Introduction

Jesus’ meeting on the beach with His boys was profound in many ways. Not only did He provide for their needs (the miraculous catch of fish), giving them a promise for the future, and demonstrated His servant-heart by feeding the disciples breakfast, but it also included the restoration of Peter, whose courage had failed him when Jesus was arrested. Having boasted that he would never deny the Lord, even if the other disciples did (Mt 26:33, 35; Mk 14:29; Lk 22:33; Jn 13:37), Peter had done so three times (Mt 26:69-75; Mk 14:66-72; Lk 22:55-62; Jn 18:15-18, 22-27). Every one of the gospels reports those denials in detail, but John also tells us that Jesus restored Peter. On the day He was resurrected, Jesus met with him privately (Lk 24:34; 1Co 15:5), and during that meeting, He must have forgiven him. However, that morning, by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus took Peter aside after breakfast and went for a walk with him. During that walk, He carefully healed the damage that those denials had produced, one denial at a time, and He also reaffirmed Peter’s call to ministry. Peter must have felt disqualified from serving Jesus after his denials, but thankfully (for Peter and us), Jesus does not call the qualified. Instead, He qualifies the called.

Loyal But Not Submitted

• Peter was fiercely loyal to Jesus.
• The quality of loyalty is one we often look for in friends. Loyalty is giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution.
• Peter left his family and home to follow Jesus-loyal (Lk. 5:1-11)!
• When many of the disciples decided to walk away after Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life, and He asked the 12 if they also wanted to leave, Peter declared that Jesus had the words of eternal life (Jn. 6:66-68)- Loyal!
• When Jesus asked who the disciples thought He was, Peter replied, “You are the Christ (Mk. 8: 29)”- Loyal!
• When Jesus was walking on water, Peter knew that Jesus would allow him to do the same. He boldly left the boat (Mt. 14:28-33).
• Peter boldly declares he will lay down his life for Jesus, even if the others did not (Mt 26:33, 35; Mk 14:29; Lk 22:33; Jn 13:37).
• Peter drew his sword and cut the ear of a servant off with over 500 soldiers present to protect Jesus from being arrested (Jn. 18:10). Peter was bold and fiercely loyal.
• Loyalty can also be self-serving. As loyal as Peter is, he is also misguided, and it causes him a lot of pain.
• Peter was fiercely loyal, but he had not learned to be submitted.
• Peter’s loyalty was often self-serving, which can also be true for us. Loyalty is an excellent quality when it is submitted to Jesus.
• We all need the warning of Peter’s failure.
• Peter was a loyal follower of Jesus. He loved Jesus and wanted to be with Jesus. He left everything to follow Him, but his love had not matured. It still had some shallowness to it because though he was loyal, he was not submitted, and that led to painful moments like him denying Jesus while Jesus was in the process of dying for Him.

Forgiven and Restored

• Forgiveness removes guilt, but a forgiven person may still need restoration.
• When Peter denied the Lord, he sinned in at least two ways. First, he lied to the people who questioned him, and second, he broke his promise to be loyal to the Lord, even to death.
• If Jesus forgave him at the private meeting He had with him on the day of the resurrection (Lk 24:34; 1Co 15:5), then this conversation between Jesus and Peter was not about declaring forgiveness to Peter; it was about healing him and restoring his call.
• After breakfast, Jesus invited Peter to walk along the beach so they could talk privately. Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” (literal).
• Before Jesus’ arrest, Peter had boasted in front of the other disciples that he would never deny Him even if the others did (Mt 26:33-35; Mk 14:29). By adding the words “more than these,” Jesus was challenging the pride in Peter’s earlier statement.
• Peter did not answer that part of Jesus’ question, but he did not miss the lesson: His pride had prepared the way for his failure (Pr. 16:18).
• When Jesus questioned Peter’s love for Him, He used a word that means “selfless love” (agapao). Still, Peter replies using a different word for love, “phileo,” which usually refers to what we would call friendship.
• Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him with the kind of love that is willing to die for the person you love (Jn 15:12), and Peter replied that yes, as Jesus already knew, he loved Him but with the kind of love one friend has for another.
• What Jesus asked and what Peter answered were not the same. It may be that by now, Peter realized that he was not yet capable of loving Jesus in the selfless way that Jesus loved him. If so, his choice of words expressed humility, not reservation.
• Jesus repeated the question: “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapao) Me?” But compassionately, this time, He left out the words “more than these.” And Peter also repeated his same answer: “Yes Lord, You know that I love (phileo) You.
• Since Peter had denied Jesus three times, Jesus allowed him to confirm his love three times.
• Jesus invited him to replace each lie with a declaration of the truth.
• In the two previous questions, Jesus had asked Peter if he selflessly loved Him, but when He questioned him this third time, He used another word for love. He used the same word Peter had used.
• Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him “as a friend.” The change in wording may have further contributed to Peter’s sorrow. Jesus understood how unprepared he was to lay down his life for his Friend (Jn 15:13).
• There was a process to the way Jesus restored Peter. For each denial, He called forth a confession, and for each confession, He issued an assignment.

