This Week's Story
click here to play audioWhy does Jesus ask, "Peter, do you love me?"
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
I'm going fishing.
Simon Peter looked at the serious sad faces of his friends. He understood. He announced, “I’m going fishing.”
“We’re going with you. We’ll fish all night. Then, who knows what might happen?”
For three years they had travelled with Jesus. They never could anticipate what might happen when they were with Him. He had power they did not understand. He was their teacher and loved friend. People called them the disciples of Jesus.
Their last few days had changed them permanently. Helplessly they had seen Jesus arrested, tortured, and crucified.
Though Roman soldiers guarded his tomb to prevent the stealing of His body, He arose three days after his burial. He appeared where the disciples were meeting behind locked doors. They were filled with joy. He said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
On their fishing trip He again appeared. They knew the best place for fishing--the Sea of Galilee. It was the most beautiful and largest fresh-water lake in Israel with plenty of fish to catch.
It had no sharks or jellyfish. Nothing in it stung or caused an itch. The lake was thirteen miles long and seven miles wide! They knew to be alert for surprise storms.
As the men fished all night, they used linen nets, which the fish could not see clearly. Still no fish were caught. As the men neared the shore in the morning, a man standing there called, “Have you caught any fish?”
“No.”
“Throw out your net on the right-hand side of your boat. You will catch many fish.”
They followed the man’s directions. The net became so full of fish that they could not pull it into the shore.
John, one of Simon’s friends, called, “Peter, it is the Lord!”
Peter jumped into the water and swam ashore. The other men brought their boat to shore with the net dragging with fish. There they saw bread and a fire with fish frying on it.
Jesus directed, “Bring some of the fish you have caught.” As Peter grabbed fish, he found the net had not broken. There were 153 good-sized fish in it, including tilapia, sardines, and catfish.
After breakfast Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, do you love me more than these?”
What did He mean? Simon answered, “You know that I love you.”
“Then feed my sheep.”
Jesus asked again, “Simon, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
“Then, care for my sheep.”
He paused. “Simon, do you love me?”
Simon was sad that Jesus asked him the question three times. “Lord, you know everything! You know that I love you.”
“Then feed my sheep. Follow me.”
Years later John, one of the disciples, wrote the book of John, which is part of the Bible. He ended with these words, “This is that disciple who saw these events and recorded them here. And, we all know that this account of these things is accurate.
“And I suppose that if all the other things Jesus did were written down, the whole world could not contain the books.”
This is Barbara Steiner with a Bible story to chew upon.
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