Joh 21:15-17 | KingComments | STEP | When they have finished breakfast, the Lord begins the complete restoration of Peter’s soul. The personal relationship between Him and Peter has previously been put in order. Therefore, He first appeared to Peter personally. We are not told what He discussed with Him. It is enough for us to know that everything was put in order between Him and the Lord ( ; ; ). That there is nothing more standing between Peter and the Lord we have seen in Peter’s spontaneous action of swimming directly to Him when he hears that He is on the shore ( ). There is no longer any diffidence on his part. Having restored his personal relationship with the Lord, Peter must now be restored openly in the midst of his brethren. As a result, the gracious work of the Lord Jesus will be deepened in Peter’s heart. The Lord does not reproach him about his denial, but gets to the root cause: Peter’s self-confidence and feeling better than others. After all, Peter boasted that though all would fall away because of Him, at least he would not ( ). To fully expose that self-confidence, so that Peter will recognize it in himself and condemn it, the Lord asks him three questions. These three questions, of course, correspond to the three times Peter denied Him. Therefore, in His first question about the love that Peter said he had for Him, the Lord Jesus makes the comparison that Peter drew between himself and the other disciples. In his answer, Peter does not speak a word about loving Him more than the other disciples, even though the Lord asked about it. Peter understood the question well. In his answer, he no longer gives high praise of his love for the Lord. He appeals to His omniscience. As for himself, he knows that he has failed in his love for Him, but he also knows that the Lord knows his heart and that He then sees in his heart anyway that he loves Him. In his answer, Peter uses a weaker word for love than the Lord used in His question. In His question about Peter’s love, the Lord has used for the word love the Greek word agapao by which Divine love is indicated. He asks Peter if he loves Him with that highest love. Peter answers with the Greek word phileo , a word by which a weaker form of love is indicated. This is the word for love that is used among people and has more the meaning of “attachment”, “affection”. This response by Peter shows the genuineness of his faith which has now been stripped of its bravado. On the basis of this response, the Lord gives Peter the care of His lambs, the most vulnerable of His flock. Is there any greater proof of trust that a friend could place in me than to entrust to me his most precious possession? That is the trust the Lord gives Peter here. We might have chosen Peter last, given his threefold denial. The gracious answer is that Peter is exactly the man He can trust. The reason is the complete breaking of his self-confidence. The Lord Jesus will soon be going away from His own, back to His Father. Where can He find a trustworthy, true and loving shepherd who can take over His care for these vulnerable ones? He finds that shepherd in Peter. Does He also find that shepherd in us? Peter’s care for the lambs consists of tending them. Lambs are not to be herded, but tendered. To tender means to give them food that consists of teaching them the truth at the level they can endure. Peter is entrusted with the care of the Jewish lambs and sheep. He will be able to give food to the lambs by presenting to them the Messiah as He was. He does this in the book of Acts and also in His two letters. In His second question to Peter, the Lord no longer speaks of the comparison with the other disciples. That matter is settled. He does not return to that. In His second question He asks about Peter’s personal love for Him: You do love Me, don’t you? Here again He uses the word agapao , the word for Divine love. Peter does not dare to adopt this word and responds deeply humbled with the weaker phileo , ‘affection’. As the first time, Peter begins his answer with “yes, Lord” and appeals to His omniscience. He truly loves the Lord, though he acknowledges that not much of it is seen on the outside. The Lord knows this too and appreciates Peter’s answer with a new commission. Peter is now given His sheep to care for, to shepherd, to protect. Mature believers who already know a bit more of the truth do not need food in the first place, although that too is indispensable, but that they be preserved by what they know of the truth. The danger they face is that the enemy will draw them away from what they know. When the Lord asks about his love for the third time, Peter becomes sad. This sorrow is not because he feels the Lord is over asking him, but because he is now fully aware of who he has been. The Lord has accomplished His purpose with Peter. That He is not asking too much, but rather is in the process of fully restoring Peter, is evident from the fact that in this third question He uses the same word that Peter has always used. Here He takes over Peter’s word and speaks of ‘affection’. He is saying, as it were: ‘Peter, if you dare not say that you love Me, do you dare say that you just feel affection for Me?’ Peter realizes that he has shown so little of it and that he cannot point to evidence of love for the Lord. He again appeals to His omniscience and in a stronger way than the other two times. He now says that He knows everything, which also means that He knows Him through and through. In response to that humble confession, the Lord entrusts him with the full care of His sheep by now also telling him to tend His sheep. When Peter, after his humiliating fall, is brought to complete dependence on grace, grace shows how rich and abundant it is. What is most precious and valuable to the Lord, the gift of the Father’s love to Him, He entrusts to Peter: the sheep He has just redeemed. That grace, therefore, does not inspire confidence in ourselves, but in God, on Whose grace we can always rely.

