Peter and the others had just finished a long night of fishing. It looked like it would be a bust, but Jesus told them to drop their net on the other side of the boat. When they did, they could hardly bring in the net because there were so many fish.
Exhausted, they return to shore and gather with Jesus around a fire for something to eat. Peter is still unsure of his place with Jesus after his denial. Peter might be feeling apprehensive about sitting with his friend. Maybe Peter looks down at the ground, unwilling to make eye contact with Jesus. Peter is uneasy at this moment.
Jesus takes the lead in the conversation and asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Jesus calls him by his formal name, sort of like when your mother used to call you by all your names after you had done something you were not supposed to do. Simon answers Jesus with a resounding yes, and Jesus looks him in the eye and says, “Feed my lambs.”
After Simon testified that Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus changed his name to Peter. Simon had become a new creation, born again, if you will, and because of that, Jesus gave him a new name. But things changed. Peter denied Jesus, and Jesus calling him by his former name signals that Simon has somehow returned to his former state.
Jesus asks Simon again, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Now, Simon is confused because his friend is asking him this question again. Peter responds, “Yes, you know I love you.” To this, Jesus says, “Tend my sheep.”
There is no indication of how fast this conversation is taking place. Is there time for Peter to ponder all this while having breakfast? Peter and the others have been working all night. They are at the end of their physical stamina, so this might not be the best time for Jesus to engage Peter in philosophical discussion.
But Jesus presses the question and asks a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Now Peter is hurt and maybe a little angry. I can almost see it; Peter stands up, looks down at Jesus, and proclaims, “Lord you know everything, and you know I love you.” Jesus gently touches Peter as if signaling him to sit back down and responds, “Feed my sheep.”
Like the other New Testament writings, the Gospel of John was written in Greek. Language is important, so we sometimes miss the subtleties of situations by not reading the Scripture in its original language. There is a nuance going on here that we miss in English.
English has one word for love. We use the same word to say we love pizza and to express our love for our parents or our spouse. However, in Greek, there are several different words for the English word love, and Jesus is using them in his questions to Peter.
The first time, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” Jesus is using the agape form of love, which is deep, unselfish, and sacrificial. Peter responds not with agape but with phileo. Phileo is not insignificant; it is the love that one has for a brother or a friend.
Again, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him using agape, and Peter once again responds with phileo. Surely, this conversation did not take place in Greek, so the author is trying to make a point. Peter is confused about the question and the answers. “Tend my sheep.”
As I said, Peter is now unsure of his relationship with Jesus. Peter denied Jesus three times, each time more emphatically than the first. Jesus has forgiven Peter for his denial, just as we are forgiven for our wrongdoings, but in this moment, Jesus wants to make sure Peter understands that he is forgiven.
David Montieth, the Dean of Canterbury, suggested in a recent sermon that Jesus used Simon when asking these questions because Peter could not be Peter if he did not love Jesus. Jesus is testing Peter just as candidates for ordination are tested. Jesus knows the answer to the question; Peter was right in saying that Jesus knows everything. But Jesus wants Peter to say the words, “Yes, Lord, I love you.”
The last time Jesus asks Peter the question, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Jesus uses phileo, the brotherly love expressed between friends. Jesus’ use of phileo is important for several reasons. One is that Jesus is asking Peter if he really loves him as a brother and a dear friend. In this moment of questioning, Peter realizes what he has done, that he does truly love Jesus, and that Jesus has forgiven him. Peter might be feeling a little unworthy now.
Jesus is not questioning Peter to cause Peter to doubt his love for Jesus but rather the opposite. Jesus questions Peter to give Peter the confidence he needs for the task ahead. In this moment, Jesus is reassuring Peter that he is, in fact, the person Jesus told him he was, and his faith is that faith that Jesus said he would build upon.
Next, we will look at the imagery used in this passage.
