After the Savior Jesus Christ was resurrection from the dead he appeared and taught His disciples several times. One of those times was on the shore of the Sea of Galilee as recorded in the Gospel of John in the New Testament.
“Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise… So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? (John 21: 3-6, 9-15 in the Bible) Referring the fishes just caught.
Thou Lovest Me More Than These Things
Russell M. Ballard discusses this question. “I realized that the Savior’s question was one of the most important questions that He might someday ask me. I could almost hear His voice asking, “Russell, lovest thou me more than these?” Do you wonder what Jesus was referring to when He asked Peter, “Lovest thou me more than these?”
Relating this question to ourselves in our day, the Lord may be asking us about how busy we are and about the many positive and negative influences competing for our attention and our time. He may be asking each of us if we love Him more than the things of this world. This may be a question about what we really value in life, who we follow, and how we view our relationships with family members and neighbors. Or maybe He is asking what really brings us joy and happiness. Do the things of this world bring us the joy, happiness, and peace that the Savior offered to His disciples and that He offers to us? Only He can bring us true joy, happiness, and peace through our loving Him and following His teachings. How would we answer the question “Lovest thou me more than these?”
When we discover a fuller meaning of this question, we can become better family members, neighbors, citizens, members of the Church, and sons and daughters of God…When we love and follow Him, we have faith in Him. We repent. We follow His example and are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. We endure to the end and stay on the covenant path. We forgive family members and neighbors by letting go of grudges we may be holding. We earnestly strive to keep God’s commandments. We strive to be obedient. We make and keep covenants. We honor our fathers and mothers. We set aside negative worldly influences. We prepare ourselves for His Second Coming.” (Russell M. Ballard “Lovest Thou Me More Than These Things” Liahona Magazine November, 2021)
We All Can Show Our Love for The Savior By Being Faithful To His Commandments
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14: 15 in he Bible)
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father”. (John 14:21in the Bible).
Reverend Billy Graham’s daughter and daughter-in-law wrote a delightful little Christian book in which they said, among other things: “Not everyone possesses boundless energy or a conspicuous talent. We are not equally blessed with great intellect or physical beauty or emotional strength. But we have all been given the same ability to be faithful.” (Ruth Bell Graham and Gigi Graham Tchividjian, Coffee and Conversation with Ruth Bell Graham and Gigi Graham Tchividjian(Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1997), 106,)
My Concluding Thought
There is always a concern in the back of my mind, am I living a life pleasing to my Heavenly Father and beloved Savior Jesus Christ? Am I letting the cares, interests, recreations and demands of the world keep me from the devotion I should be showing the Savior? Am I showing my deep love for the Savior by keeping His commandments? Will I qualify for the magnificent promise “But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2: 9 in the Bible)