AP

John 21:15-17  When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”  Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”  The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?”  He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”  

In this little exchange between Jesus and Peter after the resurrection there are two different words used for love: agapao and phileo.  While it might be argued that they are largely synonymous, the way in which they are both used here cannot be ignored.  The noun from agapao is the one used in 1 Corinthians 13, the love that is totally self-giving and sacrificial.  It did not have a lot of currency before the coming of Jesus because there were few if any practical examples of it in human experience.  The other ‘love’ word, phileo, is more attainable, and is more like brotherly kindness, the sort of thing that good friends show to one another.

So, getting back to Jesus and Peter on the beach at Galilee, the conversation in terms of the words used for ‘love’ runs something like this: Jesus: “Simon, son of John, do you love me sacrificially?”; Peter: “Yes, Lord, I am your friend.”; Jesus: “Simon, son of John, do you love me sacrificially?”; Peter: “Yes, Lord, I am your friend.”; Jesus: “Simon, son of John, will you be my friend?”; Peter: “Yes, Lord, you know I am your friend.”

After Peter’s three-fold denial only a short time before (18:16-17; 25-27), Jesus was now giving Peter a three-fold opportunity to redeem himself.  He sets the high standard of ‘agapao’, but when Peter, humbled by his failure to achieve what he had previously boasted: “I will lay down my life for you” (13:37), can now only promise the less demanding ‘phileo’.  So, at the third challenge, the Master lowers the standard to something Peter can achieve.  How gracious our Lord and Saviour is!

It is therefore not without significance that, years later, after the empowering of the Holy Spirit and many experiences of opposition and persecution, Peter was able to write to fellow believers and encourage them to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness (phil-adelphe); and to brotherly kindness, love (agape)” (2 Peter 1:5-7)!  I like to form a picture in my mind of Peter writing this letter.  I think of him with tears running down his face, and his hand shaking, as he pens the words: “and to brotherly kindness, agape”!  O that, by God’s grace, agape might be at the heart of all our dealings, with God, and with each other.

– Bruce Christian