Words of Life: An Enduring Legacyনমুনা

Legacy of love: new heights of love.

Rembrandt’s 1642 masterpiece The Night Watch, displayed in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, has a dramatic history. In 1911, an attempt was made to slash it with a shoemaker’s knife. In 1975, it was vandalised with a bread knife. In 1990, it was sprayed with acid. What do you think its owners did each time? Asking Rembrandt to paint another was impossible, and its value made discarding it unthinkable. Instead, after each attack, the painting was painstakingly restored – because things of great significance are worth restoring.

This is perhaps why Jesus meets Peter on a beach towards the end of John’s Gospel. Despite Peter’s failure, Jesus doesn’t reject or replace him. He doesn’t try to look for a new rock on which to build his Church. Instead, Jesus seeks Peter out. Notably, Jesus meets Peter by ‘a fire of burning coals’ (John 21:9 NIV), or anthrakia – a word used only once more in the New Testament, earlier, in John 18:18, when Peter denies Jesus by a fire of burning coals. Jesus intentionally meets Peter at his place of failure, demonstrating his deep love and desire to restore him.

Jesus makes it clear that his love for Peter is great, and that Peter is of great value. Jesus, however, also seeks a response: ‘Do you love me?’ he asks three times. This repeated question isn’t to shame Peter but to restore him. After each of Peter’s responses, Jesus calls him back to his purpose: ‘Feed my lambs’ (John 21:15 NIV), ‘Take care of my sheep’ (John 21:16 NIV) and ‘Feed my sheep’ (John 21:17 NIV). This is at the heart of Christian living – accepting God’s grace and stepping back into his purpose. Jesus meets us in our failure – not to discard us, but to demonstrate his love and to restore us.