Text: John 21:1-19
“…the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” —1 Peter 5:10
The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov came up with the idea of conditioned reflexes. In simple terms, it means that stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal. For example, I see this principle play out with my cat frequently. Anytime I use the word “foodie,” she goes crazy and begins to salivate. That word is a stimulus that has produced a conditioned response in my feline.
In the account of Peter, Jesus used the stimulus of a rooster crow to create a reconditioned spiritual reflex that would cause Peter to rise above his greatest failure. In this week’s devotional text (John 21:1-19), the most extraordinary event in the history of the world had just taken place; the Son of God had conquered the grave by rising from the dead… (Easter is now over)… and Peter just wants to go fishing. Three years earlier, Jesus found Peter on the shores of Galilee and told him to leave the family fishing business and follow Him. He did, abandoning everything. Yet just before the crucifixion, Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crows (Luke 22:31-34). And he did.
This was likely the saddest moment in Peter’s life. He had let down the One Person Who believed in him when he didn’t even believe in himself; the One Who loved him more than any other person ever could. It was an epic failure. But Jesus had a plan to restore him. And now after the resurrection, the festivities of the Unleavened Bread had passed and the disciples had left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee. The disciples had already witnessed the risen Jesus with their very own eyes, and now Peter says, “I am going fishing.”
It is important to remember that Peter and the disciples went to Galilee because Jesus told them to (Matthew 28:7, 28:10). What we don’t know for sure is why Peter decided to go back to trying to catch fish after Jesus commissioned him to be a fisher of men. Some scholars have speculated that this was a compromised return to a former occupation while others say it was simply a wise and practical thing to do until Jesus gave them further instructions. We do see them being industrious though not having any success. Maybe Peter is overcome with regret over his failure and no longer thinks of himself worthy to be a disciple. When we fail God, there is a natural inclination to just go back to the old way of living. Satan would’ve loved to keep Peter on that boat for rest of his life and miss out on all that Jesus had planned for him.
Then in John 21:4, “Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore,” asking them, “Children, do you have any fish?” Can you sense a hint of sarcasm in Jesus’ words? Of course you didn’t catch anything—you were fishing without me! Eventually they came to shore, and after having breakfast together, Jesus sets his eyes on Peter to restore his leadership, recommission his purpose, and recondition his reflexes. He asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter may have been a little insulted by the repetition here, but it seems to be intentional. He had failed Jesus three times and now Jesus is going to restore him three times. Peter may have given up on himself, but Jesus hadn’t given up on Peter, or his calling (Romans 11:29).
Imagine being Peter and waking up every morning to the sound of a rooster crowing. What a way to start the day! Hey, Peter, here’s a little reminder of your greatest failure! Good morning! Enjoy your day! But here Jesus shows up at the break of day, while roosters are still crowing, to recondition Peter’s spiritual reflexes so that he no longer lives reactionary to the guilt, but rhythmically in God’s grace.
Roosters might crow every day for the rest of Peter’s life, but he has been restored… he has been reconditioned to hear that call as a stimulus of the restorative goodness and the mercy of His gracious God. He will never see his failure the same again, nor His God. Now Peter is truly ready to follow Jesus because his reflexes have been reconditioned to live in the grace instead of the guilt. Now those roosters don’t have to be so annoying every morning! Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
God, we thank you for loving us despite ourselves. Help us to see your goodness in the way that you forgive, restore, and recommission us, even when we have failed miserably. Holy Spirit, continue to recondition our spiritual reflexes that we would live in grace over guilt. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for personal reflection, small group discussion, or dinner table conversations:
- When have you struggled with a failure in your life?
- What did Jesus ask His disciples to do once they were on shore? (John 21:8-10)
- What did Jesus ask Peter three times? (vv15-17) How should we demonstrate our love for Jesus? What did Jesus tell Peter to do? (vv15-17) Who are Jesus’ sheep?
