FOLLOW ME
John chapter 21:15 to 25
The Lord Jesus at this point called the faltering, failing, fumbling disciple Simon Peter to service. The great lesson for us is that love for the Saviour is the prerequisite for service.
Three times our Lord interrogated Peter, three times he responded, then three times the Lord Jesus Christ gave him his commission. Why three times? Part of the reason may lie in the fact that, as Peter denied Christ three times, he was now made to affirm his devotion publicly three times.
Simon bar-Jonah (later called Peter), with the other disciples, had been called to be an apostle after a miraculous catch of fish (Mark 1:16-19, Luke 5:4-11): it was after our Lord took over the directing of their fishing that the nets broke, and after that He made them apostles. Peter failed his commission when he denied the Lord, around coals of fire, in the courtyard of the palace of the high priest. Now, again by the Sea of Galilee, after a miraculous catch of fish, around coals of fire, Christ restored his commission and put him back into service. The three questions were not a repetition, for while there is a similarity in the questions, no two are identical in the original Greek.
The first question was: Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these? He called him Simon (from Simeon, Hearing), not the name He had given him, Peter (Stone).
There are two words in the Greek language that are translated into the English Bible by the word love: phileô, meaning friendship, spontaneous affection, and agapaô, the highest and noblest word for devotion to another person, love of choice, a word of dignity and also a divine word, for it is the word used to speak of the love of God.
The Lord used the word agapaô when He asked this question. It meant are you more devoted to me than these? Peter had even boasted that he would stand by Christ though all men forsook him (Mark 14:29). We do not know what passed between the risen Lord and Peter when He first appeared to him in private (Luke 24:34), but here Christ probed him before the other disciples for his devotion and humility necessary for service.
Simon Peter answered that yes, he loved him, but made no claim to superior love, agapaô using the humbler word phileô. That is, he was the Lord's friend, as he insisted that Christ already knew, in spite of his conduct; but he now lacked the self-confidence to state he was devoted to the Lord and even less to say he was more devoted than the others. He had become humble.
The Lord answered "Feed (as a herdsman) my lambs". The word for lambs is diminutive, meaning baby lambs. It is symbolic for new converts, the new-born in the faith, who need milk - basic teaching.
The second question was: Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me? This time the Lord dropped the more than these and challenged Peter's statement, insisting on the word agapaô, i.e. are you devoted to Me? He accepted that Peter had given up boasting, but gave him a second chance to declare that his love was more than just friendship.
In reply, Peter repeated the same words he had said before, in self judgement not daring to express his devotion.
The Lord answered this time "Tend (as a shepherd) my little sheep". The sheep (little is an affectionate diminutive), which includes all believers who share the love of Christ, need tending, which involves receiving the example and leadership of their shepherds, called variously bishops, elders and overseers in the Bible (1 Peter 5:1-4).
The third question was: Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me? But Christ now adopted the word phileô used by Peter, a challenge as to whether he even had friendship for Him. Peter this time was grieved - not so much because the Lord had asked a question of him three times, but rather because the degree of his love for the Lord had, in three stages, been questioned down to the level he professed.
Even his friendship was now being challenged. He implied in his answer that all he could say was that he had an affection for the Lord, and that the Lord knew it as He knew all things. He was not bragging now: he realised that the Lord knew his heart and so was humble about the extent of his devotion.
The third exhortation was "Feed my little sheep". After receiving basic teaching (1 Corinthians 3:2, Hebrews 5:12,13), believers need solid nourishment from the Word of God (Hebrews 5:14), taught by those who have learned themselves and are so gifted by the Holy Spirit. All bishops/elders/overseers must be able to teach (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:9).
The acid test of any believer today still is Do you devotedly love Me? It is wonderful to have the right doctrine and the right creed, but salvation and service are a matter of willing devotion. It is greater than faith and hope (1 Corinthians 13:13).
The Lord added that in his old age Peter would be tied and carried where he did not wish to go, signifying by what death he would glorify God, though the details, mercifully, were not spelled out to him. Peter had said he would lay down his life for the Lord Jesus, and that is what he would eventually do. He understood (2 Peter 1:14).
Despite what Peter's future held, he must follow the Lord. We may be uncertain and fearful about our future, but we must, like Peter, confidently follow our Teacher, Lord and Saviour, for He cares for us.
Peter then suddenly turned round and saw John listening to all this - reportedly the youngest of the disciples - and was curious to know what was going to happen to him. We also tend to compare our lives to others, to check our level of devotion to Christ or perhaps even to see how better - or worse - we are being treated.
The Lord rebuked Peter's keen curiosity and made it clear that how He dealt with John, so that he lived or not until He returned, was no business of Peter's. Peter's concern must only be to keep on following Him. Ignorance, or lack of knowledge, is no excuse for not serving the Lord. There are a lot of things that we won't ever know, there are many things that we don't need to know and there are things that are not our business to know. The important thing is to watch our step, and to follow and to serve Him in complete trust.
Peter or others drew a wrong conclusion from what Christ said and spread among the brethren that John would live on till the Lord returned. John didn't made this mistake, and repeated in this Gospel exactly what was said. This illustrates the saying "wonderful things in the Bible I see, things that were put there by you and by me…", and is a warning not to infer from the Bible text that which is not there, nor to give unscriptural tradition any authority over the Scriptures.
Verse 24 identifies "the disciple whom Jesus loved" as the writer of this book. Written in the plural, it was probably the identification and endorsement by a group of disciples, who knew the author and wished to vouch for his identity and for the truthfulness of his witness. They were possibly a group of elders in Ephesus where John had long laboured.
The last verse is again in the singular, written by John. It is a natural hyperbole, graphically picturing the vastness of the work and words of Christ from which he has made a small selection (chapter 20:30), resulting in one of the greatest books of the Bible, as it gives us a glimpse of the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
John's stated purpose for writing his Gospel was to show that Jesus was the Son of God. He clearly and systematically presented the evidence. Those who hear evidence in a courtroom must make a choice. Those who read this Gospel must also make a choice: is Jesus the Son of God, or not? The evidence has been clearly presented. You must decide. Accept it and be saved!
R David Jones
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."
17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, 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, "Feed My sheep.
18 "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"
21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"
22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."
23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?"
24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
5 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.