“Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.” John 21:19b
“Follow Me!” The first time Peter every heard those words uttered from the mouth of Jesus was the day He first meet Him. As a fisherman by trade Peter I’m sure had plans for his fishing business. He was obviously good at it as fishing had become a way of life for Peter. It’s probably all Peter knew how to do and was well within his comfort zone.
All of that changed however that day he met Jesus. Having never met him before, Jesus approached Peter and asked to borrow His boat so that He could push away from the shore and speak to the crowd. Afterwards He asked Peter to go out in the water for a distance and cast out his nets, to which Peter slightly protested saying, “we’ve fished all night and caught nothing, but nevertheless we will do it.” Peter, thinking he knew a little something about fishing was in utter shock as his nets were so full of fish they began to tear. So full in fact that he had to yell for some help from another boat just to haul in the load. That encounter ended with Jesus calling Peter to a whole new way of life, with the words “Come follow me,” to which Peter excepted becoming a disciple of Jesus.
Now, three and a half years later Jesus brings Peter back to that same moment but in a whole new way. New, because Peter would get to personally experience the forgiveness and grace of God through Jesus that he could only know post cross and resurrection. Now, because Peter had really blown it in his denial of Jesus felt the only thing he good do was to return back to a life of fishing. But, that’s not at all what Jesus had in mind for Peter. Jesus’ plan for Peter’s life to become a “fisher of men” didn’t change just because Peter blew it. God’s plan for Peter remained the same and after Jesus had Peter retract his denial, Peter got re-called when Jesus said those two familiar words “follow me.”
Have you ever felt that your wrongdoing has undone the plans that Jesus has for you? Then just like Peter you can take comfort in knowing that’s just not the way the grace, love and forgiveness of Jesus works. Today, let Jesus re-call you by excepting His invitation to leave the past behind and follow Him.