João 21

João 21:15-25

Ryle comments on Jesus' question and Peter's response… Ask him whether he is converted, whether he is a believer, whether he has grace, whether he is justified, whether he is sanctified, whether he is elect, whether he is a child of God--ask him any one of these questions and he may perhaps reply that he really does not know! But ask him whether he loves Christ and he will reply, 'I do.' He may add that he does not love him as much as he ought to do, but he will not say that he does not love him at all. The rule will be found true with very few exceptions... Wherever there is true grace, there will be a consciousness of love towards Christ Yes, Lord; You know that I love You - Unlike our English language, the Greeks had more than one word for "love" and Peter responded with the verb phileo [word study], a "weaker" verb than the one His Lord had used (agapao [word study]). In this conversation between our Lord and Peter (John 21:15-19), our Lord uses agapao twice and phileo the third time, while Peter uses phileo three times. Plummer on "You know"… Peter will not venture anymore to compare himself with others (He drops the "more than these"). Moreover he makes no professions as to the future. Experience has taught him that the present is all that he can be sure of. The 'You' in 'You know' is emphatic. This time Peter will trust the Lord's knowledge of him rather than his own estimate of himself. Love (5368) (phileo from phílos = loved, dear, friend) has to do with the affection and the emotion in a human relationship at its best usage. We get our word philanthropic from it, and Philadelphia comes from it - Philadelphia, the 'city of brotherly love.' Phileo means to be a friend to another, to be fond of (have a liking for) an individual or an object, to have or show affection for. In some contexts it means to kiss another as a mark of tenderness for that person. Phileo denotes personal attachment and is more a matter of sentiment or feeling. It is devotion based in the emotions distinguished from agapao which represents devotion based in the will. Stated another way phileo is chiefly of the heart whereas agape is chiefly of the head. Phileo is a love which is the response of the human spirit to what appeals to it as pleasurable. Phileo is a love which consists of the glow of the heart kindled by the perception of that in the object which affords us pleasure. Phileo is the response of the human spirit to what appeals to it as pleasurable. The Greeks made much of friendship. Phileo was used to speak of a friendly affection. Phileo is a love called out of one in response to a feeling of pleasure or delight which one experiences from an apprehension of qualities in another that furnish such pleasure or delight. Phileo is friendship love, this "friendship factor" sadly often missing in marriages. In Scripture phileo is used to describe the love of God the Father and the Son, of Jesus and Peter, and of Jonathan and David. Phileo love is basically emotional. Phileo cannot be commanded but it can be developed in relationships. Phileo is based on the qualities in another person that you find admirable or attractive. Phileo is a fellowship type love manifested in a living and growing relationship between two friends. Phileo love does feed on response, and it cannot survive long without response from the other. Friendship love requires attention. Phileo describes a warm affection which exists between those who are near and dear. It describes a fondness, a responsive type love. One might picture phileo by the declarations "I love you because you love me" or "I love you because you are a joy", both of these showing the reciprocal nature of phileo love. Phileo love gives as long as it receives and thus is a conditional love. W A Criswell explains the changing of the verbs for love this way… Important wordplay seems to have been introduced by John into his narrative at this point. Perhaps the exchange between Jesus and Peter can best be illustrated by examining the different Greek words used. Philos may be defined as "esteem" or "high regard," and in that sense, even "love." It contemplates a value in the object loved. Agape, however, is a self-giving, concerned commitment. The object of love need not yield pleasure to the lover… Peter's caution about his avowals has been bitterly learned from his promise never to deny the Lord, followed immediately by a succession of three repudiations. The point of the entire dialogue is to question not the extent of Peter's love for the Master, but the nature of his love. The Lord seeks to impress upon Peter the diverse responsibilities ("feed" and "tend") and the tenderness (for "sheep" and "lambs") demanded by his love for Jesus. Plummer comments that phileo… is the less exalted word. Peter is sure of the natural affection which it expresses. He will say nothing about the higher love implied in agapao. As Plumptre explains… Peter uses a less strong expression for love than that which had been used by our Lord. The question seems to ask, "Dost thou in the full determination of the will, in profound reverence and devotion, love Me?" The answer seems to say, "Thou knowest me; I dare not now declare this fixed determination of the will, but in the fulness of personal affection I dare answer, and Thou knowest that even in my denials it was true, 'I love Thee.'" (A New Testament commentary for English readers) Ron Teed writes… Some commentators maintain that after breakfast Jesus probably took Peter aside away from the others to talk privately with him, or perhaps took him for a walk along the beach. But we do not see that. We have checked a number of Bible translations and there is not a hint in any of them that Jesus took Peter away from the group to speak with him privately. We must take the Bible for what it says and never try to add anything to it. There are occasions, however, when we need to look at everything the Bible has to say about a specific subject or event, and then come to a conclusion based on all the evidence within the context in which it was presented. (John 21 Commentary) JESUS RECOMMISSIONS PETER Tend My lambs - This call to service after his time of failure indicates that Jesus accepted Peter's affirmation of phileo love. Perhaps you have failed your Lord and feel you are no longer of any use to him (so like Peter you have returned to "fishing", doing what you did before He called you). This interchange between Jesus and Peter however teaches that although we might feel like we are useless failures, Jesus is willing and able to take broken hearts, and restore