Eric Hamilton
The Gospel of John gives us a unique story in chapter 21, set between the resurrection and the ascension in those forty days that Jesus was appearing and disappearing with irregularity. Five of the disciples are together by the Sea of Tiberias. They do not know what to do, so they wait. Peter finally says he is going fishing. The others join him. They fish all night and catch nothing. Then a figure on the shore calls out, “Children, have you caught anything?” They answer no. He tells them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. They do, and the net fills with so many fish they cannot haul it in.
John recognizes the voice first and tells Peter, “It is the Lord.” Peter, so excited he cannot wait for the boat to reach shore, jumps into the water and swims to Jesus. When they get there, Jesus already has a fire going with fish and bread ready. He says, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” They eat breakfast together on the beach. The scene is so human, so full of joy. Jesus is not distant or formal. He is laughing, sharing a meal, and reminding them of the day years earlier when he first called them from these same waters.
Then Jesus ruins the moment, or at least that is how it may feels. We would rather stay in the warm glow of good feelings. We do not always want the tough spiritual questions to follow. But Jesus loves us too much to leave us there. He turns to Peter and asks the hard thing. He asks it three times. We can hear the echo of Peter’s three denials the night Jesus was arrested. Peter had been so bold before, saying he would never deny Jesus even if everyone else did. Now the bill comes due.
First Jesus says, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” The Greek word here for love is agape, self-sacrificing love. The way he forms his sentence, the “they” Jesus says could be referring to a number of things. But given what follows, it seems Jesus is asking Peter about the other disciples. Do you love me more than these guys love me? Peter had once claimed he loved Jesus more than they. Now, Peter answers more humbly. “Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus replies, “Feed my lambs.”
The second time Jesus asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Again it is agape. Peter answers the same way: “Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus says, “Tend my sheep.”
By the third time Peter is grieved. The question reads the same in English, but the Greek word changes. Jesus now asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” using the word phileo, warm brotherly love. Peter had been answering with phileo all along, not because he was dumbing down his love but probably because he was expressing it the best way he knew how. He was saying, “Lord, you know I love you like my own brother.” When Jesus asks for the third time with the same word Peter has been using, I imagine the weight of the three denials hits hard. Peter says, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”
This is not Peter saying, “Just forgive me and get off my back.” It is a statement of deep humility. He understands that his mistakes cannot be justified, but he has no other recourse. He is completely at the mercy of Jesus.
Jesus is not finished. He goes on to say, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). John tells us this is a prophecy about the kind of death Peter would die. But it is also a word for us here and now. To love Jesus, whether with agape or phileo, means setting aside our own wants, our fears, and our old ways of life. It means following the path he lays out even when it leads where we would rather not go.
After that Jesus simply says, “Follow me.” Peter turns and sees John walking behind them. He asks, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus answers, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me” (John 21:21-22).
How often do we do the same thing? Jesus calls us, and our first response is to look sideways and ask, “What about him? What about her? Why does their path look different?” We wonder why someone else is not doing what we think they should. Jesus’ answer is direct but also freeing: What is that to you? You follow me. It is not our job to manage what Jesus has called someone else to do. We are all called to follow Christ and imitate him, but that may look different for each person. Maybe Jesus has called you to preach, to care for the poor, to serve in your workplace, or to love your family. The question is not what Jesus has called someone else to do. The question is, simply, do you love Jesus?
If you do, follow him. Jesus meets us where we are. He knows our failures and still asks for our love. He calls us to grow and to walk the path he sets before us even when it is hard. He asks us to keep our eyes on him.
So today, wherever you are in your walk with Jesus, hear him asking you the same question he asked Peter on that beach. Do you love me? If the answer is yes, then feed his lambs. Tend his sheep. And whatever anyone else is doing or not doing, you follow Jesus. That is the invitation. That is the command. And that is the joy of knowing the risen Lord.
