Questions From Readers

◼ To what was Jesus referring as “these” when he asked the apostle Peter, “Do you love me more than these?”

The resurrected Jesus was at the Sea of Galilee. We read: “When, now, they had breakfasted, Jesus said to Simon Peter: ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him: ‘Yes, Lord, you know I have affection for you.’ He said to him: ‘Feed my lambs.’”​—John 21:15.

While the gender of a Greek pronoun sometimes indicates its subject, the plural touʹton (“these”) can have a masculine, feminine, or neuter subject. Consequently, scholars have suggested three possible meanings for Jesus’ question:

1. Do you love me more than you love these other disciples?

2. Do you love me more than these disciples love me?

3. Do you love me more than these things, such as the fish?

Let us reason on these three to see which is the most probable.

Number 1. Frankly, few Christians can imagine Christ’s asking, ‘Do you love me more than you love the disciples?’ Of course we should! It would seem especially strange to ask Peter such a question. He had just been in the boat with six other disciples, but when he recognized Jesus on the shore, Peter abandoned the disciples and swam to shore. Showing similar attachment, when Christ had asked whether the apostles wanted to go off with those who were stumbled, Peter said that he was determined to stay by Jesus.​—John 6:66-69; 21:7, 8.

Number 2. What about the possibility that Jesus meant, ‘Peter, do you have more love for me than the other disciples have?’ Many commentators have espoused this view, since Peter earlier professed that he was more loyal to Jesus than the others. (Matthew 26:33-35) Yet, understanding John 21:15 in this way requires that an unstated verb be implied, such as “Do you love me more than these [do]?” But such an extra verb is not in Jesus’ question, and it presents grammatical difficulties. Moreover, it would seem out of place for Jesus to ask Peter to compare the amount of his love to the amount of love that others might have. Did not Jesus correct the apostles when they fell into rivalry?​—Mark 9:33-37; 10:35-44; Luke 22:24-27.

Could it be, then, that Number 3 was what Jesus was asking, ‘Do you love me more than these things, such as the fish?’ This possibility fits the way the question is phrased in Greek, for Peter was being asked to choose between two things (between Jesus and “these”). Such a question would also be appropriate in view of Peter’s past. He had been one of the first disciples to follow Jesus. (John 1:35-42) Apparently, though, Peter did not immediately follow Jesus full-time. Rather, he returned to his fishing. Thus, some months later Jesus called Peter away from that substantial business to become a ‘fisher of men.’ (Matthew 4:18-20; Luke 5:1-11) Nonetheless, after Jesus’ death, Peter initiated a return to this career, telling some of the disciples: “I am going fishing.”​—John 21:2, 3.

So it is quite possible that Jesus was driving home to Peter the need for making a decisive choice. What was he going to put foremost in life​—being a follower of Jesus or pursuing a career, as suggested by the fish piled before them? How significant a place did the fish, the nets, the boats, and the camaraderie with fellow fishermen hold in Peter’s heart? Would Peter truly abandon those enjoyable things to put foremost his love for Christ and the consequent feeding of Jesus’ “little sheep”?​—John 21:17.

We can ask ourselves a similar question involving ‘these things’ that might attract us, such as our interesting job or business, our enjoyment of secular education, our home, or our favorite form of recreation. We can frankly ponder: ‘Do I love Jesus more than any or all of these things?’ Jesus showed that if our answer is yes, we will be showing it by feeding the “little sheep.”

[Picture Credit Line on page 31]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.