John 21:15-25

John 21

“Do You Love Me?”

¹⁵ When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love ^[1] me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I care about ^[2] you.”

Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ A second time Jesus asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

He said, “Yes, Lord, you know that I care about you.”

Jesus told him, “Be a shepherd for my sheep.”

¹⁷ He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you care about me?”

Peter was grieved because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you care about me?” He answered, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I care about you.”

“Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. ¹⁸ “Amen, Amen, I tell you: When you were young, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will tie you and carry you where you do not want to go.”

¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them. This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?” ²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

²² “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? You follow me.” ²³ And so it was said among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴ This is the disciple who is testifying about these things and who wrote these things. We know that his testimony is true.

Much More

²⁵ Jesus also did many other things. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the world itself would not have room for the books that would be written.