“Do you love me?” – Jesus Jesus asked Simon Peter this question three times that morning on the beach, after the Resurrection. He was inviting Peter to see into his own heart. Surely Peter had held much guilt and shame after denying Jesus (after adamantly denying that he would do just that), and perhaps even fear and uncertainty at how things would be with Jesus after that. He had said he didn’t even *know* Jesus three times. And so Jesus asks him three times “Do you love me?”, giving him a chance to face up to those three denials and all that he was carrying from them. It was a painful process - not to *ignore* those times he’d turned his back, but to actually *look at* them, knowing Jesus was looking at them. He must have felt his heart exposed as he answered. But he also was able to say, despite all that was roiling in him, that “Yes, I do love you.” And he was healed in some small way through that process. Jesus’ question opened up his wound, cleaned it out, and restored him. THAT is a powerful question. Imagine for a moment that Jesus is standing in front of *you* asking that question. How does your soul immediately respond. What do you notice in your body? Does it immediately want to take a certain posture? Do you want to turn from the question, afraid of being seen in places you won’t even look at yourself? Does joy burst up from your core with your “YES!”? Do you find that you aren’t really sure of the answer? See if you can walk through a similar process with Jesus as Peter did. Let him ask you “Do you love me?” and sit with what comes up – however many times he asks.

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2021-07-23 13:58:33 UTC