John 21:15-17

Our life and our death is in His hands to the glory of God!

Restitution requires commitment. In serving others we are serving Him and fulfilling His command to love and care for them. He is always willing to forgive and restore us. We must make the step of accepting His agape love and forgiveness. Only then can we become His hands and feet in this decaying world. Love fulfilled the law.

1 Peter 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

Without God’s love as the nucleus of our actions we are just making noise.

John 21:15-17

15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. The New King James Version

The Restoration of Peter. 

John is the only Gospel writer who records the account of Jesus restoring Peter to His ministry after Peter’s three denials. Only a short time before this dramatic encounter with the risen Lord, Peter had boldly announced that he would give his life for Jesus. Jesus responded by informing Peter that he would actually deny Him three times that same night. Later that evening, Jesus was arrested. While He stood trial before the chief priest, Peter hid outside in the courtyard. Three times Peter was recognized as one of Jesus’ followers; three times he denied knowing Jesus, thus fulfilling Jesus’ words. 

Luke tells us that when Peter realized what he had done, he “wept bitterly.” Imagine, then, Peter’s emotions during his encounter with the resurrected Savior by the Sea of Tiberias. On the one hand, he was no doubt overjoyed to see the risen Lord. On the other hand, he may still have been ashamed and embarrassed about his desertion of Jesus in the hour of His greatest need. 

Three times the Lord asked Peter if Peter loved Him. The first two times, Christ used the word agapaō, signifying a love of commitment, a love of the will. Peter responded with the word phileō, indicating his strong emotion for the Lord. The word suggests warmth, fondness, and friendship. When Peter acknowledged that he loved Christ, the Lord gave him the task of feeding His lambs and taking care of His sheep. Expressing love for Christ implies accepting a duty to do the work of God and to be faithful. Peter had some difficulty with such faithfulness during Christ’s earthly ministry. As Christ was getting ready to depart, He wanted to elicit a commitment from Peter. The third time Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him He used the word phileō, indicating strong friendship. Christ had taught that a friend who loves will lay down his life for a friend. Peter, instead, had denied Christ three times. With Peter’s final response, “You know that I love You,” Christ had drawn a commitment from Peter and assured the other disciples of the bond between Himself and Peter. In the process, He demonstrated His complete forgiveness of Peter. With this exchange, the Lord restored Peter to a position of leadership in the ongoing ministry of the gospel. The NKJV Study Bible.

The passage could be understood as Jesus passing on the mantle of leadership to Peter, who will now act as an earthly shepherd for Christ’s flock. Peter responds by using the word phileō; he seems to be responding with a quick affirmation, choosing a synonym for agapaō. Rather than responding with the word Peter used (phileō), Jesus again uses agapaō. He repeats the first part of His question verbatim, but leaves off the “more than these” part. In doing so, He is emphasizing the part that He wants Peter to remember and understand.

Jesus doesn’t use a different word than Peter because agapaō has a special meaning; rather, He wants to emphasize the extent to which Peter must love Him in order for him to follow through on God’s plan for his life. 

Peter must love Jesus as Jesus has loved him: He must be willing to die for God’s mission of bringing salvation to the entire world. Also, he must be willing to die for others. Peter does not understand the purpose of Jesus’ repetition and responds as before, using phileō and emphasizing that Jesus already knows the answer. 

Jesus instructs Peter to guide His people. Peter is the leader from the time that the Spirit comes upon them in His fullness (Acts 2). Based on Peter’s easy transition into leadership in Acts, it seems that the other disciples understood that it was his job to lead the beginning of the Church—likely because of this conversation. Peter seems to understand that Jesus’ three questions parallel his three denials. He is grieved by being forced to remember his failing in front of the one whom he had denied. Peter affirms what he and the other disciples had articulated after Jesus explained God’s plans for salvation to them.

Jesus’ central command was to follow Him since the beginning of His ministry. It is the essence of His other command about eternal life coming through Him and His subsequent commands to love others. Faithlife Study Bible

More than these means more than the other disciples. On two different occasions Peter had claimed extraordinary love for Christ, even comparing himself to other men. 

Tend means to shepherd. Lambs need to be fed; sheep need to be guided. Peter would need to care for diverse people in different ways, as Christ had done with His disciples.

Peter denied the Lord at least three times. Here he affirmed his love for the Lord for the third time.  The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 2:6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

John 16:30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”

Acts 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.