Breakfast by the Sea
1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”
They answered Him, “No.”
6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”
11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.
Jesus Restores Peter
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
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.”
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. 18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
The Beloved Disciple and His Book
20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
The Restoration of Peter
John is the only Gospel writer who records the account with Jesus restoring Peter to His ministry after Peter's three denials (18:17, 25-27; 21:15-19). Only a short time before this dramatic encounter with the risen Lord, Peter had boldly announced that he would give his life for Jesus. Jesus responded by informing Peter that he would actually deny Him three times that same night (13:37,38).
Later that evening, Jesus was arrested. While he stood trial before the chief priest, Peter hid outside in the courtyard. Three times Peter was recognized as one of Jesus' followers; three times he denied knowing Jesus, thus fulfilling Jesus' words. Luke 22:62 tells us that when Peter realized what he had done, he "wept bitterly."
Imagine, then, Peter's emotions during his encounter with the resurrected Savior by the Sea of Tiber as. On the one hand, he was no doubt overjoyed to see the risen Lord. On the other hand, he may still have been ashamed and embarrassed about his desertion of Jesus in the hour of His greatest need.
Three times the Lord asked Peter if Peter loved Him. The first two times, Christ used the word agapao, signifying a love of commitment, a love of the will. Peter responded with the word phileo, indicating his strong emotion for the Lord. The word suggest warmth, fondness, and friendship.
When Peter acknowledge that he loved Christ, the Lord gave him the task of feeding His lambs and taking care of His sheep. Expressing love for Christ implies accepting the duty to do the work of God and to be faithful. Peter had some difficulty with such faithfulness during Christ's earthly ministry. As Christ was getting ready to depart, He wanted to elicit a commitment from Peter.
The third time Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, He used the word phileo, indicating strong friendship. Christ had taught that a friend who loves will lay down his life for a friend. Peter instead, had denied Christ three times. With Peter's final response, "You know that I love You," Christ had drawn a commitment from Peter and answered the other disciples of the bond between himself and Peter . In the process, He demonstrated His complete forgiveness of Peter. With this exchange, the Lord restored Peter to a position of leadership in the ongoing ministry of the gospel.