"Do you love me more than these?"

 

The gospel of John has provided us with a bonus chapter at the end. John declared his goal, "these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (20:31). And then, he added a beautiful chapter that began with Peter's statement, "I am going fishing."

And so, seven of the 12 disciples fished all night and caught nothing - the usual. At dawn, Jesus was seen on shore. When he gave them fishing instructions, they went from 0 fish to 153, revealing that Jesus was giving them the supernatural instructions they needed. After John identified the man on shore as Jesus, Peter jumped into the water and swam ashore. When the rest of the men made it to shore, they saw that Jesus had prepared breakfast for them, saying, "Come and have breakfast." I marvel at the practical care Jesus had for his followers, even after this resurrection. But that isn't the feature of this story that has been impressing me.

The small group found themselves sitting around a charcoal fire for the second time (compare 20:9 & 18:18). Peter ended up denying Jesus three times the first time. Now, Jesus would offer him the opportunity to confess his love three times. John recorded the conversation in a wonderfully poetic way. A feature of Hebrew poetry called "parallelism" can be seen in the three questions, the three answers, and the three commands of Jesus. As a typical literary device, John used two words for "love," two words for "feed," and two words for "sheep." In fact, there are even two words used for "know." As is true in Hebrew poetry, parallel terms are designed to paint a more complete picture of the truth being presented. While the truth of "love" is the usual lesson drawn from this encounter between Jesus and Peter, I am struck by the repeated commission, indeed the recommissioning of Peter.

Here is how this passage might be presented:

Do you love me more than these?
Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
Feed my lambs.

Do you love me?
Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
Tend my sheep.

Do you love me?
Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.
Feed my sheep.

While Jesus was fully restoring his relationship with Peter, only calling him Simon while doing so, the restoration of Peter's commission is very important. Jesus is concerned about the well-being of his "sheep," so much so that if Peter does, in fact, really love Jesus "more than these," more than anything else, he is to devote himself to caring for the members of Jesus's flock. His love for Jesus will be shown by the consistent and dedicated care he gives to the members of God's family he will be encountering.

And Jesus describes Peter's commission in three parallel ways:

1. Feed my lambs. Provide the necessary food for my little lambs. Make sure my little ones get the most healthy, nourishing provision for their food that promotes their well-being.

2. Tend my sheep. Shepherd my flock. Provide my whole flock, young and old alike, the leadership of a shepherd. Demonstrate the heart of a shepherd, not the heart of a "hired hand," as you lead.

3. Feed my sheep. Provide good pasturage for my flock. Take time to explore their food and ensure they receive only the best, most beneficial food. And don't feed them so much at once that they choke on it. Feed my flock line upon line, as a wise shepherd.

This is a deeply personal concern for Jesus. They are his flock, his lambs, and the quality of their care is of utmost importance to him. 

It reminds me of Paul's exhortation to the Ephesian elders: The outcome of Peter's declared love for Jesus would be his care of those Jesus loved the sacrificial care of a shepherd. "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood" (Acts 20:28).

It seems to me that the commission to love and care for God's flock, in the midst of God's people, is central to all those called upon to lead and feed. Loving God, being a conduit of God's love, will naturally result in that kind of love guiding relationships among God's people. 

Jesus is the Good Shepherd and Great Shepherd in God's household. At best, other leaders in the midst of the household are assistant shepherds, those called alongside Jesus to share in his work. A hired hand cares for himself more than for the sheep. A thief is prepared to sacrifice the sheep for his personal gain. But it is the high and holy work of a shepherd to lay one's life down in order to see the sheep in the flock of God live a truly flourishing life.