Post-Easter Ponderings

​|| Meanwhile, after the resurrection... God's just stirred this up in me... ||
Peter believed Jesus was his Savior. That was easy for Peter and the others because they were so desperately looking for someone to save them from the Romans. Seeing Jesus as our Savior can be harder for us because we think we've already found our savior: ourselves... Our spouse... Political leaders... Our jobs... Our addictions...
But, when Jesus ended up not raising an army against the Romans, and not saving himself after he was arrested, and then fully dying on the cross, they no longer believed he was the Savior they were looking for. So, they went back to fishing.
Peter believed Jesus was Lord. They called Him that all of the time. They called Him "Lord", "Master", "Teacher"... But it was really just Lord in the apprentice-sense. In the Rabbai-disciple sense. Not in the Jesus is my Lord-Sovereign-over-my-life-&-this-world-sense.
John 21 redefined things for Peter. Before John 21, Jesus washed the disciples' feet, knowing 2 would betray him: Judas and Peter. Peter, who followed Jesus closely, denied Jesus 3 times when the walls were closing in. He said he never would, but did. Sound familiar? When that danged rooster crowed, Peter realized what he'd done. I can pretty well imagine the guilt and shame he felt. I've denied Jesus-chosen to please people over Jesus. Chosen safety over my Savior. But, what makes me more obsessed about Jesus every time I hear it is, John 21. In this, we see blatant redemption and restoration. "At dawn, Jesus appeared to the disciples..."- this verse illustrating how "his mercies are {literally} new each morning" - (Lam 3:22). Verse 9 says that when the disciples met Jesus on shore, He had breakfast made for them. One of the many reasons I love Jesus is because He's all about a good meal... He's about extending Hospitality to heal the hostile. Peter denied Jesus 3 times and in these beautiful verses, sitting around breakfast, Jesus gives Peter 3 chances to tell Him he loves Him. And with each time, Jesus reinstates and repurposes Peter. This Jesus who had recently risen, raised Peter back to life. This Jesus who had been denied, deemed Peter worthy. I'm so grateful that this is the God I serve. This God full of grace. This God who uses acts of hospitality to fill us with a substantiated hope. I pray this spurs us on to do the same for others. For our good and His glory!