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Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
Peter was called to express his love for Jesus in a new way. He had loved Jesus, even zealously. But Jesus wanted to transform this love that Peter had for him into a love for the things about which Jesus himself cared. Because his lambs were in fact parts of his body this really was still love for Jesus himself in a genuine and more encompassing way than before.
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen (see First John 4:20).
This new way to love Jesus helped lift Peter out of the temptation to love Jesus only in a way that was self-serving, from which he himself could draw benefit. His old way of loving Jesus, while real, was insufficient to prevent him from running and denying Jesus when the dark hour approached. Before, his love was often predicated on the appreciation of the greatness of Jesus and the majesty of his Kingdom. Good truths, to be sure, but partial ones. He needed to learn to love Jesus even in his humility and disgrace.
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Loving one another has a sort of gritty realism attached to it. Caring for sheep helps us to avoid a subjective experience of religion that relies only on consolation and good feelings. This is why Jesus used a strategy of broadening the love of Peter outward in these concentric circles to include not just the head, but the body as well. Jesus knew that this concrete expression of love would mean a cross for Peter. But he knew that, for love, a cross could be borne.
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Paul learned early on the unity between Jesus and his disciples.
And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (see Acts 9:5).
Because of his love for Jesus, Paul was motivated with missionary zeal. His love expressed itself concretely whenever anyone was willing to listen to his testimony. It expressed itself in his tears of concern for the churches about which he had particular care. It was this love of Jesus himself, expressed concretely in love of the brethren, that let Paul offer his own life as testimony, just as it did for Peter.
And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody
for the Emperor’s decision,
I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.
We too want to love Jesus more. And so we can gauge how we are loving one another to see how truly that love is taking root in us. Each time Jesus asks us if we love him he is trying to draw a wider and deeper love from us, one that can bear hardships for the sake of the gospel (see Second Timothy 1:8), that can lay even lay down its own life for others.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.
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