John 21:15-19
Chapter 21
15
Simon Peter’s Mission
After they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He answered: “Yes, LORD, you know that I love you.” Jesus said: “Feed my lambs.”16
A second time, Jesus asked him:
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter replied:
“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him:
“Tend of my sheep.”
17
And a third time, he asked him:
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was upset because Jesus asked him a third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he answered:
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus then said:
“Feed my sheep!
18
Truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted, but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
19
Jesus said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then he added:
“Follow me!”
Commentaries
Simon Peter’s Mission
The Lord asks Peter about the sincerity of his love. Three questions echo and restore Peter’s three denials (13:38; 18:17, 25-27). It may also serve as a ratification of a commitment, following the Semitic custom of doing so (cf. Gn 23:7-23). Peter’s response shows how his painful experience has transformed him. His threefold answer is not based on himself, but on his knowledge of Jesus (17). In Matthew, the focus is on the church: “On this rock I will build my Church” (Mt 16:18). In John, a strong Christological focus is clear. Jesus appoints Peter as the shepherd of his flock and asks for his complete love. This is the core requirement for fulfilling the role of shepherd within the Church and, more broadly, for caring for one’s neighbor.