Commentaries:
It is Peter who is focused upon. There were seven outstanding men on that shore, and Jesus thrust the responsibility of the care of the church on Peter—not John, not James, not Thomas, but Peter, the first among equals. Peter refers to this in I Peter 5. He had this God-given responsibility to care for the sheep.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Unity (Part 2): God's Pattern of Leadership
The King James' translators blur a distinction Jesus makes by translating two different words into the single word "feed." The New King James corrects this deficiency in verse 16 by using "tend," the exact same word translated as "shepherd" in I Peter 5:2. It has a far broader application than the word rendered "feed" in verses 15 and 17. Taken together, these words reveal that a pastor has broad responsibility for the overall health and protection of the flock. Applying this principle back to physical health, good health and well-being require a multifaceted program beyond just eating good food. For instance, we must also get regular and sufficient sleep, avoid bodily injury, and maintain good attitudes.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Eating: How Good It Is! (Part Three)
Most translations fail to bring out that two different words are translated as "love" in John 21:15-17. Twice, Jesus asks Peter if he had agape love for Him, and both times Peter says, "Yes, You know that I love you"—but Peter does not use agape but phileo, which indicates personal warmth, regard, and affection. Phileo is a more fickle, more human love than agape, which is a reasoned, intentional devotion with a moral core. Agape love comes from God, and it is focused on what is right and best for the other person, regardless of how one feels.
Jesus twice asks Peter if he has this agape love, and both times Peter can only truthfully respond that he has tremendous personal affection for Him. Peter cannot say he has agape love for Him, when he had recently demonstrated that he did not love Jesus as much as he had claimed. Peter feels personal warmth and affection for His Messiah, but when it came to putting His will above his own, Peter is not as devoted as he has claimed. We can see that the love of God cannot be separated from the will of God. His will forms the basis for agape love; if an act is outside of God's will, it cannot be agape love.
Peter probably thought his intention to sacrifice his life was an act of agape love! After all, that same Passover night, Jesus had told the disciples that "greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). So Peter may have reasoned that dying with Jesus would demonstrate godly love. Yet, because that was not God's will for Peter, such a great sacrifice was not actually the love of God!
The third time that Jesus questions Peter, He uses the word phileo. He lowers the bar, essentially asking Peter if He were a close friend and felt affection for Him. This upsets Peter, because, undoubtedly, his recent failure is still fresh in his mind, and these reminders are painful. The gospels record that after Peter had denied Christ the third time, and the rooster crowed, that Peter "wept bitterly," indicating painfully moving grief.
In John 21:17, that grief is still present: "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.'" Here the translations obscure another important distinction. In addition to the two Greek words for "love," these verses also contain two different Greek words translated as "know." When Peter says, "You know all things," it is the same Greek word that he uses in his previous answers—eido—and it means "to see," usually in a figurative sense. It has the sense of understanding, comprehending, and perceiving.
But this third time, after Jesus asks if Peter had phileo love for him, he responds with a different word that means "to know." This time he uses ginosko, indicating an experiential knowledge. His third response, then, implies that Jesus understood all things and had experienced Peter's phileo love toward Him, yet the humbled Peter will not claim that Jesus had experienced agape love from him. The lesson for Peter (and for us) is that we cannot have agape love if Christ does not supply it. If He is active in us, however, then the meager efforts we put forth—if they are His will—will begin to produce abundantly, just like the great catch of fish earlier in the chapter.
David C. Grabbe
Breakfast by the Sea (Part Two)
Each time Peter responds, Jesus commands him in a way that links to Peter's answers. The meaning is that because Peter loves Christ, here is what Christ wants him to do. His commands apply mostly to the ministry, yet there are aspects of them that every member can put into practice. This is not to suggest that we try to take on a role that God has not given to us, but these commands provide guidelines for how each of us can support those God puts in our path.
In verses 15 and 17, Jesus tells Peter to feed those under his care. In verse 15, it is with regard to the lambs—that is, Christians who are either young in years or new in the faith—and in verse 17, it refers to more mature sheep. Christ's emphasis is on providing spiritual food. In verse 16, Jesus tells Peter to "tend [His] sheep." "Tending" encompasses all of what a shepherd does for his sheep, which goes beyond just feeding, indicating total guardianship of the sheep, including tasks like guiding, governing, defending, putting them in a fold, checking for disease, etc.
On occasion, lay-members can contribute similarly. If, in our interactions with our brethren, we are reminded of a sermon or article that may edify them, we can certainly mention it. Perhaps we find ourselves in a position to give helpful advice or to warn other sheep about a wolf. Maybe we can keep someone from going astray by exposing some religious deception.
