Follow Me: 8/9/09

Right away you see the water and you know there's something different about this place. I've never seen water that sparkles blue like the Sea of Galilee. These are the beaches that Jesus walked, the waters where Peter, James and John learned to fish. Yesterday I had the privilege of spending the entire day in Galilee. This was something I had been looking forward to the entire trip, the chance to truly go back to the beginning with Jesus.



It was so simple and so peaceful. I could see Jesus walking out there on the beach, just being a regular guy. I laughed as I remembered all those miedeval pictures of some pious-looking monk who didn't exactly inspire the phrase "Lion of Judah." The Jesus who walked in this place was strong, confident and fun-loving. Probably had a lot of fun playing around in the sea from time to time. As I looked out on the water I was reminded that nothing in this life is impossible because on these beaches the amazing and miraculous happened. The blind saw, the lame walked and the broken-hearted were made whole. I saw the spot where five loaves and two fish fed 5,000. I saw the town of Capernaum. Jesus lived here for most of his ministry, and you can still see the site where Peter's house stood (A Catholic church now sits elevated over that spot). This is where the disciples hung out. You can see the old tables where they broke bread and drank wine together. They lived life together, a generation of world-changers from some small town that nobody ever heard of.

But there was one spot that stood out above all others. There's a little beach just down the road from Capernaum with a chapel. While some of the other holy sites blocked access to the beach, here you could walk straight out into the water. As the waves rolled across my feet I heard the final chapter of John come to life. This was the place where the resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples, and where Peter had an encounter that would transform him into a man of destiny.

It was on this beach that Jesus asked Peter the same question three times...do you love me? Three times, once for each denial. I've never believed it was an accident, or done to shame Peter. As John Eldredge wrote in Waking The Dead, Jesus knew this issue had to be dealt with head-on, or it would haunt Peter for the rest of his days, block him from the destiny he was called to walk into. A matter of the heart, a matter of true freedom. As I stood in those waters, I could feel the love Jesus had for Peter, and for me. Then I heard the question. What is down in your heart that needs to be dealt with? What past events, what hurts, what mistakes, what misguided beliefs are blocking you from true freedom? Will you let me deal with it?

I'll be totally honest and say it's a question I'm still wrestling with. But as I stood on the beach I knew that this was a question that was bathed in total and pure love. I believe we all get them from time to time in life, a reality check to keep us in check and on the road to freedom. I don't have the answers, I just know I want to stay humble and let the answers come from the word of God. Man's opinions are a dime a dozen, but there's nothing confusing about God's word. Jesus said "Follow me". Peter did, and he lit the fuse for a fire that's never been put out, a fiery blaze called the body of believers. An ordinary man who made an extraordinary decision that changed the course of history. The words roll in right off those waves...follow me.