A Sermon at Peter's Primacy
It was a glorious dawn the day we toured the Galilee area visiting places where Christ spent the majority of his ministry. While the dramatic last events of Christ's life occur in Jerusalem, his everyday life, the calling of the apostles, the feeding the 5,000 and a multitude of miracles took place on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Our first stop was a small church on the north end of Galilee that commemorates Peter's Primacy--or calling as chief among the apostles and leader of the fledgling church. The modern name of the village is Tabgha, a shortening of the Greek name Heptapegon which means 7 springs. Warm springs running under the mountain empty into the northern end of Galilee attracting fish which accounts for why this area was so popular with fishermen--the job of several apostles.
"In John 21, Jesus appears to his disciples for the third time after his resurrection on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The night before, Peter and several other disciples had sailed out on the lake to fish, but caught nothing. In the morning, a man appeared on the shore and called out to them to throw their net on the right side of the boat. Doing so, they caught so many fish they couldn't drag the net back into the boat.
At this point Peter recognizes Jesus, and promptly jumps out of the boat to wade to shore to meet him. The other disciples follow in the boat, dragging the net behind them. When they land, Jesus has prepared a charcoal fire for the fish and provided bread, and they have breakfast together (John 21:9). This is believed to have taken place on the mensa Christi, a large rock incorporated in the chapel." (Quote taken from Sacred Destinations.com)
Christ begins by saying to Peter, "do you love me?" To which Peter answers, "yes Lord, thou knowest I love thee." The Savior asks again, "Peter, do you love me?" To which Peter responds again in the affirmative. When Christ asks Peter a third time, Peter becomes a bit confused and even hurt at the persistent questioning, saying, "Yea Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest I love thee!" Christ's response to him 3 times was "feed my sheep" or "take care of my lambs." In Christ's last direction, his concern is for his followers, those who sat and listened to his Sermon on the Mount, those whom he fed, those whom he healed, those who loved and believed in him.
This was an incredibly moving moment for me. Christ's concern is for all, but it's also for the individual. Individually, he loves us, individually he hears us, individually he heals us. And so the take away message for me is to love more, be patient more, worry less about the program or culture that can creep into the church and focus more on taking care of His sheep.
So many beautiful pictures!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://pienilintu.blogspot.fi/2015/01/sydantalvena.html
Absolutely gorgeous - the greens and the oranges/yellows!
ReplyDeleteAmazing. I hadn't heard of this place of Peter's primacy. What a privilege for you and your family to be there, standing in the water. The photo of your daughter on the rocky shore is stunning!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photography
ReplyDeleteMollyxxx