John 21:15-18
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 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.
These last three weeks we studied about the personal and intimate interaction of Jesus with those He loved in three different ways. We saw how Jesus ministered on the day of His resurrection to the two disciples who were confused and discouraged while on the road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-35. We studied how Jesus showing His love to the seven disciples coming to where they were fishing, preparing and serving breakfast on the beach for them, John 21:1-14. And last week, we studied about Jesus’ personal commission to Peter in John 21:15-19.
What have you learned from these three portions of scripture in these last three weeks of teaching about the personal and intimate love of Jesus in your relationship with Him?
These three questions that Jesus asks Peter, Ver. 15, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”, Ver. 16, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”, Ver. 17, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” and Peter’s answers gives us a clearer understanding of Jesus’ motives in His very personal and necessary conversation with the commissioning of Peter.
Peter – “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” We clearly see the three times Peter confesses his love for Jesus by his answer to Jesus’ three questions. And in response to Peter’s answers, Jesus commissions Peter for the ministry that He had chosen him to do.
Ver. 15, “Feed my lambs.”
Ver. 16, “Take care of my sheep.”
Ver. 17, “Feed my sheep.”
However, this could only be done faithfully and successfully because Peter loved Jesus. Jesus makes it clear that Peter’s newly added calling and responsibility as a shepherd is to feed and care for His flock. That the feeding and caring for Jesus’ lambs and sheep is based on the love Peter had for Jesus.
What is also clear in Jesus’ charge to Peter is Jesus’ use of the metaphor of sheep and lambs for His church who belong to Him, “my lambs” and “my sheep”. However, in itself, Jesus’ three points of His charge to Peter, to “Feed” and to “Take care” of His lambs and sheep seems very general and even ambiguous. What specifics are involved when a person is to “Feed” and to “Take care” of Jesus’ sheep? To answer this question, we need to go back and review what Jesus said prior to commissioning Peter that morning after breakfast on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter’s answer of loving Jesus involves more than a confession he gave Jesus, “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”, verses 15, 16, 17. Loving Jesus involves or has at least two important characteristics, especially if Peter was going to “Feed” and to “Take care” of Jesus’ sheep.
John’s account of the last night that Jesus was with His twelve disciples starts with the last supper. Jesus ate with them in John 13:1 and ends with His arrest in John 18:11. While eating the last supper, after Judas had left, Jesus gave them a new command, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35. Later on, that evening during the meal Jesus repeats what He said earlier that evening, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15. Shortly after, again Jesus in John 14:21a tells the eleven disciples,
21a “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.”
Even after “…Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” John 14:22; Jesus intentionally not answering Judas’ question goes back to the point He is emphasizing and wants all of them to know. “23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” John 14:23-24
When we read the other gospels about the order of events that took place night in Matthew 26:36, Mark 14:32, Luke 22:39, Jesus with His eleven disciples went to Gethsemane which was located on the Mount of Olives. On the way to Gethsemane, two more times John states the “new command”. Jesus was again emphasizing to the eleven disciples that night, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12 and “This is my command: Love each other.” John 15:17.
So, at this point we now should be seeing how these two important aspects that Jesus emphasized to the disciples on the last night before His crucifixion gives us some content to His charge to Peter, to “Feed” and to “Take care” of His lambs and sheep. In addition, this background information should also help us to answer the question, “What specifics are involved when a person is to “Feed” and to “Take care” of Jesus’ sheep?”
Approximately thirty years after Jesus’ commissioning of Peter, Peter writes his letter to an unknown number of churches which were located throughout five Roman provinces.
Peter in 1 Peter 5:2-4, with thirty plus years as a shepherd feeding and taking care of Jesus flock, gives specific instructions to the leaders of these congregations from his personal experience. He uses two terms interchangeably to identify these leaders, “shepherds” and “overseers” which are one in the same person. One way of distinguishing the two terms for the same person is, a shepherd is who they are and overseer is what they do; “overseer – refers to those appointed to watch over and protect the local church community.”
Peter is encouraging the leaders of these congregations to be shepherds, a responsibility we saw that was given to him personally by Jesus. Peter points out that serving Jesus’ flock as a shepherd, these leaders needed to possess three positive motives that characterizes them as shepherds (highlighted in yellow). In contrast Peter also mentions three motives that shepherds should not possess (highlighted in grey).
1 Peter 5:2-4
2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers
not because you must,
but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;
not greedy for money,
but eager to serve;
3 not lording it over those entrusted to you,
but being examples to the flock.
We might not be given the responsibility by Jesus to be a shepherd that oversees a local congregation. However, in the churches we belong to we are all called to volunteer and serve Jesus’ flock with the love of Jesus, the gifts of the Spirit, talents and learned abilities we have received.
Pastor John
