John 21:15-17
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
I love this teaching moment the Savior had with Peter. He knew Peter and knew how to reach him. Repeating the same question three times is significant and impactful. Sometimes we need to hear things more than once in order for the message to sink in. Peter was so set on what he hoped was obvious that he missed what Jesus was asking him to do. Jesus knew Peter loved him. Jesus needed Peter to focus on feeding His sheep. Repeating His question three times helped Peter to concentrate on what was really important. It is easy to be misunderstood. If we follow Jesus’ example, we can be more clear with the messages we are sending our loved ones.
When my oldest was small, she was very inquisitive. She was thirsty for knowledge and was always asking “why.” By the end of the day, the number of questions she asked sometimes exhausted me. One question led to another and another. I felt I had to keep going deeper with each question she asked me.
We were visiting some childhood friends and my friend’s father was working in his garden. My daughter went over to him and started asking questions. She asks questions like, “Why is the sky blue?” “Why is that worm chubby?” “Why is that plant so green?” I listened to the simple truthful answers he gave her, like, “The sky is blue because that is the way God made it.” She restated the same question, and he patiently said the same answer. I thought I needed to go deeper with each question and all she really needed was simple truths repeated. Simple truths about God gave her peace of mind. Her questions ceased to tire me after that. Her quest for knowledge continued, but I knew how to respond. It takes time for the truth to sink in.
I realized this also has an application when our kids are trying to get out of doing something they don’t want to do. They may say, “I don’t want to clean my room!” Your simple response can be, “I’m glad that you understand that your room needs to be cleaned.” Then when they restate their resistance to cleaning. Simply stating the task again will help them understand what they are being asked. It usually only takes three times for them to realize what you expect. We don’t have to get louder to make a point. We just need to restate the request three times for our expectations to sink in. This is a gentler way than getting frustrated and yelling. Jesus showed us the way, even in this simple yet powerful teaching tool. I am grateful for His example in all things.
Sherene Van Dyke, Ephraim, Utah