Feed My Sheep

The God who is love wants to be loved. Loving Him is the first commandment. Loving people who He created in His image is the second commandment.

Jesus prepared Peter for ministry by asking Peter if Peter loved Him. When Peter affirmed to Jesus that He did, Jesus asked Peter to feed His lambs and sheep. Jesus wanted Peter to feed His flock the Word of God even as Jesus had fed Peter and His fellow disciples. Feed them the Word of God so that the sheep grow in their love for God and in their love others.

Later in his life, Peter wrote to church leaders, saying, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” [1]

Peter got it. Peter passed on what Jesus had taught him to do. Toward the end of his life, Peter was still loving Jesus and still feeding the flock. Praise the Lord!

“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.’”

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.’

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.’” [2]

[1] 1 Peter 5:2-3
[2] John 21:15-17