Word of the Week: John 21:15–19
June 5, 2019
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to lead a trip to Israel with my old office at Liberty University. Traveling overseas is an adventure, to say the least, and traveling with over five dozen students and leaders made for an even more exciting—and tiring!—trip.
The tendency a lot of people have when visiting Israel is to over-spiritualize things… “Oh, look at this dirt! This was what the disciples would have walked on!” While something of this nature may sound a bit peculiar, I honestly came more with an attitude of apathy. “Okay, this is great, but don’t get yourself caught up in all the various sales pitches thrown out in the marketplace.” (There are indeed hundreds upon hundreds of people trying to sell you things there, for what it’s worth!)
What I found, however, was a remarkable time that has brought the Bible to life in very meaningful ways for me. For instance, as I was preaching on John 21 this past week, I could recall vividly stopping at the likely site where Christ restored Peter as an Apostle and called him to feed his sheep as a pastor.
At this point in my life, I had been personally experiencing a very rough, lengthy season where my faith was being tested unlike any other trial before. Yet, as I was looking out upon the sea (pictured below), I could recall how Christ tended to Peter in a loving, sensitive way, fully aware of all that Peter himself was struggling with.
I picked up two stones from that beach and took them home with me. One I gave to a friend who was going through this same difficult time in the ministry with me, and one I kept for myself. It’s not as though there is something unique or special about this stone, but it has served me over the past few years as a reminder of God’s faithfulness in the midst of the unknown. He is sovereign and he deeply cares for the wellbeing of his flock.
Christ is the one who feeds his sheep. He knows our needs, our weaknesses, our frailties, and our sufferings better than we ourselves can comprehend. And the beauty in the midst of our brokenness is this: by his Spirit, he uses these times of introspection to draw our eyes heavenward.