‏ John 21:15-17

The Restoration of Peter

When they have finished breakfast, the Lord begins the complete restoration of Peter’s soul. The personal relationship between Him and Peter has previously been put in order. Therefore, He first appeared to Peter personally. We are not told what He discussed with Him. It is enough for us to know that everything was put in order between Him and the Lord (Mk 16:7; Lk 24:34; 1Cor 15:5). That there is nothing more standing between Peter and the Lord we have seen in Peter’s spontaneous action of swimming directly to Him when he hears that He is on the shore (Jn 21:7). There is no longer any diffidence on his part.

Having restored his personal relationship with the Lord, Peter must now be restored openly in the midst of his brethren. As a result, the gracious work of the Lord Jesus will be deepened in Peter’s heart.

The Lord does not reproach him about his denial, but gets to the root cause: Peter’s self-confidence and feeling better than others. After all, Peter boasted that though all would fall away because of Him, at least he would not (Mt 26:33). To fully expose that self-confidence, so that Peter will recognize it in himself and condemn it, the Lord asks him three questions. These three questions, of course, correspond to the three times Peter denied Him.

Therefore, in His first question about the love that Peter said he had for Him, the Lord Jesus makes the comparison that Peter drew between himself and the other disciples. In his answer, Peter does not speak a word about loving Him more than the other disciples, even though the Lord asked about it. Peter understood the question well. In his answer, he no longer gives high praise of his love for the Lord. He appeals to His omniscience. As for himself, he knows that he has failed in his love for Him, but he also knows that the Lord knows his heart and that He then sees in his heart anyway that he loves Him.

In his answer, Peter uses a weaker word for love than the Lord used in His question. In His question about Peter’s love, the Lord has used for the word love the Greek word agapao by which Divine love is indicated. He asks Peter if he loves Him with that highest love. Peter answers with the Greek word phileo, a word by which a weaker form of love is indicated. This is the word for love that is used among people and has more the meaning of “attachment”, “affection”.

This response by Peter shows the genuineness of his faith which has now been stripped of its bravado. On the basis of this response, the Lord gives Peter the care of His lambs, the most vulnerable of His flock. Is there any greater proof of trust that a friend could place in me than to entrust to me his most precious possession? That is the trust the Lord gives Peter here. We might have chosen Peter last, given his threefold denial. The gracious answer is that Peter is exactly the man He can trust. The reason is the complete breaking of his self-confidence.

The Lord Jesus will soon be going away from His own, back to His Father. Where can He find a trustworthy, true and loving shepherd who can take over His care for these vulnerable ones? He finds that shepherd in Peter. Does He also find that shepherd in us?

Peter’s care for the lambs consists of tending them. Lambs are not to be herded, but tendered. To tender means to give them food that consists of teaching them the truth at the level they can endure. Peter is entrusted with the care of the Jewish lambs and sheep. He will be able to give food to the lambs by presenting to them the Messiah as He was. He does this in the book of Acts and also in His two letters.

In His second question to Peter, the Lord no longer speaks of the comparison with the other disciples. That matter is settled. He does not return to that. In His second question He asks about Peter’s personal love for Him: You do love Me, don’t you? Here again He uses the word agapao, the word for Divine love. Peter does not dare to adopt this word and responds deeply humbled with the weaker phileo, ‘affection’. As the first time, Peter begins his answer with “yes, Lord” and appeals to His omniscience. He truly loves the Lord, though he acknowledges that not much of it is seen on the outside.

The Lord knows this too and appreciates Peter’s answer with a new commission. Peter is now given His sheep to care for, to shepherd, to protect. Mature believers who already know a bit more of the truth do not need food in the first place, although that too is indispensable, but that they be preserved by what they know of the truth. The danger they face is that the enemy will draw them away from what they know.

When the Lord asks about his love for the third time, Peter becomes sad. This sorrow is not because he feels the Lord is over asking him, but because he is now fully aware of who he has been. The Lord has accomplished His purpose with Peter. That He is not asking too much, but rather is in the process of fully restoring Peter, is evident from the fact that in this third question He uses the same word that Peter has always used. Here He takes over Peter’s word and speaks of ‘affection’. He is saying, as it were: ‘Peter, if you dare not say that you love Me, do you dare say that you just feel affection for Me?’

Peter realizes that he has shown so little of it and that he cannot point to evidence of love for the Lord. He again appeals to His omniscience and in a stronger way than the other two times. He now says that He knows everything, which also means that He knows Him through and through. In response to that humble confession, the Lord entrusts him with the full care of His sheep by now also telling him to tend His sheep.

When Peter, after his humiliating fall, is brought to complete dependence on grace, grace shows how rich and abundant it is. What is most precious and valuable to the Lord, the gift of the Father’s love to Him, He entrusts to Peter: the sheep He has just redeemed. That grace, therefore, does not inspire confidence in ourselves, but in God, on Whose grace we can always rely.