Center for Creative Ministry A research organization and research center for Seventh-day Adventist pastors and their congregations
Epilogue: Knowing Jesus and His Word
The month of December regularly generates a lot of buzz in the college football world, as teams with winning records gear up for bowl season—beginning mid-month and lasting through early January. During the last couple of years, though, there is an added buzz about the NCAA’s curious timing of opening the “transfer portal” in early December for athletes to transition to new schools.
“It’s a dumb system,” complains University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) coach Lane Kiffin.
The problem comes when key players on bowl-bound teams opt to leave their current schools for new pastures. Add to that the ability now for colleges to pay players through the “Name-Image-Likeness” (NIL) system where universities can bid for the services of these competitors, and the timing is creating unnecessary chaos.
Penn State University lost backup quarterback Beau Pribula, their second-leading scorer, just as the team is competing in the 2024-2025 College Football Playoffs. “We got problems in college football, and I can give you my word Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program,” reports coach James Franklin. “But the way the portal is and the timing of it … he felt like he was put in a no-win situation, and I agree with him.”
An even more alarming situation arose this year with the decision by the Marshall University “Thundering Herd” team to cancel their appearance in this year’s Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. Marshall lost 36 players (so far) to the transfer portal, including all three quarterbacks, and so they can’t even field a team for the bowl.
“We just try to make the best of the situations,” Kiffin says. “It really is a dumb system. Just think if the NFL was getting ready for the (playoffs) and players are in free agency already. It’s a really poor system, but we just try to manage the best we can through it, and hopefully someday it’ll get fixed.”
It can be easy for us on the outside to ask questions such as “whatever became of loyalty to your alma mater?” Some more devoted fans ask, “how could you do this to us?”
We Christians may look at the disciples’ actions in the aftermath of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection and ask, “where are your priorities?”
The risen Savior appeared to the disciples several times, and yet, rather than embrace their new assignment to begin fishing for men, they went back to fishing for fish (John 21:1-3). It’s as if the past three plus years with Jesus were nothing more than an interesting episode in their lives, and now it’s time to get back to business as usual. What became of their loyalty to Christ and His mission to the world?
Peter, especially, had doubts about his standing with Jesus after his triple denial of Christ.
It’s natural for us humans to question whether God can still love us when we fall. After all, we’ve promised to love and follow Jesus to the death, and yet we can at times stumble over the smallest obstacles. Where is our true loyalty?
When Jesus asked Peter three times “Do you love me?” He gave him—and each of us—the opportunity to reaffirm loyalty to Him. If God can restore Peter, not only to discipleship, but also to leadership, there’s hope for us all.
For Reflection
Connecting: Have you ever passed up a job opportunity due to loyalty to your current employer? If so, why?
Sharing: Peter seemed genuinely worried about John’s future when he asked the question in John 21:20-21, “Lord, what about him?” What was the real motive behind Peter’s question?
- Peter felt uncomfortable about Jesus asking him three times “Do you love me?” and tried to change the subject
- Peter may have thought, since John was one of the “sons of thunder,” that he also needed restoration to discipleship
- He was honestly curious about the manner of death awaiting John
- In his restored position of leadership, he was sincerely concerned for those in his charge
- It’s just another case where Peter blurted out something inappropriate at exactly the wrong time (see his remark on the Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew 17:4)
- Other:
Applying: We are regularly offered opportunities to abandon our loyalty to Jesus for the attractions of this temporal world. If you saw a fellow believer’s faith begin to wane, what are some steps you (and/or your study group) can take to help bolster this person’s commitment to Jesus and His cause?
Valuing: What are your favorite practices that help you to continue knowing and growing in Jesus? Do these strengthen your resolve to follow Jesus, no matter what? If you do resolutions, make these practices—and any others you want to add—a part of your new year.
~ Chuck Burkeen
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