第三次对他说：“约翰的儿子西门，你爱我吗？”（约二十一17）
你感到主的刺伤痛入骨髓，正中你生命是最敏感的要害吗？魔鬼从不刺入那里，罪恶或人的感情也不刺到那里，惟有神的话才透得过。“彼得因为耶稣第三次对他说……就忧愁。”他开始觉悟在他生命的最深处，是全心爱耶稣的，也开始明白主再三问他的用意。他心里再没有丝毫的疑惑，也不再迷糊了。这时，已没有冲动诉说的余地，也不能用激昂的情绪示爱了。他醒悟自己原来有多爱主，以致他满心赞叹他说：“主啊，你是无所不知的。”彼得开始发现自己多么爱主；但他并没有说：“请看这件那件事便可以证明。”他心里发现对主的爱有多深，就是在天上地下除了主耶稣，再没有别的了。但他一直都不知道，直到主的问话刺入剖开。主的问话总是把我自己显露出来。
主耶稣对彼得是多么忍耐、坦率和巧妙，他总是在合适的时刻才发问。他会把我们引到一个角落，用他毫不放松的问话刺透我们；虽然他并不常是这样，也可能只此一次。不过，我们却觉察到自己真真爱他，比任何口头的宣称更真。
祈祷◆“我在困苦中，你曾使我宽广。”噢，这个在我心中的思想，愈来愈像一个珍贵而涌流不息的恩典泉源！
March 2: Have You Felt The Hurt Of The LORD?
“Jesus said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me?” John 21:17
Have you felt the hurt of the Lord to the uncovered quick, the place where the real sensitiveness of your life is lodged? The devil never hurts there, neither sin nor human affection hurts there, nothing goes through to that place but the word of God. “Peter was grieved because Jesus said unto him the third time. . . .” He was awakening to the fact that in the real true centre of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus, and he began to see what the patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest strand of delusion left in Peter's mind, he never could be deluded again. There was no room for passionate utterance, no room for exhilaration or sentiment. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he said – “Lord, Thou knowest all things.” Peter began to see how much he did love Jesus; but he did not say – “Look at this or that to confirm it.” Peter was beginning to discover to himself how much he did love the Lord, that there was no one in heaven above or upon earth beneath beside Jesus Christ; but he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord came. The Lord's questions always reveal me to myself.
The patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the right time. Rarely, but probably once, He will get us into a corner where He will hurt us with His undeviating questions, and we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than any profession can ever show.