John 21:17&18
"17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My sheep.
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not."
These verses highlight Jesus’s forgiveness and restoration of Peter by the Sea of Galilee, as He leads Peter to reaffirm his faith.
In verse 17, this is Jesus’s third time to command, “Feed My sheep.” Jesus entrusts Peter with the shepherding role, equipping the flock for maturity and fruitfulness (see Ephesians 4:11-16 for pastoral responsibilities). This establishes Peter as the first pastor, a tradition spanning over 2,000 years.
In verse 18, Jesus prepares Peter for his leadership and future trials. The imagery of “stretching out hands” and being led where he does not want to go is widely interpreted as foretelling Peter’s crucifixion. Early Christian tradition, including accounts from Jerome, records that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome under Nero, feeling unworthy to die as Jesus did. Peter faithfully followed our Lord and Savior all the way.
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