a school of fish feeding near the surface of the water? Quickly they pulled their nets from the bottom of the boat and cast them overboard. Almost instantly the lines snapped tight as the net encircled a huge school of fish.
John was the first to recognize it. This had happened before! He turned to Peter and said, "It is the Lord!"
As the realization flashed across Peter's mind, he pulled on his outer garment. He was out of the boat and into the water in a moment. The other men followed in the boat under the strain of loaded nets.
On shore, breakfast was waiting. Jesus had cooked it for them. Let's pick up the story from there in John 21.
(Read John 21: 8-19)
Since this incident took place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberius) I have called this message "The Tiberius Question." That question is, of course, the one Jesus asked Peter: "Do you love Me?"
Jesus wanted to know where Peter really stood in relation to Him. I believe He also wanted to let Peter know where He, Jesus, stood in relation to Peter.
Our relationship to Jesus and His relationship to us is important today as well.
I have distilled three questions from this passage for us to test our own level of commitment to Jesus this morning, and remind us of His commitment to us. I encourage you to consider them honestly as we ponder each one. The first is this:
1. Do We Love Jesus Enough to Endure Difficult Circumstances?
The key to understanding this passage lies in the words that Jesus and Peter used in their conversation. Our English word "love" actually translates two different words in this that have a significantly different meaning.
When Jesus asked Peter at the first, "Do you love me more than these," he used the Greek verb AGAPAO. We probably more readily recognize the noun form: AGAPE. Both noun and verb forms have very strong meanings. But when Peter answered Jesus, saying, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you," he used a different, weaker word. He used the Greek verb PHILEO. The noun form would be PHILIA.
PHILEO (the weaker word that Peter used" is a good word. It means friendship. It means warm, tender, brotherly affection. It means having a good feeling about someone or something. In fact, it’s based solely on feelings. It arises because someone is lovable. They are fun to be around. Peter could honestly say, "I have a warm, tender affection for you, Jesus."
That’s good, but it wasn't what Jesus had asked.
Jesus used the stronger word, AGAPAO. The word is much more demanding. It is like PHILEO in that it may include a fond attachment we might have to someone or something, but the similarity ends there.
I can love someone in the PHILEO sense as long as they are lovable. As long as they treat me fairly, go along with my nature, and circumstances are favorable, as long as we have a good time together, as long as I’m loved in return. But when that person crosses me, or our relationship becomes difficult, and my good feelings go away, this kind of love ceases.
In contrast to the fickle nature of this PHILIAL love, AGAPE continues loving anyway!
AGAPE is unconditional love - love that continues even it’s not fun anymore to have a person around. It is love that tenaciously hangs on through rough spots. It loves in spite of difficult circumstances. It loves through disagreements, through insults, through misunderstandings and mistreatment.
AGAPE is the love God showed us when He loved us even when we were still in our sins. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love (AGAPE) toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." This is the same idea behind Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:44 to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. It’s hard to have a warm feeling about an enemy. That’s why Jesus used the stronger word with regard to loving enemies. We pray for them even though our feelings don’t support it.
Perhaps we could say it this way:
 | PHILIA is a feeling. AGAPE is a commitment. |
| PHILIA exists when circumstances are right. AGAPE exists in spite of circumstances. |
| PHILIA is encouraged. AGAPE is commanded. |
| PHILIA comes and goes. AGAPE is permanent. |
So we need to ask ourselves, as Jesus asked Peter, "Is there a commitment in our love for Jesus or do we just love Him because it’s fun to talk about Him or be included with others who sing His praises?" That is the question Jesus asked Peter and it’s the question I’m asking you and me. Do we love Jesus with the kind of love that hangs on even when it isn’t fun?
It is great to have warm feelings about Jesus. It’s great for us to sing praises to Him and feeling good about what He does for us. But if that is all we have, then we’re missing the point of Jesus’ question.
Suppose Jesus’ love for us had been the kind of love Peter responded with. Jesus, as He was put onto the cross, might have said,
"Hey, this isn't any fun anymore. I didn’t bargain for this! I’m being crucified and those who said they loved me are all running away. That beating really hurt! And they're about to put those nails through my hands and feet. I don't feel good about this anymore. Angels, get me down from here!"
There are no good feelings hanging on a cross.
Had Jesus love been based on feelings you and I would be headed for hell. But we know He didn't quit. Why? Because of love – a love that was a commitment first.
Our love for Jesus isn't measured by how warm our feelings get toward him when things are going well. Our love is measured by our tenacity to hang on and keep His commandments when it isn't comfortable. So again I ask, do we love Jesus?
A friend of my family, a dear Christian sister, this very moment will have to answer that question in a situation I’m sure she would rather avoid. At 7:40 P.M. this past Friday, her husband and teenage son were involved in a head-on collision. Billy, the son, survived unhurt, but his father was killed instantly. I’ve been in John and Sherry’s home on a number of occasions. They loved the Lord. They’ve been in the church for many years. I recall a number of good discussions John and I had in my office down in Redding, as we both tried to better understand the will of God. But now John is gone and those closest to him who remain will wrestle with new questions surrounding their commitment to Christ.
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Do we love Jesus enough to endure difficult circumstances?
