Restored: Do You Love Me?
Month 7: He Is Risen! — Why We Believe · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 21:15–17
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.” 16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” “Lord, You know all things,” he replied. “You know I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
Memory Verse
“Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me and see—for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.””— Luke 24:39 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Isaiah 35–36; 2 Chronicles 28
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 200 of 365 — the desert blooms in Isaiah, and the dark days of King Ahaz unfold.)The Heart of It
Just a few weeks earlier, Peter had said he didn't even know Jesus. He said it three times, around a charcoal fire, while Jesus was on trial. The shame must have followed Peter everywhere. So when the risen Jesus cooked breakfast on the beach over a charcoal fire, He gently led Peter back to that hurt. Three times He asked, "Simon… do you love Me?" Three denials, three chances to say yes. It must have stung. The Bible says Peter was deeply hurt. But Jesus wasn't rubbing salt in the wound. He was healing it. Each time Peter said, "Yes, Lord, You know I love You," Jesus gave him a job. "Feed My lambs… Shepherd My sheep… Feed My sheep." The risen Lord didn't just forgive Peter. He restored him and gave him his calling back.
This is how Jesus' love works. He doesn't write us off when we fail. He comes looking for us. He follows us all the way back to our most painful memories, and He calls us home. And notice what real love looks like, according to Jesus. It is not just warm feelings. It is caring for His people. It is feeding and tending His sheep. To love Jesus is to love and serve the people He loves. When we mess up, Jesus gives us a fresh start. And then He hands us something to do. Restored people become caring people. The same Peter who once ran scared would soon lay down his life for the flock. That is what happens when love that has been forgiven so much pours itself out for others.
Around the Table
Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love Me?" Peter said yes! And Jesus gave him a job: take care of My sheep.
Let's do it: Say "I love You, Jesus!" three times, holding up a finger each time.
Peter had let Jesus down. But Jesus forgave him and gave him important work to do. Jesus does that for us too.
Let's talk: Who is someone you can care for, the way Peter was told to care for the sheep?
Three denials, three chances to say "I love You." Jesus restores us at the very place we failed. And loving Him means serving His people.
Let's go deeper: Is there a failure you've been hiding from God? How does Peter's story change the way you bring it to Jesus?
💬 Conversation Starter
Has a friend ever forgiven you, and then trusted you with something important again? How did that feel? That is exactly what Jesus did for Peter.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Would the early church really make up a story where their top leader looks so bad? In it, Peter denies Jesus and then gets questioned in front of everyone. Embarrassing details like this are a mark of honest history, not legend. People don't make up stories that humiliate their heroes. Share this kindly when someone doubts the Gospels ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
There's a whole theology of fathering tucked into this scene. Jesus pursues the one who failed. He names the wound without shaming. He makes the relationship sure ("do you love Me?") before He gives the assignment ("feed My sheep"). That order matters. Many of us are tempted to lead with the task. We fix the behavior, hand out the chore, correct the failure. But all the while our kids are left unsure of where they stand with us. Jesus restores the relationship first, and then He gives the calling. When your child fails, resist the urge to write them off or pile on guilt. Pursue them. Tell them again that you love them. And then call them upward. Grace-first leadership produces obedience that flows from being loved, not from fear of being rejected.
Draws on: Paul Tripp, Parenting; and Tony Evans, Kingdom Man.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, thank You that You don't give up on us when we fail. You forgive us, restore us, and give us good work to do. Help us love You by caring for the people You love. In Jesus' name, amen."
Jesus restores me at the place I failed, and He trusts me to care for His sheep.