John 21:15 ¹⁵Then when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, 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.” 

The seven disciples were sitting around the fire with full stomachs. They were in the presence of the risen Jesus. Likely, it was now full daylight. John does not record all the discussion that went on but focuses on the dialogue between Jesus and Peter. The other disciples were likely present, as indicated by Jesus comparing Peter to these in verse 15. The masculine pronoun these (toutōn) could refer to many things. On the one hand, it could refer to the things of Peter’s old life as a fisherman. In this sense, Jesus was asking Peter about his priorities and if he was willing to forsake all and follow him. On the other hand, it could refer to the other disciples and how much they loved Jesus. In this approach, Jesus was testing the amount of love Peter had for Jesus and if there was any competitiveness or selfishness in his heart. Peter’s response indicates that he himself may have been confused about the question.

At issue was Peter’s love for Jesus. Jesus repeats the question three times, and each time Peter resonds in the affirmative. The questions and words used are not exactly the same, but change in subtle ways that might be missed in English translation. Jesus’ first question begins with a formal address of Peter’s full name as Simon, son of John. The word Jesus used for love is agapas, which is the type of love God showed by sending Jesus to the world as the Savior in 3:16. Jesus was testing the extent and focus of Peter’s love for him. Peter had earlier claimed that he would die for Jesus in 13:37 yet had betrayed him three times that very night. Love that comes from human power only will be easily influenced by external forces and inner doubts and fears.

Peter’s response uses a different Greek word for love: philō. Although the different words from “love” are often interchanged in John and other places in the New Testament, in general, this word refers more to a relational type of love shared among friends or family. This love can be sourced by human effort and the natural bonds that develop among people who live and work closely together. Peter was willing to love Jesus out of his own strength and willpower, but he had already shown his inability to do this. He needed a source outside of himself to love in the way Jesus was asking. Peter needed to come to this realization if he was ever going to be successful in the mission before him. He later wrote in 1 Peter 1:8 about the type of love disciples ought to have for Jesus, and in that verse, he uses a form of the Greek word Jesus used (agapate).

It is difficult to know to what extent the subtle shift of Greek words for “love” has in this passage, but since Peter’s response differs from Jesus’ question, either Peter misunderstood Jesus’ question or he could not bring himself to the point of using the same word as Jesus. Most likely, they were both speaking in Aramaic, which might now have the subtle distinction held in the Greek words, but John intentionally used different words in his account. Therefore, we are invited to think more deeply about this dialogue and what Jesus was asking of Peter.

Was Peter willing to love Jesus by feeding his lambs? The word for lambs (arnia) refers to various types of sheep. It is used only here outside of Revelation, where it is used for Jesus as the Lamb of God. Jesus’ flock is diverse. Peter would later be called to take the gospel to Gentiles, whom Jews considered outside of God’s flock. To what extent was Peter willing to go for Jesus?

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