Daily Manna, Year Two · Day 357 · December 23
The Third Time
“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.”
It is dawn on a beach. A fire is already burning, with fish laid on it and bread beside it. Seven men had fished all night and caught nothing until He spoke. Nobody says much: "none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord." They eat.
Then comes the conversation, and it is worth hearing as three separate exchanges. "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee." "Feed my lambs." Again: "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee." "Feed my sheep." The third time the question is the same, but Peter's answer changes. He stops claiming anything about himself and leans on what Jesus already knows: "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee."
You may have heard a sermon about the two Greek words for love in these lines. Handle it with care. John changes words all through this passage: lambs and sheep, two different verbs for feeding, and two different words for knowing. And the text gives its own reason for Peter's grief without mentioning any of that: "Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time."
So the number three is what matters, and John has already shown you why. Three chapters earlier, in the high priest's courtyard, "the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself." It was while he stood there warming himself that Peter denied Jesus again. The Greek word for that charcoal fire appears only twice in the New Testament. Both times are in this Gospel, and the second one is here on the beach.
Peter is never asked to explain the courtyard. He is asked one question, three times, by the One who already knew the answer. Then he is given work that puts other people's lives in his care. Perhaps you have a courtyard of your own, and you wonder whether Jesus could ever trust you again. Look at what He did with Peter. He asked about his love, and then He trusted him with His sheep. He deals with you in the same way.
Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year one reading for day 357 is Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).