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.” 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.”  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. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  John 21:15-18 

The Praise Team has heard me say time and again that I do not like the song Friend of God. I believe it is because every time I hear it, it reminds me of the passage above. As we continue to study some of the shortcomings that ultimately form Peter’s character, we come to a section that takes a deeper dive into exegesis to gather the true intent that Jesus has. We have to look more into textual origins to determine just how clever Christ is with His questions, and how sluggish Peter is to grasp His true meaning with the attitude of his answers. The Breakfast is over, and the stage has been set for the resurrected Jesus to gently inform Peter of the monumental task that he is in store for.

The first thing to note in this passage is that Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him three times.  The immediate thought is that He is referencing the amount of times that Peter denied Him while he was being crucified. While that very well may be true, it is important to understand the language that each were using in the conversation. Christ uses the Greek word Agape, which means unconditional love. When Peter replies, he uses the word Philo, which translates to brotherly love.  Jesus was showing Peter the magnitude of love that is required to do the job intended for him. How do you love and pursue Jesus?  Is it in a brotherly, convenient way? Or is it unconditionally and daily. Again, we see this week, do not be like Peter.

Have a great week!

~Danny