The Call

• After each question to Peter, Jesus gave Peter a command and an assignment.
• The first was to “Feed My little lambs” (literal). He was telling Peter that if he loved him, he would obey this command to provide spiritual nourishment for the youngest and most vulnerable of My people.
• Peter’s love for Jesus would be expressed by caring for those who believe in Jesus. By saying this, Jesus linked Himself to His people. To love Him is to love them.
• The second command was worded slightly differently than the first. This time, He said, “Shepherd, My little sheep” (literal).
• He told Peter to express that love by doing what a shepherd does when caring for young sheep. Not only was Peter to provide spiritual food for the most vulnerable of Jesus’ followers, but he must also protect them from predators, shelter them from storms, rescue them when they wander, heal them when necessary, and lead them at a pace that would allow even “little sheep” to keep up.
• For a second time, Jesus commanded Peter to express his love for Him by caring for His people.
• After Peter replied to His third question, Jesus issued a third command. He said, “Feed My little sheep” (literal). In this case, the words “little sheep” are probably more of a term of endearment than simply another way of saying “lambs.” Jesus occasionally showed affection by speaking this way (Lk 12:32; Jn 13:33; 21:5).
• Peter loved Jesus. One of the best confirmations was that with every question, he invited Jesus to examine his heart. Peter was humbled by his failure. Though his new humility would make Peter the “rock on which Jesus would build His church (Mt. 16:18),” He also needed Peter to know that Jesus called him for a particular purpose, and this had not changed.
• Just as Jesus had reminded Peter that if he followed Jesus, He would make Him a fisher of men, Jesus also reminded him that He was the rock upon which He would build His church.
• Jesus asks us the same question, “Do you love me?” Our response to Jesus should be yes, and the expression of that love is to do what He asks.
• If we are so caught up in our failures, denials, and disqualifications we will miss the blessing of serving God to our fullest.
• This is precisely where the enemy wants us to stay. He wants us to believe we have been disqualified and that because of what we have done, we will never be able to attain the call God has set before us.
• Jesus had qualified Peter and every other stubborn, rebellious, prideful person. Just like Peter’s, our qualifications do not depend on our abilities but on the ransom that was paid for all humanity.

Conclusion

Do you love Me? This question that Jesus asked Peter three times is for us, too. If you allow Him access, Jesus will restore your pain, memories, and rebellion. We are forgiven. Often, we live in a state of forgiven but not restored. When we operate like this, we negate the call of God in our lives. Jesus does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called. If we love Him, we must express our love by following His call. Jesus did not get it wrong. He sees us in all our weaknesses, failures, strengths, and giftings. He knows what He is asking. The question we must answer still hangs on His lips, “Do you love Me?”

Discussion Questions

In what ways do you identify with Peter?
Have you allowed Jesus to forgive and restore you?
Has God asked you to do something, but you have disqualified yourself?