John 21:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”

NIV: 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.'

NASB: He *said to him again, a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' He *said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He *said to him, 'Shepherd My sheep.'

CSB: A second time he asked him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me? ""Yes, Lord," he said to him, "you know that I love you.""Shepherd my sheep," he told him.

NLT: Jesus repeated the question: 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' 'Yes, Lord,' Peter said, 'you know I love you.' 'Then take care of my sheep,' Jesus said.

KJV: He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

NKJV: He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

Peter's shame at denying Jesus, three separate times (John 13:36–38) was evident in his remorse (Luke 22:61–62). Now that Jesus has been resurrected, He has asked Peter to affirm his love (John 21:15). Now, He repeats that question using essentially the exact same ideas. Peter probably understands where this is going; if not, he will certainly grasp the symbolism the third time Jesus asks (John 21:17).

The terms used by Jesus and Peter here are not identical in all three instances, but they are meant to imply the same ideas. Jesus' commands use terms for "sheep" and "lambs," but He doesn't mean to draw a distinction between them. In the same way, Jesus uses the Greek term agapaō, referring to "love," in His first two questions. His third question, and all of Peter's replies, use the term phileō. This also refers to love—in separate contexts, these imply different types of love. In this instance, they're intended to mean the same thing.

John 21:15–19 is a poignant moment between Peter and the resurrected Jesus. Early in his ministry, Jesus inspired a faithful response from Peter, by miraculously providing fish (Luke 5:5–8). He then called Peter to become a disciple (Luke 5:10–11). Not many days before this breakfast on the beach, Peter had stood near a fire and denied even knowing Christ three times (John 18:25–27). Now, in front of another fire, Jesus asks Peter to affirm his faithful love three times. Peter grasps the symbolism. Jesus affirms Peter's calling to serve Him and predicts the matter of Peter's death.

After Jesus' resurrection, a group of disciples goes fishing while they wait in Galilee. From a distance, a figure appears and tells the men to cast again. Despite a fruitless night, they obey, and the net is immediately overflowing with fish. This confirms that the man on the shore is Jesus. As the disciples eat a meal with Christ, He presses Peter to reaffirm His faith. Jesus then predicts the nature of Peter's death; He does not do so for John. The gospel of John ends with an affirmation of its source, and a reminder that no single book could contain every detail of Jesus' ministry.

The final chapter of the gospel of John evokes the recent trend of a "post-credits scene" from films. After the main story has been told, John includes one last scene to further add details about what is to come. After Jesus' resurrection and appearances, He meets with the disciples near Galilee. A major outcome of this meeting is Peter's restoration to his former status. No finite work could fully explain Jesus' ministry, so John's eyewitness account is only part of those truths.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.