- With what did Jesus want Peter to concern himself? (vv22) What might cause us to be more concerned about someone else’s relationship with Christ than our own?
- What kind of daily stimuli can you use to live rhythmically in grace instead of reacting in guilt?
Subscribe to “Abiding In Him” and get the latest devotional in your Inbox once a week.
Text: John 21:1-19
“…the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” —1 Peter 5:10
The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov came up with the idea of conditioned reflexes. In simple terms, it means that stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal. For example, I see this principle play out with my cat frequently. Anytime I use the word “foodie,” she goes crazy and begins to salivate. That word is a stimulus that has produced a conditioned response in my feline.
In the account of Peter, Jesus used the stimulus of a rooster crow to create a reconditioned spiritual reflex that would cause Peter to rise above his greatest failure. In this week’s devotional text (John 21:1-19), the most extraordinary event in the history of the world had just taken place; the Son of God had conquered the grave by rising from the dead… (Easter is now over)… and Peter just wants to go fishing. Three years earlier, Jesus found Peter on the shores of Galilee and told him to leave the family fishing business and follow Him. He did, abandoning everything. Yet just before the crucifixion, Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crows (Luke 22:31-34). And he did.
This was likely the saddest moment in Peter’s life. He had let down the One Person Who believed in him when he didn’t even believe in himself; the One Who loved him more than any other person ever could. It was an epic failure. But Jesus had a plan to restore him. And now after the resurrection, the festivities of the Unleavened Bread had passed and the disciples had left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee. The disciples had already witnessed the risen Jesus with their very own eyes, and now Peter says, “I am going fishing.”
It is important to remember that Peter and the disciples went to Galilee because Jesus told them to (Matthew 28:7, 28:10). What we don’t know for sure is why Peter decided to go back to trying to catch fish after Jesus commissioned him to be a fisher of men. Some scholars have speculated that this was a compromised return to a former occupation while others say it was simply a wise and practical thing to do until Jesus gave them further instructions. We do see them being industrious though not having any success. Maybe Peter is overcome with regret over his failure and no longer thinks of himself worthy to be a disciple. When we fail God, there is a natural inclination to just go back to the old way of living. Satan would’ve loved to keep Peter on that boat for rest of his life and miss out on all that Jesus had planned for him.
Then in John 21:4, “Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore,” asking them, “Children, do you have any fish?” Can you sense a hint of sarcasm in Jesus’ words? Of course you didn’t catch anything—you were fishing without me! Eventually they came to shore, and after having breakfast together, Jesus sets his eyes on Peter to restore his leadership, recommission his purpose, and recondition his reflexes. He asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter may have been a little insulted by the repetition here, but it seems to be intentional. He had failed Jesus three times and now Jesus is going to restore him three times. Peter may have given up on himself, but Jesus hadn’t given up on Peter, or his calling (Romans 11:29).
Imagine being Peter and waking up every morning to the sound of a rooster crowing. What a way to start the day! Hey, Peter, here’s a little reminder of your greatest failure! Good morning! Enjoy your day! But here Jesus shows up at the break of day, while roosters are still crowing, to recondition Peter’s spiritual reflexes so that he no longer lives reactionary to the guilt, but rhythmically in God’s grace.
Roosters might crow every day for the rest of Peter’s life, but he has been restored… he has been reconditioned to hear that call as a stimulus of the restorative goodness and the mercy of His gracious God. He will never see his failure the same again, nor His God. Now Peter is truly ready to follow Jesus because his reflexes have been reconditioned to live in the grace instead of the guilt. Now those roosters don’t have to be so annoying every morning! Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
God, we thank you for loving us despite ourselves. Help us to see your goodness in the way that you forgive, restore, and recommission us, even when we have failed miserably. Holy Spirit, continue to recondition our spiritual reflexes that we would live in grace over guilt. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for personal reflection, small group discussion, or dinner table conversations:
Subscribe to “Abiding In Him” and get the latest devotional in your Inbox once a week.