Like the disciples we too can believe in Jesus but fail to be fruitful. When Jesus originally called the disciples He said “come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus wants others to come to know and experience the amazing story of life. He wants others to know that they can be accepted, forgiven, and loved. But like the disciples we often go back to our regular lives and fail to bear fruit because we do it without walking with Jesus. Jesus returns to His followers and tells them as they are unsuccessfully fishing that they need to cast the net on the other side of the boat and they would catch some. We need to follow Jesus and be directed by Him in order to successfully bear fruit. When we listen and remain in relationship with Him, He will always call us to love others as He loved them.

Miraculous Catch (2:06)

Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him. He asks him three times, one for each time he denied Him. Jesus makes it abundantly clear that if Peter loved Jesus he would “feed His sheep.”

He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, instinctive, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]? Peter was grieved (was saddened and hurt) that He should ask him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.

(John 21:17 AMPC)

Do You Love Me? (3:20)

One of the greatest ways we can love Jesus is by “feeding His sheep.” But what does that mean? Help them come to understand who He is and what He came to Earth for. In the book of Matthew Jesus gave His disciples what is often called the Great Co-Mission.

Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

(Matthew 28:18-20 AMPC)

The rest of this book is dedicated to helping those who want to follow Jesus to understand what it means to walk in the New Covenant relationship that Jesus came to make possible. If we understand ourselves how to walk in this relationship, we can then know how to obey Christ’s instruction to “make disciples” (learners) of all people groups.