JOHN 21:17 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“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.”
He said to him the third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter felt hurt 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' — the threefold questioning inversely mirrors Peter's threefold denial, constituting restorative penance and reversal. Peter's hurt (lypeō, to grieve) suggests the painful grace of being questioned on his commitment. In this third iteration, Jesus shifts to phileō, meeting Peter at the level of affectionate love rather than demanding divine agape. Peter's response—'you know all things'—appeals to Jesus' omniscience, expressing surrender and trust rather than asserting his own capacity to love.
Church Fathers on John 21:17
The dinner being ended, He commits to Peter the superintendence over the sheep of the world, not to the others: So when they had dined, Jesus says to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, Do love you Me more than these do?
He knew that Peter not only loved Him, but loved Him more than all the rest.
He is called Simon, son of John, John being his natural father. But mystically, Simon is obedience, John grace, a name well befitting him who was so obedient to God’s grace, that he loved our Lord more ardently than any of the others. Such virtue arising from divine gift, not mere human will.
Read all 14 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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