A second question derived from this passage is this:
2. Do We Love Jesus More than the Things of this World?
If you look again very closely at this passage, you will notice that the first time Jesus asked the question, He asked, "Do you love me more than these?" What do you suppose He meant by "these"?
He may have looked around at all that fishing equipment that Peter loved so much. If that were the case, then Jesus was asking, "Do you love me more than your boat, your nets, and your other fishing gear?" Most fishermen that I know love to tinker with their tackle. They go through it again and again to make sure everything is just right. They get very attached to all of it. The same is true for many other pursuits.
It’s nothing new for people to love their possessions more than they love the Lord. The truth becomes evident as they desert the things of the Lord in order to keep up with the demands of their possessions. "Sorry, we don't have time to do anything for the Lord anymore. We’d love to make it to church, but we’re so busy! We have to make all our payments.
So the question here may be, "Do we love Jesus more than the trappings of this life?"
Or, Jesus could have been looking around at the other disciples when He said, "Do you love Me more than these?" In that case He would have meant, "Do you love me more than these closest friends and relatives around you?"
How many times have we seen a woman desert the Lord because her husband wouldn't come along and serve Christ? How many times have we seen young people get their eyes on a boyfriend or girlfriend and totally desert the things of God in order to pursue the relationship? How many times have we seen someone go against the direct teaching of the Bible on divorce and leave their mate for another person.
Jesus said in Matthew 10:37, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." Luke 14:26 extended that to brothers and sisters and even to one's own life.
Tell me, is there any person, place, or thing that you put ahead of Christ?
There is nothing wrong with having things. There is nothing wrong with having relationships. The issue is what comes first.
I played second string on the basketball team in my freshman year of High School. I say "played" because I practiced with the team. During games I warmed the bench. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it now, but I quit. Somehow, sitting there hoping that Joe Starplayer would turn his ankle so I could play just didn't appeal to me.
Playing second string to some other god in our lives doesn't interest Jesus, either. If we put Him on the bench in our lives, we shouldn’t be surprised that He doesn’t stay.
Do we love Jesus more than our people and our possessions?
The third question is perhaps the toughest one:
3. Do We Love Jesus More than Life Itself?
When Jesus asked Peter these questions it was in the context of what lay in Peter's future. Peter would die the death of a martyr. Look at verse 19 again: "Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God."
In one sense I feel totally inadequate to ask you if you would be willing to die for Christ because obviously I have never been called upon to die for Him. Few 21st century American Christians have. But if we are to really mirror this passage, we need to ask that question. How would you answer it?
You may remember how 17 year-old Cassie Bernall answered the question back in April of 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Faced with the question of whether or not she was a Christian, Cassie looked down the barrel of the guns of killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, said "yes."
Frankly, I want to believe that if I were called upon to die for the Lord, I would be willing. Perhaps, if my faith continues to grow in the direction it is growing, there can be more certainty of that every day.
For some, though, I think it is a foolish question, because how could a person say he or she would be willing to die for Christ if they had never really decided to live for Him? There is no point in talking about college when you haven't yet enrolled in the first grade.
Actually, this question of Peter dying for Jesus may be at the root of Peter's reluctance to use the word AGAPE. Remember, at one time Peter had foolishly boasted that He would be willing to die for Jesus. So did the other disciples. But when they arrested Jesus, Peter denied three times that he even knew Him! Some suggest that Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times because of Peter's thrice denial.
You and I may have the same reluctance if we have let Jesus down in the past. "Yes, Lord, I have very warm feelings about you, but I’m afraid to say I’m really committed because when I did that before, I let you down."
If that is the way you feel, then notice what Jesus said to Peter each time that Peter answered Him. He said,
| Tend My lambs. |
| Shepherd My sheep. |
| Tend My sheep. |
Jesus was reinstating Peter to his former position! Though he had let Jesus down, Peter was receiving another opportunity to commit to Jesus with his whole heart. And Peter did commit with His whole heart this time.
Could it be that someone here needs another opportunity to commit because of some failure in the past? If so, I would say to you that if Jesus would reinstate Peter, He will reinstate you.
Have you been untrue to Him? Would you like another opportunity? Then the Lord will give it to you. Perhaps you are hanging back on a total commitment just as Peter was. I'm here to tell you that you don't have to hold back. There is a place for you in the service of the kingdom still if you are willing to love Him.
Conclusion
Patrick Morley, in Man in the Mirror, tells about a group of fishermen who landed in a secluded bay in Alaska and had a great day fishing for salmon. But when they returned to their seaplane, it was aground because of the fluctuating tides. They had no option except to wait until the next morning till the tides came in. But when they took off, they only got a few feet off the ground and then crashed into the sea. Being aground the day before had punctured one of the pontoons, and it had filled up with water.
The seaplane slowly began to sink. The three men and a 12-year-old son of one of them, Mark, prayed and then jumped into the icy waters to swim to shore. The water was cold, and the riptide was strong, and two of the men reached the shore exhausted. They looked back, and their companion, who was also a strong swimmer, did not swim to shore because his 12-year-old son wasn’t strong enough to make it. They saw that father with his arms around his son being swept out to sea. He chose to die with his son rather than to live without him.
That is the quality of love with which God loves you and me. It is also the quality of love we need to return to Him.
So I ask you this morning, do you love Jesus? More than people? More than things? More than life?
Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.
Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.
All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.
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