Jesus and Peter 04/19/2026

Intro: So that you can see where I’m going with this talk, I’ll start with a question:

What was the primary responsibility Jesus gave to Peter?
– if you’re not sure, then listen to what I’m about to read,
• because Jesus makes Peter’s assignment absolutely clear

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep” John 21:15–17

◦ Peter’s calling was to devote himself to the care of Jesus’ sheep
• these are not Peter’s sheep – Jesus refers to them as, “my sheep”
◦ the Lord did not tell Peter to use the sheep to make a fortune for himself
◦ in fact, from now on, his life wasn’t his own, and it would not be easy or what he would choose for himself
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself ad walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. . . .” “Follow me.” (v. 19)
– giving Peter this responsibility, Jesus answers his own prayer in Matthew:
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” (Mt. 9:36-38)
• a long time ago, I heard someone say,
“It must be nice being a preacher; you only have to work one day a week”
◦ when Paul felt some members of the Corinthian church had turned on him,
▫ he described all of the hardships he endured for them and the other churches in his care
◦ most of it what he suffered was far more extreme than most pastors ever experience,
▫ but when he comes to the end of his list he adds,
“And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28)
I believe the “pressure” of human need–physical, mental, and spiritual–is something all true pastors experience
• that may not be the case for many mega-church pastors
◦ I’m pretty sure that those posts are handled best by narcissists
(you simply cannot have empathy for, or carry all the burdens of 500, 1,000, 5,000 members)
◦ there are many good people exhausting themselves for much smaller Christian communities

The shepherd care-giver is one of the warmest images in scripture
– this was not a typical opinion in the ancient Mideast
• shepherding was a chore for children and slaves
◦ adult shepherds were largely looked down upon
Bruce Malina, “Although shepherds could be romanticized . . . , they were usually ranked with . . . despised occupations. Being away from home at night they were unable to protect their women and therefore were considered dishonorable. In addition, they often were considered thieves because they grazed their flocks on other people’s property.”
◦ in scripture, “shepherd” it is the chief metaphor for leadership
• more than one prophet use this metaphor to rip into Israel’s leaders
“‘Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!’” declares the LORD” (Jer. 23:1)
“Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd . . . .” (Eze. 34:2-5)
◦ these were both religious and civil leaders
– there are many angry men with women behind pulpits today
• red-face, veins in their neck popping out, shouting at the sheep
◦ it’s like they’re trying to soothe their own inner turmoil by screaming at their kids
• others are almost too calm, hiding their rage, and smiling as they strike

Perhaps the worst shepherds serve to highlight the best

One of God’s promises to Israel was,
“And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer. 3:15)
– in a beautifully poetic promise in Ezekiel, God says,
“I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out” and then describes how he will rescue them, provide pasture for them, and protect them so that they “shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel” (Eze. 34:11-16)
• this kind of care is what stirs tender feelings toward shepherd
• like in Jesus’ parable of the shepherd searching for a lost sheep
◦ the he adds a detail that creates a sense of affection: “carrying it on his shoulders”
– of course, the classic expression of the shepherd metaphor is Psalm 23
• this is precisely the role in which Jesus places himself
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me” (Jn. 10:14)
◦ and it is the job description that he passes on to Peter
• however, prior to Jesus, there was another stellar prototype

The Bible’s introduction of David into its history is symbolic

It reveals something about David, with something something about God’s call on his life
“There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep” (1 Sam. 16:11)
– when Israel came to David to embrace him as their king, their representatives announced,
“. . . it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel . . .” (2 Sam. 5:2)
◦ later, God sent a prophet to David with this message
“I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel” (2 Sam. 7:8)
◦ this is remembered and celebrated in Psalm 78
“He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
from following the nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.
With upright heart he shepherded them
and guided them with his skillful hand” (vv. 70-72)
– it is one of the sad traits of our human nature,
that we easily adjust to any increase of wealth and influence
• upward mobility changes people
◦ they become accustomed to luxuries, they assume they need first-class products and accessories
• this dark cloud passed over David’s life, and it brought tragedy with it

Nearing the end of his life, David hardly resembles the young shepherd with his father’s flock in hills around Bethlehem
– I think David lost sight of this shepherd aspect of leadership
• he developed an expectation to be served rather than to serve
• not long before is death, he got it into his head to do something very wrong
◦ his general, Joab, strongly opposed his decision
◦ but King David stubbornly stuck to his plan and gave the order
– afterward, it was not only David that suffered, but the nation
• when he saw the harm he had caused, it broke him
◦ he cried out to God in confession, “I have sinned greatly”
“And David said to God, ‘Was it not I who gave the command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done?” (1 Chr. 21:17)
• how I understand this, is that David had lost sight of this facet of his rule;
◦ that is, until he witnessed the suffering it caused his people
◦ that’s when it came back to him; that he was a shepherd and the people were not his subjects, but God’s sheep

All of what I’ve said, was my meditation yesterday morning

And it got me thinking about you
– each week I have a task to perform, and that is to bring a message from scripture to you
• my typical approach is to decide what I think you need to hear
◦ so it’s more about what I assume is best for us, than it is about what you may actually need
• I want to be a better shepherd than that
◦ what difference does it make how much you know, if it’s not relevant to what you need
– some of us are passing through very difficult times
• what does God have for us, to get across this bridge?
• pray for me, that I do a better job of responding to your needs

Conclusion: There’s one more thing I want to draw from John
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them . . . . When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me” John 21:20-22

“What is that to you?” – a great line!
You have your instruction, “Follow me”
we get stressed over what others do or say, and Jesus tells us,
“Stay in your own lane. You have your assignment – they have theirs”
We know people who must have an opinion about everything
But I find relief when Jesus says, “What is that to you?”
It removes excess pressure from my mind and body
We don’t need to babysit or police everyone else
It’s a waste of energy trying to correct everyone;
especially those who don’t want correction

When you get all worked up over something this week,
see if it will help if you can hear Jesus say,
“What is that to you? You follow Me”