John 21:17

‘He says to him the third time, “Simon, son of Joanes, 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 says to him, “Feed my sheep.”

‘Simon, son of Joanes.’ Jesus began by addressing Peter as Simon, son of Joanes. In the Gospels Jesus addressed Peter in this way only on the most important occasions, on his call to follow Jesus (John 1:42), on his confession of Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 16:17), and as he slept in Gethsemane (Mark 14:37). So when Jesus addressed Peter in this way here, Peter would realise that what Jesus was about to say to him was extremely important.

So he who three times had said he did not know Jesus had now had the opportunity to make his three declarations of love. But he did not at this stage recognise Jesus’ purpose and was grieved that Jesus kept asking him. And again he received the command to “Feed my sheep”. Had he thought of the significance of Jesus’ words in the light of chapter 10 he might have been less grieved, for the task he was given, along with the others, was to take the place of the good Shepherd from an earthly point of view. He had responsibility for the sheep. He who had fled the fold was now fully restored, something which must have come home quite clearly to his fellow disciples. Later on in his ministry he in tun will call on othrs to tend the sheep and will then refer to Jesus as the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:2; 1 Peter 5:4).

That this special treatment for Peter was precisely because of the greatness of his failure comes out in that He now confirmed that Peter’s restoration would finally be evidenced by his willingness to die violently for Christ.