In John 21:15-17 we find one of the most significant moments in the life of Peter. I can only imagine what it must have been like for Peter in that moment. It was only a few days ago that the he not only saw Jesus crucified but he also betrayed him by denying on three different occasions that he even knew Jesus. Thinking that it’s all over, Peter and some of the other disciples try to go back to their former lives as fishermen. In John 21, however, we find that Jesus, now risen from the dead, is not even close to being done with them. In the verses preceding 15-17 we read this:
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[c] 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
I have to wonder if Peter felt a mixture of joy and dread at the sight of Jesus standing there. Joy at seeing his Lord alive once more, but dread at wondering if he would say anything about Peter’s denial of him. In 15-17 this is exactly what happens. Jesus addresses Peter’s triple denial, but perhaps not in the way that Peter might have expected. We read:
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
Three times during this interaction we see Jesus ask Peter if he loves him with Peter answering yes each time. Peter is hurt after Jesus asks for the third time, but there is significance to be found in the fact that Jesus does this. Three times Peter denied him, and now three times Peter is given the chance to affirm that he does indeed love Jesus. Jesus is offering him the chance to make amends for each of those instances of denial. However, that isn’t all that’s happening here. After each time Peter answers the question Jesus follows it up by telling him to take care of his sheep. Of course, what Jesus is really saying is for Peter to take care of those who follow Jesus and call him Lord, just as Peter does.
I don’t know that it can be overstated just how important this moment is for Peter. I’m not sure that Peter would have gone on to become the person that he did had Jesus not done what he did here. Jesus accomplished two very important things. First, he showed Peter that he was forgiven. For Peter to be able to move on, he needed to know this in his head and his heart. Betrayal of any sort is a truly difficult thing to forgive, but if there was ever anyone who understood the power of forgiveness and how transformational it can be it was Jesus. Jesus doesn’t just stop at forgiving him though. Even though we don’t read this anywhere, I could imagine Peter saying somewhere in this conversation “What now Lord? Where do I go from here? What do you want me to do?” Jesus’ directions to feed his sheep are both simple and profound at the same time. In this moment, Peter didn’t just need forgiveness. He needed a sense of purpose too.
“Feed my sheep.”
God’s forgiveness is never just a “you’re forgiven and that’s it” kind of thing. We are forgiven so that we are free to begin living the lives that we are called to. Those lives involve carrying out the work of the Gospel, the work of proclaiming to the world in whatever shape, form, or fashion we can that Jesus is who Scripture tells us he is. It is forgiveness that loosens the chains around us, but it is purpose that drives us to leave those chains behind and move forward into the life that God created us for. No one has been created to just sit idly by and wait for Heaven. God creates us all with a purpose and a reason for being. That purpose and reason is not removed either just because of our sins. Jesus not only forgave Peter that day and restored him, but he also gave him back his purpose for living. If Jesus was willing and able to do that for Peter, then we can all rest assured that the same offer is available to us as well.
Thank you for writing this! I read this a few days ago, but God brought me back to read it again. It's amazing how much detail Jesus has in loving us. He reaches out to all of us so specifically to restore us from our shame just like He did with Peter. And also really goes to show how important it is to Jesus for us to feed his flock! God wanted me to read your post!