Yet, before assuming that we know what is good—and loving—it is wise for us to seek God's direction before pursuing our ideas of how someone can be "helped." Peter neglected to seek God's will before plunging into a course of action, and he ended up stumbling badly in trying to show agape love. If we act by our own will, even if it is out of the deepest of human regard and affection, it will not bear the same good fruit as if it were God's will. Sometimes, in spite of what initially seems best to us, what is actually best is for God to work it out in a way that does not involve us or in a way in which our part is very different from what we had imagined. There is a time to speak, and a time to remain silent; a time to act, and a time to sit on one's hands. The only way to know the time is to seek the Good Shepherd and wait for His response.
David C. Grabbe
Breakfast by the Sea (Part Two)
Jesus pointedly asks Peter three times whether he loved Him. The first time He asks whether he loved Him "more than these," referring either to his fellow apostles or the tools of his fishing trade. The inference is inescapable: Jesus wanted Peter to hold Him of greater importance than anything on earth. Considering Peter's weighty responsibility, he could not be faithful to Jesus without the staunchest commitment to Him as most important of all in his life.
The meaning to us is clear. We must love Christ supremely, or we do not love Him much if at all. If we are not willing to give up all earthly possessions, forsake all earthly friends, and obey Him above all others—including our own carnal desires—to be faithful to Him, our attachment to Him is tenuous at best. Is such a proposition too much? Does not marriage require a similar faithfulness from each spouse? Without it, it is no wonder there is so much adultery and divorce.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness
Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him "more than these." It is not obvious what He is referring to in this phrase. Some have suggested He is referring to the nets, boats, and other aspects of their earthly profession, or perhaps He is asking if Peter loved Him more than he loved the other disciples. But there is another possibility, which has its genesis in the night of Jesus Christ's arrest:
Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble." Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples. (Matthew 26:31-35)
Jesus predicted that all of the disciples would stumble on this Passover night. Yet, Peter was so sure of himself and so filled with confidence in his own strength that he proudly asserted himself above the other disciples. To paraphrase, he said, "Lesser men may stumble, but I will never stumble." He was essentially claiming to be spiritually stronger than the other men whom Jesus had also called and taught.
With this in mind, we can understand why a number of translations render Christ's question in John 21:15 as, "Do you love Me more than these do?" This indicates that the word "these" indeed refers to the other disciples, but it specifically speaks of how much they loved Christ. That Passover night, Peter had basically claimed to love Jesus Christ more than the others did. Now, Jesus brings this back around to see if Peter still held to his lofty opinion of himself, claiming to love Jesus more than the others did.
Notice also that with each question, Jesus uses his family name, "Jonah." The original Greek does not have the word "son" in these verses—Jesus simply calls him "Simon of Jonah." Names have special significance in the Bible, and it is not coincidental that three times Jesus makes use of the name of Jonah.
We are all familiar with the story of the prophet by the same name and how, even though he nominally followed God's instructions, he is never shown fully surrendering to God's will. He eventually does what God tells him to do, but he resists God throughout. Twice, Jonah says that it is better for him to die than to live, and a third time, he tells God that he is angry enough to die. Jonah would rather die than accept not living on his own terms.
In this, we can see an aspect of Peter, though not nearly to the same depth of wretchedness. The various gospels record that Peter pledged to lay down his life, that he was ready to go to prison and death, and that he would die before denying his Messiah. When the time came for Jesus to be arrested, Peter pulled out his sword and was apparently ready to back up his words—he was ready to take on the whole mob and go down fighting. Yet, he ended up denying Jesus three times. Now the resurrected Christ asks Peter three times if he loved Him. Three times, Jesus calls him "Simon of Jonah," perhaps pointing out that he was not doing so well in completely surrendering to God's will.
Peter never asked Jesus if it were His will for Peter to follow Him to a violent death! Peter decided for himself what needed to be done and how he would serve God. Like Jonah, he seemed more inclined toward death than toward living life in a way that was not on his terms. Jesus planned to meet the disciples in Galilee after His resurrection, and He wanted Peter to strengthen the others. Jesus had already expressed that He would use the disciples in preaching to others. In other words, Christ's will was for them to live and to carry on with what He had been training them for.
But Simon of Jonah had his own ideas. Because of Peter's willfulness, Jesus questions him three times about his love for Him. Peter neglected to seek God's will before plunging into a course of action, and he ended up stumbling badly in trying to show love. If we act by our own will, even if it is out of the deepest of human regard and affection, it will not bear the same good fruit if it is not also God's will.
David C. Grabbe
Breakfast by the Sea (Part One)
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing John 21:17:
Ruth 2:8-9
Matthew 18:20
John 21:2-3
John 21:4-12
John 21:15-17
John 21:15-17
Galatians 5:22
1 John 2:27
