 In this Easter season, we celebrate God's raising of Jesus from the dead, as we see it explained and expounded in the New Testament Scriptures. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus spoke to Simon Peter. Simon, son of John, he said, do you love me more than these? Yes, Master, he said, you know I'm your friend. Well, then he said, feed my lambs. Simon, son of John, said Jesus again for a second time, do you love me? Yes, Master, he said, you know I'm your friend. Well, then he said, look after my sheep. Simon, son of John, said Jesus a third time, are you my friend? Peter was upset that on this third time Jesus asked, are you my friend? Master, he said, you know everything you know I'm your friend. Well, then, said Jesus, feed my sheep. I'm telling you the solemn truth he went on. When you were young, you put on your own clothes and went about wherever you wanted, but when you were old, you'll stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you up and take you where you don't want to go. He said this to indicate the sort of death by which Peter would bring God glory. And when he had said this, he added, follow me. What we have here is part of this extraordinary scene at the end of John's Gospel, which is the last appearance of the risen Jesus recorded in John's Gospel, where the disciples have gone fishing, they've gone back to Galilee, they seem to be not quite sure what they're supposed to be doing and so Peter, a bit blustering, a bit impetuous as usual, has taken them off on a fishing trip, waiting to see what's going to happen next, almost. And then Jesus stands on the shore, the risen Jesus, and invites them to come and have breakfast with him. An extraordinary scene. And it's after that breakfast that we have this really rather awkward interview. Awkward because, of course, not long before Simon Peter had three times publicly denied knowing Jesus. And just as Jesus met Thomas where he was with his doubts and questions, so here Jesus meets Peter where he is with his failures, with his collapse on the night when Jesus was betrayed, with his blurting out, no, I don't even know him, and then rushing out in a flood of tears. And the link between the two is made by John in a typically Johannine way without drawing attention to it except by the fact that on the night that Peter did that terrible thing, there was a charcoal fire burning in the High Priest's Hall. And now this time there is a charcoal fire burning on the shore, and Jesus is cooking breakfast on it. And the smell we can imagine has taken Peter right back to that night, perhaps a few weeks earlier. And so the three denials are met by three questions. Simon, son of John, do you love me? Now there's an interesting thing here which not all the translations pick up, though it's very clear in the Greek, two different words going on. When Jesus says, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He uses the big word, the agape word, the total self-giving love word, which is all about Jesus' self-giving love for his people. Peter can't bring himself to say that, but the nearest equivalent that he can get to is the friendship word, the phileo word. So, yes, Lord, you know I'm your friend. And then the extraordinary thing happens, and it goes on happening each of the three times, that you might expect Jesus to say, well, Peter, you really messed up. I'm disappointed in you. It was too bad I thought you were going to be such a great leader of my people after I'm gone, and I'm really not sure I can trust you. We'll have to put you on a six-month rehabilitation course and maybe you'll get back there. No, Jesus doesn't do any of that. He takes Peter where he is. Yes, Lord, you know I'm your friend. And he says, now, okay, feed my lambs. What we have is the word of forgiveness is also the word of new commissioning, something quite extraordinary going on there. And Peter picks that up for sure, but then Jesus asks the question the second time as he was bound to, do you love me? And again, Peter says, Lord, you know I'm your friend. And then Jesus says, okay, look after my sheep. This task is getting a bit larger. We're not just dealing with lambs now. We're looking after sheep. But then the third time, Jesus uses the same word that Peter used. Simon, son of John, are you my friend? And John says, Peter was sad because on this third time, Jesus said, are you my friend? Jesus uses the word that Peter had used, as though, oh dear, the steam has gone out of this, but I don't think that's what's going on at all. I think it's just the same as with Thomas. Jesus is meeting Peter where he is. He's saying in effect, okay, Peter, if that's where you are, that's where we'll start. I think that's how Jesus meets us all again and again. When we come to him knowing perfectly well that we've messed up, that we've got things wrong, that we've denied him by what we've done or said, or just we've failed to believe in him as we should, we may feel like, well, he won't have anything to say to me now. But no, Jesus meets us there and says, now let's move forward from there. And again, the word of forgiveness is hiding inside the word of New Commission. So Peter is charged. Now feed my sheep. And then there's a warning as with the New Commission. So Jesus says to him, more or less what he said back in Galilee, if you want to come after me, you've got to take up your cross and follow me. Someone else is going to dress you up and take you where you don't want to go. Peter, you're going to have to do stuff and face stuff if you're going to be my person to do this new vocation to which I'm commissioning you. But then comes the key word, follow me. However hard it gets, keep your eye on the road just that little bit ahead where Jesus is going on ahead and beckoning you to follow. That's what he said to Peter. That's what he says to us too.