When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, 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 then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, 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 John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a 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. 18 Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Jesus asks Peter three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love me (vv. 15-17)?” Jesus' three answers to Peter, “Feed my lambs, Tend my sheep and Feed my sheep (vv. 15-17)." Peter’s three answers reverse his triple denials when Jesus was arrested (Jn. 18:17, 25-27). At the Lord’s supper Peter said, “Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be (Mt. 26:33).” Jesus was forgiving Peter for his lack of faithfulness. Love of Christ allows all who believe in Him to keep his commands (Jn. 14:15) and be faithful to him.
When Jesus was raised from the dead the disciples reported that he appeared to Peter; “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon (Lk. 24:34)!” It was also a tradition in the early Church that when Christ was raised, he “appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve (1 Cor 15:5).” Jesus’ appearance to Peter alone was not narrated as a separate incident in the Gospels, but he was recognized as the leader of the 12 disciples. This tradition might have developed to imitate Christ and as support for having bishops, presbyters, and elders shepherding the flock (1 Pt. 5:2-4; Acts 20:28). Peter is considered the first Pope in an unbroken line of Popes by the Roman Catholic Church based on his confession about Jesus (Mt. 16:16-19). Jesus told Peter that he would truly follow him even to death as he had promised before (vv. 18-19; Jn. 13:36-37). Peter was martyred in Rome under Nero around 64 CE.
Almighty God, increase the grace you have bestowed on us that we may have faith and understand that we have been reborn by the Holy Spirit and redeemed by the Blood of Christ. This we pray through our redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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