Extended Conversation with Jesus: St. Peter

Extended Conversation with Jesus: St. Peter

We know from the gospel stories that Jesus had mastered the art of conversation. Jesus proved He loved people by engaging them in any number of ways, including in conversations. One New Testament scholar reports that Jesus had about 132 personal contacts during His ministry, and 122 of those contacts were with people He met here and there in His travels from village to village, town to town, in the middle of nowhere or even in Jerusalem. Jesus made a habit of maintaining personal contact with people at all costs. He was not a mystical wise man sitting in a mountain cave waiting for the people to approach Him. He instead sought others out.

Walk, walk, walk. Sometimes it must have seemed to the disciples that’s all they did, walk one dusty trail after another. They were always on the move, constantly walking from here to there, engaging people in conversation all along the way… It is estimated by the Bible scholars who research such things that Jesus and His disciples walked an estimated 2,500-3,100 miles during their three-year ministry! They would not restrict their travels to trips from Capernaum to Jerusalem, a total of 85 miles, or from the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem (70 miles), or a journey on foot from Nazareth to Jerusalem, a total of 65 miles. But the disciples would also find themselves following Jesus to the far northern port of Tyre, 104 miles from Jerusalem, or maybe for a short jaunt to Samaria, only 42 miles from Jerusalem. Hither and yon, here and there, one conversation after the next. As renowned Chicago pastor Rev. Otis Moss said, “Jesus had a mobile ministry, going to where He was needed!”

In all His conversations:

1. It was a come one-come all openness to anyone He met along the way: clean or unclean, women or men, touchable or untouchable, outcasts or insiders, religious or nonreligious, Jewish or Gentile or even Roman! On top of that, He even wasn’t shy about talking with the dead to call them out of their “sleep!”
2. He was a Master of asking questions: some were open-ended, others were very pointed; some were out of curiosity, others were challenging; some seemed rhetorical, others seemed painfully obvious; some were to reveal Himself, others were to guide the other into self-understanding. One scholar reported that Jesus asked over 300 questions in the Gospels!
3. Many of Christ’s conversations were very short and to the point, such as with the Rich Young Ruler ( 19, Mark 10, Luke 18); the Canaanite woman ( Matt. 15, Mark 7); Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7); the conversation at the Gates of Hell in Caesaria Philippi with the disciples (Matt. 1); or even with various demons.
4. Many other conversations in the gospels were relatively short but the implication was that a longer unrecorded conversation was a part of the interaction: the preteen Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2); the hopeless demoniac at the tombs (Mark5, Luke 8); Zaccheus in Jericho at his house (Luke 19); at the dinner table of Matthew with all the town’s outcasts ( 9, Mark 2, Luke 5); or even at the Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17, Mark 9, Luke 9).
5. For all we know, Jesus may have had a hundred extended conversations in His travels and ministry, but in the gospels there are five recorded longer chats that deserve special mention: the devil himself on the Mt. of Temptation ( 4, Mark 1, Luke 4); Nicodemus (John 3); the woman at the well (John 4); Pilate (John 18-19 ); and Peter on the beach after breakfast (John 21).

Those five extended conversations of Christ mentioned above occurred with an almost preposterous variety of individuals. It is those conversations in particular that we will unpack in this section of the blog.

Shame. Peter felt bitter shame to the core of his soul. He denied he ever knew Someone who was his best friend, someone who trusted him for years. After his three denials, Matthew reports that “he went out and wept bitterly.” (Matt. 26:75). Peter wept tears of sorrow and remorse, of profound guilt. The following beach scene after Jesus’ resurrection should be seen in the context of Peter’s deep shame and how Jesus led him to the inner healing he needed so badly.

The Prelude. “After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea, the Sea of Galilee. This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, “I’m going fishing.” The rest of them replied, “We’re going with you.” They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him. Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?” They answered, “No.” He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.” They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Master!” When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren’t far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it. Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore – 153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn’t rip. Jesus said, “Come and dine! Breakfast is ready.” Not one of the disciples dared ask, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Master. Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples.” (John 21:1-14).

The Restoration. “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love (agape) me more than these others?’ Peter said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love (phileo) you like a loyal friend.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ Jesus said to Peter a second time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love (agape) me?’ Peter said again to Jesus, ‘Yes Lord; You know that I love (phileo) you like a loyal friend and brother.’ Jesus said to Peter, ‘Tend my sheep.’ Jesus said to Peter the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love (phileo) me?’ Peter was grieved because Jesus asked him three times, ‘Do you love me?’ Peter said a third time, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you like a close friend and brother.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’” (John 21:15-19).

At the beach after some fishing, Jesus was very intentional about undoing the damage of Peter’s denials. Jesus wonderfully, with insight and wisdom, gave Peter three times to confirm Peter’s love for Him. Did Jesus astutely plan on speaking with Peter with the smoke of the charcoal fire in the air around them? If smell is our strongest sense and what brings our memories to the surface, was the charcoal fire at the beach helpful to bring about Peter’s redemption, reminding Peter of how he needs his relationship with Jesus to be restored? Three times to profess his love, three times to be assured of Jesus’ forgiveness, three times to be restored, not only in Jesus’ eyes, but also in the eyes of Peter himself. Jesus gave Peter the chance to redeem himself through these three questions. Jesus removed the cloud of Peter’s denials, and in the process put the nails in the coffin of Peter’s shame. Jesus helped Peter to silence the crowing of the rooster that surely was blaring in his spirit. Jesus proceeded to display confidence in Peter, revealing that he believed in Peter enough to ask him to be the shepherd of the Christian community soon to develop in Jesus’ absence. Peter said Yes to Jesus… Yes, Jesus, I do love you; yes, Jesus, I will feed your sheep and lead your people. Yes, Jesus, I commit myself to serving you for the rest of my days. This is a profound story of Peter’s redemption.

This fascinating conversation between Jesus and Peter involved two words for love… agape love and phileo love. Jesus asked Peter twice if he loved Him with a deep, unconditional and devoted love (agape). Both times Peter responded with a phileo love, which means a personal affection like for a close friend or brother. The third time Jesus recognized that Peter at this point is not ready for agape love, but instead perfectly willing to love Jesus with phileo love. Jesus knows though, that Peter would faithfully grow into a deep agape love for Him to the point of sacrificing his very life for Him.

Thus, Peter’s long conversation with Jesus wasn’t over yet! In John 21:18-19, Jesus gives His second prophecy concerning Peter’s tragic martyrdom (see John 13:36), which Peter suffered under Nero by being crucified upside down about 67 AD. The church tradition has maintained that when the Roman executioner told Peter that he would be crucified just like his Master Jesus, Peter responded, “No, I am unworthy of that. Crucify me upside down instead.”