The story comes from John 21. The voice on the bank of the lake came loud and clear to the ears of 7 men who were busy positioning nets, tugging at them to see if enough fish had filled them, getting a second net ready to replace the first one when it was pulled, and otherwise watching the water and communicating what needed to happen with casting for fish.
John recognized the voice which he had heard slightly above all the men's boisterous and noisy small talk and motion. He yelled to Simon, the Rock, "It's the Lord."
Simon was so eager to see the Lord. He hurriedly put on his clothes since he was working in his shorts, dove into the lake, and swam to the shore. The two talked while they fixed breakfast, waiting for the other 6 to join them, provide the fish, and enjoy a meal together. It was during the after-meal chatting that Jesus shot a question to Simon. "σιμων ιωαννων αγαπας με πλεον τουτων," (Do you care about me more than all of this?). Jesus waved his arm around their surroundings to indicate the fish in his plate, the boat with all its gear, and the other men fishing with him."
Simon's response is interesting. I am thinking that Simon was wondering why Jesus wanted to be so formal. Jesus had said, "Simon, son of John" (like in our culture when someone calls you by your first and last name). And the question? What kind of question was that? Couldn't Jesus see from 3 years together that he cared? So he answered quickly, ναι κυριε συ οιδας οτι φιλω σε" (Yes, Lord, you know that we're friends. Simon's response is interesting for another reason also. Jesus uses αγαπας (do you care about) in his question. And, Simon answered with φιλω (we're friends). Simon might have thought the words meant the same thing. Or he might have thought that with the formality of the tone Jesus was using, he needed to lighten the tone. Simon might have simply thought that Jesus was ignoring the fact that for 3 years they had traveled around the countryside together, so he merely wanted to state the obvious.
Jesus wasn't finished after his first question. Perhaps he didn't receive the answer he wanted. Perhaps he wanted to drive home a point. Maybe he was giving Simon an open opportunity in a similar situation (around a fire with others listening to his answers about his association with Jesus, and now around this early morning fire) to change the three denials he had given at Jesus's trial. For whatever reason, Jesus asks again the same question, σιμων ιωαννων αγαπας με," (Do you care about me?) but without the comparison to "more than all of this." Jesus reduced the question so that Simon could be clear that it was his heart and fortitude that Jesus needed not his camaraderie. Simon, however, missed the point. He answered, ναι κυριε συ οιδας οτι φιλω σε" (Yes, Lord, you know that we're friends.).
Jesus was not one to leave his lessons unfinished. Some believe that Simon was given a chance to redeem himself from the three denials during Jesus's trial, and that he did redeem himself on this occasion. But, Jesus's response to Simon's two answers showed that yet again Simon was weak and was not responding in the way Jesus needed or wanted. Jesus changed his wording to that of Simon's in order to penetrate the facade Simon had put up and to assure him that he needed his service, his heart, and his fortitude.
The tasty morsel comes in the next exchange of this episode. Jesus asked a third question, but switched his wording, "σιμων ιωαννων φιλεις με," (Are you my friend?). John records that Simon got the point this third time. John mentioned Simon's look of consternation to Jesus for switching words, for making Jesus ask three times, and for the formality that Jesus's tone had. But, Simon being Simon, he didn't change his answer. He had a stubborn mind. He answered Jesus, "Κυριε παντα συ οιδας συ γινωκεις οτι φιλω σε," (Lord, you have seen everything. You know that we're friends.).
I think the main lesson here is about facades. Jesus doesn't buy them. He sees right through them. He pursues me until my stubborn mind finally gets the point. The moment Jesus "gets on my level" with whatever my nature wants to hide from his eyes, he switches to my language until I say, "I get it!" And he does this to assure me that he needs my service, my heart, and my fortitude.
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