Lovest Thou Me? Feed My Sheep

The passage above records what Jesus asked Peter three times when He appeared to His disciples for the third time after His resurrection (John 21:14).

Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of John, lovest thou me more than these?” “Simon, son of John, lovest thou me?” and again, “Simon, son of John, lovest thou me?” Some people connect the fact that Jesus asked Peter three times with the fact that Peter had previously denied Jesus three times (Mark 14:66-72). But whether that is truly so, only Jesus knows.

In fact, just as Peter answered three times, “Thou knowest that I love thee,” Jesus already knew whether Peter loved Him or not (Jer. 17:9-10, Luke 6:8). Therefore, the part we should pay attention to is what Jesus then said to Peter: “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.”

What Jesus said to Peter means, “If thou lovest me, feed and tend my sheep.” Therefore, in the end, this word means that “if one does not care for the sheep of Jesus, he does not love Jesus.” In other words, from Peter’s position, in order to prove to Jesus that he loved Him, even more than the others did, he had no choice but to devote himself all the more earnestly and zealously to feeding and tending the sheep of Jesus.

Therefore, concerning the shepherding of God’s flock, Peter said the following:

1 Peter 5:2-4 “2Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock. 4And when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

And the three questions Jesus asked Peter, “Lovest thou me?” are not only questions for Peter, but also questions He asks us today in the same way. Therefore, if we also love Jesus, as Peter did, then we too must feed and tend the sheep of Jesus.

To care for the sheep of Jesus means to proclaim the words of Jesus to the people entrusted to us, whether they are many or few, and to help them keep those words, willingly and with a ready mind.

Matthew 24:45-51 “45Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season? 46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. 48But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth; 49and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; 50the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, 51and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

Romans 10:13-17 “13for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!... 17So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

As these passages testify, the work God regards as beautiful, the work He can entrust with all that belongs to the Master, is “the work of proclaiming the words of Jesus.” Truly, proclaiming the words of Jesus and helping others keep them is so important that Jesus spoke of it to Peter three times. Therefore, after His resurrection and before His ascension, Jesus gave the following command not only to Peter, but to all His disciples.

Luke 24:45-48 “45Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures; 46and he said unto them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; 47and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48Ye are witnesses of these things.”

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Matthew 28:18-20 “18And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. 19Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.”

Amen. This command of Jesus is the same command He gives to us today, and now we are the witnesses of Jesus. Therefore, the duty to proclaim the forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus (Acts 10:43) and salvation in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12) now belongs to us. Truly, if we love Jesus, now we must care for the sheep of Jesus. When we become witnesses who testify of Jesus, whether to one person or two, the Holy Spirit of truth will help us!

Romans 8:26 “And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Amen.