Explanation:

There are several occasions in the Gospels when Peter shows boldness in his love for Jesus.³ Earlier on the night when Jesus was betrayed, Peter asserts that Jesus should never wash his feet, presumably because he held Jesus in such high esteem (John 13:8). Then he declares that he would lay down his life for Jesus (John 13:37). Afterward, just before they go to the garden where Jesus is arrested, Jesus explains to his disciples that they will all fall away. But Peter insists that though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away (Matthew 26:33). In hindsight it is a striking assertion, because only a few short hours later Peter will deny Jesus three times (John 18:15–27).

Now that Jesus’ ministry has been vindicated by God’s raising him from the dead, he prepares his disciples to carry on his mission. In order to carry out their task, the disciples ought to be united, but there remains one personal issue yet to resolve: Peter’s empty boasts and subsequent denials on the night Jesus was betrayed. Jesus does not condemn Peter for his actions, but neither does he ignore them. Instead, he offers Peter an opportunity to reaffirm his love for Jesus, while publicly reinstating him among his fellow disciples.⁴

Counterargument:

There are at least three ways to interpret more than these, and based on the context there is no clear indication from the passage which interpretation is to be favoured. John could just as likely be referring to Peter’s affection for the fish, if not his affection for the other disciples. Further, the Greek word τούτων (these) could be either masculine or neuter in gender. If it is neuter, we have more reason to think it applies to the fishing gear than to the other disciples. All this ambiguity means that one should not press the passage too far one way or the other. The point is that Peter ought to confirm his love for Jesus, nothing more.

Response to Counterargument:

While it is true that the text is ambiguous, ambiguity does not entail that there is no possible meaning to be had. Instead, exegetes ought to consider the literary context to decide what factors might resolve the ambiguity.⁵ To do this we first decide whether our interpretation is consistent with the literary context by considering the meaning within the overall paragraph where the sentence is found. We then think about how the paragraph fits within the chapter, and the chapter within the book as well as the other Gospels and the rest of the canon of Scripture. By doing this, we refine our understanding of the text. In this case, although the text is ambiguous at first, the interpretation that more than these refers to Peter’s having more love for Jesus than the other disciples is consistent with immediate and broader contexts. As we move outward from the text, we search for clarifying indicators, noticing from Matthew’s Gospel that Peter did seem to convey a superiority over the other disciples when he stated that while the others might fall away, he never would (Matthew 26:33). This passage, along with passages that indicate that Peter denied Jesus (John 18:15–27), moves our interpretative option from being consistent to plausible.

Explanation:

On the night when Jesus was betrayed Peter insisted that, come what may, he would lay down his life for Jesus (John 13:37). Only a few hours later, Peter denied Jesus three times. Now a couple of weeks have passed, and Peter is once again zealous for his Lord. This is evident from the fact that when Jesus appeared that morning Peter jumped from the boat and swam to him. He also led the charge to haul the miraculous catch of fish to shore. Now Jesus wants Peter to reaffirm his commitment by acknowledging that he loves Jesus even more than anyone else does. It is true, Peter had boasted in his commitment to Jesus and then denied him, but his enthusiasm to serve has been rekindled. Peter has lived through the shame of denying his king, and now Jesus gives him the opportunity to confirm that he loves Jesus, even more than the other disciples.⁶ This would be important for his future role as a leader in the church.

Counterargument:

Jesus will soon ascend to the Father and leave the disciples with the mission to spread the gospel. Would it not be offensive to the other disciples for Jesus to suddenly ask Peter to confirm that he loves Jesus more than others love Jesus? Did not Jesus explain that whoever exalts himself would be humbled (Matthew 23:13)? It seems that Jesus would want his disciples to be united, but if he really wanted Peter to take the question seriously, this might engender a spirit of envy. It seems more likely that Jesus is asking the question in a rhetorical fashion, as in, You think you love me more than the others but obviously you do not because you denied me, so you should not boast.

Response to counterargument:

It seems that Jesus’ question is meant to produce more than one result. For one, Jesus wants to humble Peter in front of the others, and through forgiving and commending him, reinstate him with the disciples. At the same time, this does not rule out Jesus’ demand that Peter love Jesus more than the other disciples do. Jesus’ point is not to engender competition, but for Peter to contemplate that to follow Christ is to love Christ supremely. Presumably Jesus would ask the same question of each of his disciples and expect the same answer: Yes Lord, I love you more than the others do. While it is logically incoherent than each of them loves Jesus more the others, Jesus is promoting commitment, not competition or logic.

