ARE YOU DEVOTED TO ME? JESUS ASKS

JOHN 21:15	So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."	&ote ou\n hjrivsthsan levgei tw'/ Sivmwni Pevtrw/ oJ #Ihsou'ß, Sivmwn #Iwavnnou, ajgapa'/ß me plevon touvtwn; levgei aujtw'/, Naiv, kuvrie, su; oi\daß o&ti filw' se. levgei aujtw'/, Bovske ta; ajrniva mou.
16	He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."	levgei aujtw'/ pavlin deuvteron, Sivmwn #Iwavnnou, ajgapa'/ß me; levgei aujtw'/, Naiv, kuvrie, su; oi\daß o&ti filw' se. levgei aujtw'/, Poivmaine ta; provbatav mou.
17	He says to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?" Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, "Do you have affection for me?" He said to him, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.	levgei aujtw'/ to; trivton, Sivmwn #Iwavnnou, filei'ß me; ejluphvqh oJ Pevtroß o&ti ei\pen aujtw'/ to; trivton, Filei'ß me; kai; levgei aujtw'/, Kuvrie, pavnta su; oi\daß, su; ginwvskeiß o&ti filw' se. levgei aujtw'/ ÍoJ #Ihsou'sÑ, Bovske ta; provbatav mou.

PETER ANSWERS JESUS' QUESTION OF

 "DO YOU LOVE ME?"

Verse 14 Now the third time (to hdh triton). "To the disciples" (apostles) John says, the two others being told by him ( 20:19,26) on the two Sunday evenings. There were four other appearances already (to Mary Magdalene, to the group of women, to the two on the way to Emmaus, to Peter).

Verse 15 Lovest thou me more than these? (agapaiß me pleon toutwn;). Ablative case of comparison toutwn (disciples) after pleon. Peter had even boasted that he would stand by Christ though all men forsook him (Mark 14:29). We do not know what passed between Jesus and Peter when Jesus first appeared to him (Luke 24:34). But here Christ probes the inmost recesses of Peter's heart to secure the humility necessary for service. I love thee (pilw su).  Peter makes no claim here to superior love and passes by the "more than these" and does not even use Christ's word agapaw for high and devoted love, but the humbler word pilew for love as a friend. He insists that Christ knows this in spite of his conduct. Feed my lambs (Boske ta arnia mou). For the old word boskw (to feed as a herdsman) see Matthew 8:33. Present active imperative here. Arnia is a diminutive of arnoß (lamb

Christ's word agapaw for high and devoted love

Peter's word is the humbler word pilew for love as a friend

JOHN 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Ou&twß ga;r hjgavphsen oJ qeo;ß to;n kovsmon, w&ste to;n uiJo;n to;n monogenh' e~dwken, i&na pa'ß oJ pisteuvwn eijß aujto;n mh; ajpovlhtai ajll# e~ch/ zwh;n aijwvnion.

Verse 16 For so

(outwß gar). This use of gar is quite in John's style in introducing his comments ( 2:25; 4:8; 5:13, etc.). This "Little Gospel" as it is often called, this "comfortable word" (the Anglican Liturgy), while not a quotation from Jesus is a just and marvellous interpretation of the mission and message of our Lord. In verses 16-21 John recapitulates in summary fashion the teaching of Jesus to Nicodemus. Loved (hgaphsen).

 First aorist active indicative of agapaw, the noble word so common in the Gospels for the highest form of love, used here as often in John ( 14:23; 17:23; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:10) of God's love for man (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4).

 In 21:15 John presents a distinction between agapaw and pilew. Agapaw is used also for love of men for men ( 13:34), for Jesus ( 8:42), for God (1 John 4:10). The world (ton kosmon). The whole cosmos of men, including Gentiles, the whole human race.

This universal aspect of God's love appears also in 2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 5:8. That he gave (wste edwken). The usual classical construction with wste and the indicative (first aorist active) practical result, the only example in the N.T. save that in Galatians 2:13. Elsewhere wste with the infinitive occurs for actual result (Matthew 13:32) as well as purpose (Matthew 10:1), though even this is rare. His only begotten Son (ton uion ton monogenh). "The Son the only begotten." For this word see on Matthew 1:14,18; Matthew 3:18. The rest of the sentence, the purpose clause with ina-ech precisely reproduces the close of Matthew 3:15 save that eiß auton takes the place of en autwi (see Matthew 1:12) and goes certainly with pisteuwn (not with ech as en autwi in verse 3:15) and the added clause "should not perish but" (mh apolhtai alla, second aorist middle subjunctive, intransitive, of apollumi, to destroy). The same contrast between "perish" and "eternal life" (for this world and the next) appears also in 10:28. On "perish" see also 17:12.