Reconciliation

 My favorite chapter of the entire New Testament is John 21. I can almost feel the excitement of the Apostles to see Jesus again, almost smell the fish grilling at breakfast. Feel the weight of the 153 fish that Peter miraculously carried to shore and the tension on the beach when Jesus calls Peter to account. You see this story would have little meaning if we hadn't seen what happened before. If we didn't know and feel Peter's betrayal of Jesus, the crucifixion of Jesus, and his resurrection, this small vignette could have been called spiritual conversations or brunch on the beach or some other such nonsense. It is the relationship Peter had with Christ before betrayal, the pain and anguish in which Peter betrays his Lord that we begin to understand the significance or the weight of the events in this passage.

Peter was the most vocal about his loyalty. He was public to a fault and let know one doubt where he stood with Jesus. He was the confessor, the protector, and even Jesus called him the rock he would build His church on. But here we are with one of the final moments Jesus spends with his followers there is an elephant in the room. Peter denied his Lord, broke ranks when things looked most bleak, and not once but three times to three others. He had three chances and in turn had three failures. Peter stands in front of the man he failed and we can only speculate the extremes of his discomfort upon being in the presence of the man he had pledged undying loyalty to, but was unable to overcome his own frailty to come through for.

We all want to come through for the people we love and respect. When we fall short of that, well shame is common and typical. Shame can often send the human heart into despair, especially if there is not healing from the hurt caused and suffered. After there is a break in relationship there has to be a way back to good. Every relationship is different and the paths back to good and reconciliation are as different as the people involved in them. In John 21 we see Jesus reaching out to Peter and doing two things at once. Jesus is acknowledging the rift between them that Peter caused and Jesus had prophesied, and he provides Peter with a path back to reconciliation. Make no mistake, Peter's path back to good with Jesus was not some work he needed to do, to earn grace. Peter had Jesus' grace and forgiveness, but there was another step in the process that Peter needed. Peter needed forgiveness of course, but also needed to forgive himself. He needed to know that the relationship was restored.

Whenever a statement is repeated in scripture its importance is magnified. Think about the fact that scripture was meant to be read aloud and heard by the church, repeats or refrains typically serve the point of emphasizing a point in a public speech. In a narrative they can function the same way, but furthermore in scripture three repeats signify completion. Peter do you love me? Feed my Sheep. Three times, also the same amount of times that Peter denied Jesus. Whenever this conversation is over between Jesus and Peter it seems as if it will be done and finished. No beef left to grill, no gristle to chew, no unresolved passive aggressive issues. After this conversation Jesus will have moved on and Peter is expected to have moved on as well. After this conversation the relationship will move forward. Jesus restores Peter in a way that is final and not without challenge or expectation of Peter.

I should note that what Jesus requires of Peter is not more promises of fidelity, or assurance he will not fail again. Jesus does not need anything from Peter. He has chosen already to restore the relationship. His ask, his commandment is not for Peter to pay it back, to somehow right the wrong as we all know we can never really do in a relationship. Jesus compels Peter to pay it forward, to feed and take care of his people. Peter is not earning a relationship with Jesus, he is reconciling himself back to the relationship. It is what Peter needs, not what Jesus needs.

Some Churches and Christian traditions emphasize the transactional need for forgiveness as the point of reconciliation. The point of our relationship. They are right in asserting that Jesus is our only source for grace and forgiveness, but wrong about the point. The point is the reconciliation, the point is the relationship. We are not reconciled to check a box, we are reconciled to Jesus for the relationship and the bringing of God's Kingdom to the Earth. What if forgiveness is actually the easy part, and while we can offer nothing better than grace in our relationship with Jesus, His expectations to us actually extend to encouraging and loving other followers of Jesus. We can never pay it back, but much like Peter grace and mercy must be like a river flowing out to those whom Jesus would have us meet and encourage. 

I hope that my words can always serve to encourage, and if they do not, then it will be time for me to find something else to do. We often look to the benefits of our choices and freeze up when it is less clear that there are benefits to the choices we make. Taking care of the people of God is an easy one to make, because the more I can be of service to others, the more accepting I am of God's grace to me and the healthier our relationship is. I, like Peter, need more than forgiveness to move forward in my relationship with Jesus. Like Peter I need the path back to good. We all do.