When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, 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.” John 21.15.
“To be forewarned is to be forearmed”, as they say. Jesus gathered the disciples and warned that they will desert him when things get tough. Peter boasted to take exemption to that (John 13.37,38). Jesus warned that Peter would actually deny Him three times within the next 24 hours.
Despite the warning during the trial of Jesus Peter found himself in a difficult situation that he denied Jesus three times (John 18.15,16).
Later after resurrection, Jesus though did not raise the issue but questioned the love of Peter for Him.
This occurred when Jesus was having breakfast with His disciples soon after His resurrection. Jesus used this opportunity to encourage and exhort Peter about his upcoming responsibilities and even to prophesy the manner in which Peter will die. By asking Peter, “Do you love me?” three times, Jesus was emphasising the importance of Peter’s love and unswerving obedience to his Lord as necessary for his future ministry.
He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep. John 21.16.
Jesus begins by questioning Peter about His love for Him, and each time Peter answers in the affirmative, Jesus follows up with the command for Peter to feed His sheep. By this Jesus implied that the way to show our love for Him is take care of His church which is His bride.
One wonders why Jesus had to repeat the same question three times. It is possible that Jesus is subtly reminding Peter of his three denials. There’s no doubt those denials and how he felt when Jesus turned to look at him at that moment were seared deeply into Peter’s mind (John 18.15,16). It wasn’t lost on Peter that Jesus repeated His question to him three times, just as Peter previously denied Him three times.
Another dimension to the question by Jesus, “Do you love Me more than these?”. What “these” was Jesus referring to? Some believe Jesus was asking if Simon loved him more than his colleagues who were standing there. Others believe that Jesus was referring to the large fishes that He helped them to catch. They caught the largest fish they have ever caught in their history. If our love for God is based on the material things that we stand to gain, then it is a transactional relationship, not a love relationship.
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” John 21.17
For the three times Jesus posed this probing questions at Peter, it meant something. There is also an interesting contrast when you look at the Greek words for “love” used the three times. When Jesus asked Peter the first and second times, He used the Greek word agape, which refers to unconditional love. Both times, Peter responded with “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you,” using the Greek word phileo, which refers more to a brotherly/friendship type of love. It seems that Jesus is trying to get Peter to understand that he must love Jesus unconditionally in order to be the leader God is calling him to be. The third time Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” in v17, He uses the word phileo, and Peter again responds with “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you,” again using phileo. The point in the different Greek words for “love” seems to be that Jesus was stretching Peter to move him from phileo love to agape love.
May we grow in our love for God from phileo to agape, that come what may, Jesus will always come first before anyone or anything else