Supreme love for Sovereign Lord

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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17)

One thing demanded of a follower of Jesus is none other than an undivided commitment to Him. Unless a person loves Jesus supremely, she would in no way be able to follow (and serve) Him exclusively. Our supreme love for our sovereign Lord Jesus Christ!

He said to him the third time

1. Jesus is speaking to Peter, asking him if he loves Him.
   1. The first two times, Jesus uses a word known as agape
   2. The agape-love is an unreserved devotion kind of love
2. Peter, knowing all his past failures, replies that he loves Him
   1. He uses a word known as phileis
   2. This phileis-love is a brotherly love
3. Now Jesus uses the same word that Peter uses – phileis-love
   1. Do you ‘phileis’ me?
   2. This is a less commitment kind of love
4. All that Jesus seeks from us is
   1. Not necessarily a love that is great
   2. But a love that is genuine, to begin with

Peter was grieved…

1. Peter must have felt at this time that Jesus doubts his love for Him
2. In Peter’s self-judgment,
   1. It is fine when Jesus questions Peter’s agape-kind of love for Him
   2. It is now painful when Peter perceives that Jesus doubts even Phis phileis-kind of love for Him
3. In all three times, Jesus questions Peter’s love for Him, to state the obvious
4. Peter is sad, so to speak

Lord, you know…that I love you

1. Peter does not judge himself (and his love for the Lord)
2. He now rather surrenders himself (and his love for Jesus) to Jesus, the omniscient Master
   1. His Master Jesus knows his failures
   2. His sovereign Lord knows that he genuinely loves Him
3. This is a humble beginning of a repentant saint
4. Later in his life, Peter finally reached the kind of love Jesus demanded (2 Peter 1:7 ‘agape was added to phileis’)