He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, 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 everything; you know that I love you.”
John 21:17
The relationship between Jesus and Simon Peter – the rock on whom Jesus would build the Church – was complicated, tender and very human. In this passage, Jesus speaks to Peter as appears to the apostles following his death on the cross and resurrection. Why does Jesus ask Peter three times if Peter loves him? I think it is because Peter denied him three times, and this exchange serves as a kind of reconciling act of love and forgiveness, strengthening and empowering Peter to build the Church.
Jesus had foretold that Peter would deny him three times before the cock crowed (Luke 22: 34). And that is exactly what happens, as Peter emphatically tells three people in succession that he does not know Jesus. As the cock crows, Jesus turns and looks at Peter, and Peter remembers the prophecy about the betrayal. He goes out and weeps bitterly. Imagine how Peter must have felt as Jesus went to the cross: consumed by guilt, overwhelmed by sorrow, totally lacking in self-confidence, ashamed, and worse than useless. In short, a failure.
A person with such feelings could not have carried on Jesus’ work after his death. So after asking Peter three times if he loves him and hearing the emphatic answers of yes, Jesus gives Peter a mission: “Feed my sheep.” The sheep are, of course, us – all the people who will be left bereft after Jesus’ death unless they have a loving shepherd. In this command to carry out his work, Jesus is affirming Peter as his beloved and capable apostle – a man who can nurture the current and future flock of believers, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Leaders don’t give missions to failures and people they don’t trust. Jesus’ trust in Peter is therefore quite comforting for the rest of us. No matter how short we feel we fall as Christians, Jesus forgives us and loves us, as he did Peter. Jesus never, ever gives up on us, constantly encouraging us as his beloved followers.
While our faults may cause us pain, as they did Peter, Jesus always encourages us to persevere. Like Peter, we are called to feed the Lord’s sheep with willing hands and a loving heart.
God bless you!
Peggy
