In John chapter 21, we find some of Jesus’ last words before He ascended to be with His Father in heaven. Jesus was preparing to confer His ministry to Peter; and according to Warren Wiersbe, we see in this passage a threefold commission that was given to him.(1) Jesus wanted to instill within Peter four keys to practice that would help him to serve the Lord more effectively; and three of the four keys are found within this threefold commission. The four keys that I’m going to be sharing with you tonight are some things that we should all be doing in service to Jesus and the kingdom.
Give Your Life to Jesus (v. 15a)
15a So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
The first key that Jesus left with Simon Peter was that he needed to completely give his life to Him. Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him more than “these.” What could Jesus have meant by “these?” William Barclay says that the word “these” could have been either a reference to Simon’s fishing boat and nets, or to the other disciples sitting around him.(2) We are going to look at the word “these” through both suggested meanings, and see if we can find a spiritual application.
Concerning Peter’s fishing boat and nets, Jesus could have said, “Simon, do you love Me more than these things? Are you prepared to give them all up, to abandon all hope of a successful career, to give up a steady job and a reasonable comfort in order to give yourself forever to My people and to My work?”(3) This is a question that each of us should ask ourselves this evening. Have we truly given up our own ambitions and desires for Jesus’ goal of furthering the kingdom? Have we committed ourselves to rescuing from eternal death those who don’t know Jesus as Lord?
Jesus said in Luke 14:33, “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Paul understood this truth, and that’s why he proclaimed in Philippians 3:7, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.” Each and every believer has the responsibility of being a witness for Jesus Christ; and we must be willing to forsake the entire world, if need be, in order to accomplish this task. Take the time to think about whether you have failed to forsake anything that Jesus has pressed upon your heart? If you recall something that you have not completely surrendered to Him, then give it to Him now.
Concerning the disciples surrounding Peter, Jesus could have said, “Simon, do you love Me more than your fellow disciples do?” It may be that Jesus wanted Peter to look back to the night when he said in reference to the other disciples, “Though they all fall away because of You, I will never fall away” (Matthew 26:33).(4) If Jesus were referring to how Peter said that he would never deny Him, then Jesus was asking Peter to reflect back on the day of his commitment to Christ.
What was the day of your commitment to Christ? Was it the day of your salvation? You probably remember how you felt on that day. You might recall feeling an immense weight being lifted off you and a calm assuring peace that eternal life was yours; and in your heart you boldly said, “Lord, how can I ever turn back to my former ways, after having received such amazing grace and forgiveness!” Did you make any such bold statement when you accepted Christ as your Savior, and you now realize that you have fallen away from Jesus?
If so, then I want to assure you that you’re are not alone. Peter fell away too. After having said that he would never fall away nor forsake Jesus, he denied Him three times in order to save his own life. Right here, though, Jesus was giving Peter a chance to recommit his life to Him. He wanted to give him a chance to hold the responsibility of being the leader of the New Testament church. Jesus wants to give you a chance to live in His power and serve Him. Will you recommit your life to Him this evening?
Feed His Lambs (v. 15b)
15b He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
The second key that Jesus wants us to remember is to feed His lambs. When Peter told Jesus that he loved Him, he was saying that he accepted Jesus’ commission to be used by God. He was recommitting his life to Christ. What Jesus likely said to him was, “I’m leaving you now to go and be with My Father, and I’m placing you in charge. In order for you to serve Me effectively you must feed My lambs.” In order for us to serve Jesus and show that we love Him, then we too must feed His lambs. So, what does it mean to feed His lambs?
The Greek word here for “feed” is bosko meaning, “to fodder,” or “to keep.”(5) One of Peter’s responsibilities was to nourish and keep the lambs protected from the evils of the world. Lambs are infant sheep, representing young Christians. Peter was to provide new Christians with spiritual nourishment through the sincere milk of the Word of God. If we wish to serve Jesus then we too must help those who are young in Christ to grow spiritually.
Today, many churches are neglecting young believers. The young in Christ are those who, no matter what age, have recently accepted Jesus as Savior; and they are our youth, or young people. Many times we strive to evangelize and win people to Christ, because we seek that instant feeling of gratification in being used by God; but we often fail to take the time to disciple people, because the process seems too grueling of a task.
