Why Peter Followed Jesus

Why Peter Followed Jesus

In the gospel of John, the 21st chapter, Jesus meets His disciples on the Sea of Galilee one morning and after breakfast He takes Peter for a walk. During the meeting:

Jesus uses Peter’s full name shows the seriousness of this meeting.
Jesus asks Peter three times “do you love Me?” which stands in contrast to Peter’s three denials of Him.
Why the question of Love?

Because Love is what God wants from us more than anything else!
It is the number one commandment that God wants from us.
This is what sets Christianity apart from other faiths. It is not a religion but a spiritual love relationship between God and mankind.
Key verse:

John 21:15-17, New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Love Motivation

15 So 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, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again 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, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

Some questions to ponder in your growth groups this week:

1. What was something you learned or what particularly stood out to you from the sermon on Sunday?

2. Do you think Peter was open with the other disciples about his failure of publicly denying Jesus on the boat or do you think he kept his shame and guilt deep within himself? What would you have done? What has been your pattern in the past?

3. When you think about God’s unconditional love for you and what Jesus did on the cross for you, how does that make you feel? How does this love impact your life?

4. When have you most experienced the love of God toward you?

5. Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you felt like Peter? (when you have let God down). Or maybe you have felt that He is disappointed in/with you. What were the circumstances and how did you work that out with God?

6. As Jesus asked these questions to confront Peter with his sin and prepare him for his commission of service, how does God challenge us to prepare us for our service to Him?

7. How should the teaching from Sunday stimulate the way we live our lives today?