them to His vital service. He is the Potter and we are the clay. Sometimes the Potter has to break the first molding in order to remold the clay into a vessel of honor, sanctified, useful to the Master and prepared for every good work (2Ti 2:21-note). With what are we to feed the lambs and sheep? The only spiritually nutritious meal is the Word of God proclaimed and taught in the power of His Spirit. Not funny stories. Not testimonies. Not our our personal experiences (cp 2Co 4:5-note) Dear undershepherd, how are you doing? Are you preaching and teaching His supernatural Word which won't return void? Remember one day soon we will all give an account to the Chief Shepherd (2Co 5:10-note) Illustration of Jesus Restoring Peter to Useful Service - There was a certain man who had been faithful in worshiping with other believers for many years. Then he became lax and stopped coming to the services. The pastor was burdened for his spiritual welfare, so one day he called in his home. The man invited him in and offered him a chair by the fire. The Pastor mentioned to the man how much missed seeing him in the worship services. The man replied that he was saved and saw no need to go to church. He felt that he could worship just fine at home. For several long moments they sat in silence and watched the burning embers. Then, taking the tongs, the pastor removed a hot coal and laid it by itself on the hearthstone. As it began to cool, its red glow soon faded. The man, who had been expecting a verbal rebuke, quickly caught the message. He was at church for the next service! Its tough being out of the Lord’s will, but it is possible to make things right again! Tend (1006) (bosko) is used only in the Gospels and most often describe literal feeding of animals (especially the feeding of the swine) and twice is used figuratively where people are compared to lambs and sheep (Jn 21:15, 17). The present imperative calls for this to be the "shepherds" lifestyle. He is to continually be about the business of feeding the lambs. Earlier Jesus had called Peter to evangelism (Lk 5:10), but now (even in the face of his triple denial) Jesus gives Peter an even greater responsibility of teaching those who have been caught. Why? What was the prerequisite? Moral perfection? Clearly not. An academic degree? No, none were available from the "University of the Sea of Galilee"!) The answer is clear in triplicate - Peter loved Jesus. Peter's loved issued forth in a desire to serve His Master, even as John described in his first epistle… Little children, let us not love (agapao) with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. (1Jn 3:18) Bosko - 9x in 9v - feed(1), feeding(3), herdsmen(3), tend(2). Mt 8:30 Mt 8:33 Mk 5:11 Mk 5:14 Lk 8:32 Lk 8:34 Lk 15:15 Jn 21:15 Jn 21:17 Bosko - 25v in the non-apocryphal Septuagint - Ge 29:7, 9; 37:12, 16; 41:2; 1Ki 12:16; Job 1:14; Isa 5:17; 11:6, 7; 14:30; 30:23; 34:17; 49:9; 65:25; Jer 31:10; Ezek 34:2, 3, 8, 10, 13, 14,1 5, 16; Da 4:16 Isaiah 11:7 Also the cow and the bear will graze (Lxx = bosko), their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox… Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb will graze (Lxx = bosko) together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent's food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain" says the LORD. Comment: The two preceding passages are descriptive of that glorious future time of worldwide peace, even in the animal kingdom, in the coming Millennium. Jeremiah 31:10-note Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare in the coastlands afar off, and say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps (Hebrew = raah = pasture, tend, graze, feed; Lxx = bosko) his flock." The prophet Ezekiel uses bosko in Jehovah's indictment of the Jewish "shepherds" who had failed to feed God's sheep… Ezekiel 34:2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding (Hebrew = raah = pasture, tend, graze, feed; Lxx = bosko) themselves! Should not the shepherds feed (Hebrew = raah = pasture, tend, graze, feed; Lxx = bosko) the flock. 3 (Explains with what the "shepherds" were feeding themselves) You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding (Hebrew = raah = pasture, tend, graze, feed; Lxx = bosko) the flock. Ezekiel 34:13 "I (Jehovah) will bring them (His sheep "Israel") out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed (Lxx = bosko) them on the mountains of Israel (This will be fulfilled in the coming Millennium), by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land (of Israel). 14 "I will feed (Lxx = bosko) them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed (Lxx = bosko) in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.15 "I will feed (Lxx = bosko) My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the Lord GOD. 16 "I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong (Those in Israel who refuse to receive Messiah as their Chief Shepherd) I will destroy. I will feed (Lxx = bosko) them with judgment. Thayer writes bosko in the figurative sense portrays… the duty of a Christian teacher to promote in every way the spiritual welfare of the members of the church Liddell-Scott… I. of the herdsman, to feed, tend, Lat. pasco, Od. 2. generally, to feed, nourish, support, of earth, Ib.; of soldiers = to maintain (Hdt., Thuc). Metaphorically, to feed up troubles, i.e. children. II. Pass., of cattle, to feed, graze, to feed on. 2. metaphorically to be fed or nurtured Notice that Jesus thrice states that the lambs and sheep are "my" possession (doubly) first by creation (Col 1:16-note, Heb 1:2-note) and then by redemption (1Pe 1:18-note), cp His purchase Acts 20:28). And so those of us who have any shepherding role in the lives of other believers are simply stewards who are to faithfully represent their Master and we will be held accountable (cp Heb 13:17-note) Clearly Peter got the message that he was merely an undershepherd of Christ's sheep writing years later… Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd (aorist imperative = command to do this effectively; poimaino) the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (1Pe 5:1, 2, 3-note, 1Pe 5:4-note) Jeremias writes… “My lambs” of Jn. 21:15 are members of the community as the objects of Jesus’ loving care. Some commentators interpretative Jesus' use of arnion (little lamb, lambkin) as an allusion to young converts, which is a reasonable interpretation, for they would certainly need to be fed with the pure milk of the Word of God in order to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord (1Pe 2:2-note, 2Pe 3:18-note).