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.

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