Jesus is uses an analogy between Peter’s denial with three questions of restoration. Do you love me–then do this assignment. Do you love me–then feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep. The breakfast had fulfilled its intended purpose for Peter. He has been restored and re-commissioned. He has been put back on the road to fulfill his calling.
3. It’s time for Peter to stop replaying this old film in his head, and move on. For Peter this breakfast was the turning point. It was time to push the stop button on the guilt. Self forgiveness is a tool that we should use to face what we’ve done in the past, acknowledge our mistakes and move on.
This is exactly what Peter had to do when Jesus was questioning him. If he truly loved Jesus, then he had to realize that the guilt and self punishment had to go. The grace of God covers a multitude of sins. True forgiveness is found in allowing Jesus to do His work in and through our lives.
Hit the stop button. Replaying the bad movie isn’t going to help us. Listen to yourself. Every time you catch yourself rehashing your sins, mistakes, missteps, faux pas, you need to intentionally stop and refocus on what Jesus did on the cross for you. His forgiveness covers it all. Let go of it and decide to move on to more productive things. If you need to go back and apologize to someone you’ve hurt, then get it done.
Begin to repair the damage you may have done in the past by spreading good to others around you. There will be some things you can’t change. You can’t always make it up to someone you have hurt or wronged in the past; but you can do some helpful things for people now. Peter could not go back and cancel out a lot of those foot-in-the mouth statements he made or those impulsive actions. But he was facing a new day with new opportunities to help people in the future–the lambs (the new believers) and the sheep (the more established believers). There were many, many opportunities ahead of him. Jesus was saying, “Peter, you have been re-commissioned. Don’t spend your time repenting and repenting over and over again. Get with the program. You’ve got plenty of work to do.”
CONCLUSION: Stop beating yourself up over the past. Jesus says to us, “I have forgiven you, totally. His forgiveness is all inclusive. That forgiveness includes forgiving yourself.”
He is telling us that although there is great temptation to stay at the cross, rehashing our burdens, we must move on. Jesus is resurrected. He is alive today. He has re-commissioned each of us to be his disciples. It is time to move toward doing His work of healing others. And, in doing so, we will find in this work, a healing for ourselves. You CAN forgive yourself. Decide to do it today.
Amen