Text: John 21:15-23
So 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, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again 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, “Shepherd My sheep.” 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 all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter seeing him *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
I think John’s gospel offers us some very intimate picture of Jesus with individuals and small groups of disciples. This post resurrection appearance is one of those moments and this conversation is given to us with a multiple purpose.
Firstly, Peter and Jesus have some reconciling to do. Even though Jesus has appeared to Peter already, none of that conversation is recorded and it is interesting this one seems to be more in response to what happened between Peter and Jesus the night he was betrayed. There may be something to the fact Jesus asks about Peter’s love for him three times in response to Peter’s three denials, but it is also significant that Peter does not use the deeper word for love until the third time he is asked. The one thing Jesus is asking Peter to do is take care of the flock once he is gone for good.
Secondly, John wants to show that Jesus did predict that Peter was going to die and that his death was not going to be according to his wishes but someone else would control his fate. It is interesting at the time of writing Peter has been long dead as a martyr and John is still alive.
Thirdly, John wanted to clear up something about himself. There were many stories going around about Jesus and his disciples and one of them was Jesus would return before John would die. John sets the record straight in quoting Jesus directly indicating that what Jesus was saying was that if he willed John to live until his return that was not Peter’s business. Peter’s business was to do what Jesus had called him to do and stop worrying about everyone else.
Next: Appearance on a Mountain in Galilee