The Great Commission tells us to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but it doesn’t just stop there. It continues to say that we much teach people all of the things that Christ has commanded us, and it starts with the young in Christ. In his book Generation Next, George Barna says,
About three-quarters of all people who have consciously, intentionally and personally chosen to embrace Jesus Christ as their Savior did so before their eighteenth birthday. This realization is of no small consequence. Churches spend the vast majority of their evangelistic dollars (more than 70 percent of it, by some of our preliminary research) on trying to penetrate the adult market. After decades and decades of such toil, we can confidently announce the results: such efforts bear little fruit. On the other hand, the amount of money and effort we pour into reaching kids with the gospel pays off relatively handsomely. This fact demands that we ask why we don’t concentrate evangelistic [and discipleship] efforts on youth.(6)
Jesus said, “Please don’t forsake my little Lambs.” I ask you, “Please don’t forsake the spiritually young, or the youth at Canton Baptist Church.” If you feel that God is calling you to teach a class to new believers or to work with the youth, then please don’t deny Him.
Tend His Sheep (v. 16)
16 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.”
The third key that Jesus wants us to remember is to tend His sheep. He said here, “In order for you to serve Me effectively you must also tend My sheep.” The Greek word here for “tend” is poimaino meaning, “to feed,” “to shepherd,” or figuratively, to be a “supervisor.”(7) Peter was to be the “pastor” or “leader” of the sheep. The sheep were Christians who were older and mature in their faith. Peter was responsible for helping the mature believers in their spiritual growth by feeding them the Word of God. No one ever comes to the point where they have learned all there is to know about a relationship with the Lord. Older sheep may become stubborn, think that they know more, and even lock horns with each other once in a while, but we must not give up on them.
God might be asking you to teach an adult Sunday school class, or you might have recently been promoted from a younger class to an older one. You will probably run into the attitude from someone that says that since they are older, they know more than you do. You might also run into the attitude that says, “I have already served my time in this church, and now it’s time for someone younger to take over.” Jesus advised us that the sheep need to be fed also. If you are someone who feels called to work with adults or senior adults, then surrender to the calling. If you are a sheep, or an older person, and you think that you have learned all there is know, then humble yourself and listen to Jesus when He says that you still need to be fed.
Feed His Sheep (v. 17)
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
We read here that Peter was grieved when Jesus asked him a third time if he loved Him. Peter was cut to the heart this time because a third question reminded him that he had recently denied Jesus three times. Because he was made to reflect upon his denial of Christ, he was also reminded once again of his need to truly commit his entire life to serving Jesus, and of the second chance that he was being given. Jesus wanted to greatly emphasize this one last key in serving Him. Jesus basically said, “Remember how you said that you love Me and that you truly wish to give your life to Me? Well, here’s the most important task of all: feed My sheep.”
The Greek word here for “feed” is once again the word bosko, as used in reference to the lambs. When applied to lambs this word means, “to fodder” or “to keep,” but when applied to adult sheep it means, “to graze.”(8) Peter was not only supposed to “help the sheep in their spiritual growth,” but he was also responsible for “seeing that they left the barn once in a while to graze.” Our goal as Christians is spiritual reproduction. We are to multiply the number of souls in the kingdom. We can multiply in the barn, or the church, by having children within our own families; but we must venture out of the stable for maximum spiritual reproduction. Jesus was telling us right here that the most important task is that we see to it that the people of Canton Baptist Church reach out to the lost.
Time of Reflection
We have seen in this passage how Jesus told Peter that if he truly loved Him then he needed to 1.) dedicate his life to serving Him; 2.) help young people and babes in Christ grow spiritually; 3.) help adults and mature Christians in their spiritual growth; and 4.) lead mature believers to leave the church building once in a while to evangelize the lost. Just as Jesus asked Peter to practice these four keys that will lead to a successful ministry, I ask each of you to make sure that you follow Jesus’ commands as well. Be certain to dedicate your life to following the Savior, and show Him just how much you love Him by being obedient to Him.
NOTES
(1) Warren Wiersbe, “John,” The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, Il: Victor Books, 1989), p. 397.
(2) William Barclay, The Gospel of John, vol. 2, The Daily Study Bible, (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975), p. 285.
(3) Ibid., p. 285.
(4) Ibid., p. 285.
(5) James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody: Hendrickson). Taken from page 19 of the Greek dictionary.
(6) George Barna, Generation Next, p. 77.
(7) Strong. Taken from page 59 of the Greek dictionary.
(8) Ibid. Taken from page 19 of the Greek dictionary.
