"A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out."
- Isaiah 42:3

I love Jesus!  I know that should be obvious and needn't be said, but I was reminded once again today of just one of the reasons why I love him.

This morning was our start of term service and the chosen passage was John 21:15-19. Fresh from the barbecue he served up his eleven best friends (who'd spent a long night fishing without any luck) for breakfast, Jesus set about doing some serious business with his best friend, Peter. 

Peter ... the man who had become known just as much for his cockups as his good points: who had been called "Satan" just moments after declaring that Jesus was the Christ; who offered to put up tents for Moses, Elijah and Jesus ... Peter, the man on whom Jesus declared he would build the church, but who, that awful Thursday night, declared that he would be loyal to Jesus, even to death, but in a rash moment, cut off the ear of one of the party who had come to arrest Jesus and then denied he had ever known the man who had completely turned his life upside down. 

We don't know what happened to Peter between that awful Thursday night and the Sunday morning - the Bible is silent on whether he saw his Lord being brutally crucified from a distance, or whether he hid himself completely, bereft and despairing at his own cowardice and betrayal of Jesus.  Either way, I imagine he was inconsolable... it was all over.

And then, that Sunday came... the tomb was empty and he wondered why.  And then, Jesus began to do his healing work in Peter's life.  I had never seen it before, but the newly resurrected Jesus gave Peter his own private audience - it's there in Luke 24:34: "The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon."  I would have loved to be a fiy on the wall for that meeting, but the Bible doesn't tell us what was said.  Jesus could have been huffy, reminding Peter that he was no good and had badly let the side down, but I very much doubt it.  I imagine that Jesus showed Peter the same compassion that he had for so many people before.

And then we come to the passage that I began to tell you about... Jesus and his friends had finished breakfast and Jesus was probably sat next to Peter on the beach, enjoying the morning sun.  He asks Peter 3 times whether he loves him.  Why is that significant? It's partly because Peter had denied Jesus three times, so here was his chance to make up for that - each time, Jesus gives Peter a balm for his soul.  It's also significant because, each time Jesus gives him a role: "Feed my lambs" ... "Take care of my sheep" ... "Feed my sheep" - he shows that he hasn't given up on Peter, that this man who had failed so badly was still able to play a huge part in Jesus' plans.  He's giving Peter a chance to show how much he loves him.

Jesus was full of love and compassion and he still shows that today.  This is Jesus, who weeps with those who weep and rejoices with those who rejoice, who didn't give up on Peter and will not give up on us, even though we're such failures.  This is the Jesus I love. I bet Peter never forgot that breakfast on the beach!