Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He asked Peter three times if he loved Him, and after Peter said “yes” each time, Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep. At first glance, it either seems like Jesus is hard of hearing or doesn’t believe Peter’s answers, but it’s often interpreted as significant, because Peter denied that he knew Jesus three times also.
But beyond that, Jesus told Peter to act as a shepherd to His sheep. I think we have a romanticized view of shepherds from the Nativity, but in Biblical times, shepherds were treated one step up from lepers, who were the bottom of the social order. It was considered a job of little skill or intelligence, but Jesus understood how important it would be to the foundation of the church to keep His sheep fed and how important it would be to build up Peter so he could undertake that challenge. But, here is an interesting point:
Was Jesus unaware of Peter’s love? Of course not. His threefold question was not for Himself, but for Peter. He asked His questions to underscore the essential truth that only love for Christ would sustain Peter in the work that lay ahead—that arduous, demanding work of caring for people’s souls—perhaps the hardest work of all.
Jesus did not ask Peter if he loved His sheep, but if he loved Him. Affection for God’s people in itself will not sustain us. His sheep can be unresponsive, unappreciative, and harshly critical of our efforts to love and to serve them. In the end, we will find ourselves defeated and discouraged.
