Follow Me

This past Sunday we worked through the beginning of Acts 2 in our small groups at church.  Lucky for me, I get to hear the lesson twice every week.  The first is in our adult small group and the second being when we meet with our middle schoolers.  It is nice to be able to hear the same passage two times and both times are a little different.  

This particular lesson had me thinking the entire time about a different passage.  My favorite passage in all of Scripture is John 21.  This passage to me shows love in a way that many of us have trouble understanding.  It is beautiful and it is difficult.  This passage is a conversation between Jesus and Peter.  Yes, Peter.  The same Peter who in previous passages has said things that you know he regrets.  The same Peter who had just recently denied this Jesus three times.  Yet, in this passage he is restored.  He is not just restored but he is given a mission and a purpose.  

Then you have Acts 2.  Look at verse 14.  

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them...

Peter in John 21 is asked three times by Jesus, "do you love me?"  And three times he says yes.  The third time it says he is grieved when answering.  Peter in that moment realizes what Jesus is doing.  He realizes that this Jesus not only forgives him, he loves him and he has a plan for him.  This plan is not easy, this plan is not going to look like what Peter has thought of.  This plan is ultimately going to cost him his life.  

Jesus concludes this whole passage with two words, Follow Me.

I read acts 2 differently yesterday.  Peter remembered what he had been told just a few weeks ago and he obeys.  

Thank you Jesus for doing the same thing for us today.  We screw up and we do it often.  But you forgive us, you restore us and ultimately you ask us to follow you.  You ask us to do things that don't make sense to us, things that scare us and things that we often do not want to do.  However, you tell us it is worth it.  You tell us that you have gone before us and that you have sent the Spirit to walk with us.