Who is Jesus? Chapter 57 Jesus asks “Do you Love Me?”

 

Who is Jesus? Chapter 57 Jesus asks “Do you Love Me?”

Today we are retelling more of the times during the 40 days after his resurrection that Jesus appeared to many of his followers: 

Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene as she wept outside the empty tomb. Jesus asked her why are you weeping? She replied, they have taken my Lord and I don't know where he is. Then Jesus called her name “Mary,” and she dried her eyes to get a better look and realized this was Jesus.  She was so excited and happy that she wanted to bow down and kiss his feet, but he told her, please don't touch me, because I have not yet appeared before my Father.

This was because Jesus had just risen from the dead, and according to the sacrificial laws, he needed to present his blood before God the Father as evidence that the new covenant was now in effect. Mary was overjoyed that Jesus was alive, and she ran to tell the others, I have seen the Lord. But they did not believe her and considered her as just a silly woman.

After Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, Luke chapter 24 tells us about two men traveling on the road to Emmaus: 

Luke 24:13 “Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. 17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” 18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” 19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.” 25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. 30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 

You might wonder Who were these two men? Were they two of Jesus' twelve apostles? Their names were "Cleopas" and "Simon", and they were His disciples and followers in the larger sense of the term.

Do they see Jesus as their Savior?   No, they saw Jesus as a "Prophet" who was going to redeem Israel from the present government.  This was the opinion much like His twelve apostles saw Jesus as a prophet and expected Jesus to free the Jewish nation from the Romans and set himself up as king.

The two men returned to Jerusalem and told the disciples, we have seen the Lord, but the disciples were still in unbelief. Thomas said, I will not believe unless I have proof in person, and we know he meant to put his fingers in the nail prints, and his hand into the side of Jesus.

Soon after Jesus appeared to them all in a locked room, and Thomas was there,

Jesus said to Thomas, “behold my hands, and my feet, and my side.” This time Thomas fell down and worshiped Jesus, saying “Oh my Lord and my God.”

John records that after appearing to Thomas and the others; Jesus again revealed himself to seven of the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this. Simon Peter, said to Thomas, Nathaniel, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples; “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but after toiling all night they caught nothing.

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. And He called to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No, we have caught nothing.”

Jesus said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they did as he asked, and now they were not able to haul the net in, because of the large amount of fish.

John said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea in order to reach Jesus.

The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter went aboard and helped haul the net ashore, full of large fish, a total of 153. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and also gave them some of the broiled fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples in a group after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”  He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Now Peter was getting a bit aggravated because Jesus had said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and Peter said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. And after saying this Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.”

You might wonder why Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you Love Me?” You see the verb to Love has a variety of meanings. We “LOVE” to eat our favorite foods, and love means we “LIKE” certain things. We love our neighbors, but not in the same way we love our family. This love is traditional, and a duty as we respect and honor one another. There is “Romantic love,” when we love our spouse, and adore him or her because they are a gift to us from God. Then there is the supernatural Love of God that we can share.

Each time Peter answered, he used a simple term for the word love, but he increased its strength each time. Finally, Jesus asked Peter if he could love Him with Agape Love – the God Kind of Love that envelopes emptying of self and throwing oneself on the altar of sacrifice. It was then that Jesus said, yes, indeed you shall love me like this, now “Follow Me.”

Jesus is asking each of us the same question; “Do you love me enough to follow and obey whatever I ask of you?” Often, we hesitate, but the true answer should be: “Yes Jesus, I love you enough follow you and to trust and obey for it will be worth it all to follow Jesus.”