Today I gave each of my seminary students a small bag of goldfish. We are finishing the Gospels in the New Testament and were discussing John 21 - when the apostles return to fishing after the resurrection of the Savior. They have fished all night and have caught nothing. The Savior tells them to cast their net on the right side of the ship and it fills with fish - to the point that they are surprised that it doesn't break.After eating with them, the Savior teaches a powerful lesson. He asks Peter, "Lovest thou me, more than these?". Peter assures him that he does. Jesus tells him to "Feed my Sheep". Jesus repeats the question three times (perhaps as a reminder of the way that Peter was given three opportunities only days before to claim allegiance to the Savior). Finally, "grieved", Peter answers, "Yea Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus replies, "Feed my Sheep".
We will spend time discussing the "feed my sheep" part of the conversation as we move into Acts, but today I wanted them to focus on "lovest thou me, more than these"? The tag I put on the fish turned the question around - Lovest thou these more than me?
What are the these/fish in our lives?
What do we love?
Where do we spend our time?
Does the way we spend our time reflect what we say is important to us?
What do we love more than the Savior as evidenced by the
things we do and the way we spend our time?
In Seminary you are never quite sure if they are "getting it". Today I got it and am grateful.