Possible weaknesses:

a)     One possible weakness with this view is that it depends on the notion that Jesus is using irony, but this is not highlighted by the context. Jesus sometimes used irony or sarcasm to make his point. This text would be an instance of his being ironic, if he wanted to humble Peter by having him admit that although he boasted about loving Jesus more than the other disciples, in reality, he did not. But if Jesus is being ironic, we expect to find such indicators in the passage. We do not, however. So instead, we have to connect what seems like Jesus’ isolated statement here with Peter’s general attitude as it is portrayed over all the Gospels. While making this connection is not impossible, it does call for more sophisticated exegesis, in that one must perceive how the relationship between Peter and Jesus is characterized in general in order to get at the meaning in John 21:15.

b)    It seems odd that Peter could confirm that he loves Jesus more than the others do without offending them. If Jesus wants Peter to reaffirm his love for Jesus, having him compare his love to the love that the other disciples have for Jesus seems offensive to the others. Why not instead see Jesus as having Peter confirm that he loves Jesus more than he loves the others? This would seem to be a less offensive approach by Jesus because it would not engender any competition between the disciples, and would maintain the point that Peter must love Jesus more than anything else.

Explanation:

In Mark 1:16–18, Jesus walks along the same Sea of Galilee that we find in John 21:1–25, and summons Peter (then named Simon), a fishman by trade, to follow him. As Mark describes it, Simon is busy casting a net into the sea just as Jesus first approaches. Jesus declares, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Mark 1:17). Immediately Simon leaves the net and follows Jesus. Now several years have passed. Simon Peter is one of Jesus’ disciples. He has witnessed Jesus’ miracles, participated in his ministry, and been taught by his wisdom. Jesus was crucified but God the Father raised him from the dead, vindicating Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Jesus’ earthly ministry responsibilities will soon shift to the disciples, and Jesus wants to know, in light of all that has transpired, whether Peter is willing to give up everything, including his occupation as a fisherman, to become a shepherd.

Counterargument:

While it is the case that Jesus calls Peter to a higher degree of commitment in this passage, there is no indication that he is calling Peter away from his occupation.⁷ Even in Mark 1:17 and Luke 5:1–11, when Jesus calls the disciples to follow him, he does not have them renounce their occupations. In John 21:1–25, the disciples are fishing, and Jesus joins them in their expedition by first providing the fish, and then enjoying the catch by eating some of it with them. Jesus is not calling Peter away from being a fisherman but calling him to be a shepherd for Jesus. Fishing as an occupation and shepherding Jesus’ flock are not in competition.

Response to Counterargument:

Jesus does not need Peter to renounce his occupation entirely, but he does want Peter to understand that his identity should not be caught up in fishing. It is not two weeks after Jesus has risen from the dead and some of his disciples are back on the Sea of Galilee, back into their old routines. In fact, Luke tells us that before Jesus initially called the disciples to follow him, James and John were partners with Simon Peter in the fishing business (Luke 5:10). Fishing was a lifestyle occupation, requiring investment in boat maintenance and equipment such as nets and bait. Furthermore, the men would have to spend long nights at sea and in the marketplace selling their catch. Jesus understands all this, and while Peter can continue as a fisherman, fishing can no longer be his identity if he  is to be a leader in the church.

Explanation:

When Jesus asks Peter if he loves him more than these, one must first look to the immediate context of the passage for an indication as to what is the likely referent for the term these. In this case, the only option that is explicitly stated in the passage is the fish, and by extension, the fishing gear. Of course, we know that the disciples are also present because in John 21:13 Jesus uses the dative masculine plural of the personal pronoun he (αὐτοῖς, to them) to refer to those who received food from Jesus. Still, the direct objects in John 21:13 are the bread and fish (τὸν ἄρτον and τὸ ὀψάριον). The attention is on the bread and the fish, and Jesus gives these to the disciples. John adds the historical detail that this is the third time that Jesus had appeared to the disciples (John 21:14). And then Jesus asks Peter if he loves Jesus more than these (τούτων). Since Jesus has just handed bread and fish to the disciples, including Peter, an obvious candidate for the referent of these is the bread and the fish. By extension, it seems reasonable to include the fishing gear.

Jesus’ point is, Look at all this gear in which you trust to provide the food that you need, and still, you had no success fishing last night. On the other hand, at my command you had instant success. Do you love me more than these?

Counterargument:

There is no necessary grammatical connection between the bread and fish being direct objects in John 21:13 and John’s use of the masculine plural of the demonstrative pronoun οὗτος, these, in John 21:15. We need only consider whether the gender of the demonstrative pronoun these is masculine or neuter. If it is masculine, Jesus is likely referring to the disciples; if it is neuter, he is likely referring to the equipment and fish. Since John in John 21:13 used the masculine plural of the personal pronoun αὐτός to indicate that there was more than one disciple, and it is correct to use the neuter plural to refer to bread and fish, it is open whether Jesus refers to the disciples, or the bread and fish. The fact that the bread and the fish are direct objects in John 21:13 is not a grammatical indicator for the referent of the demonstrative in verse John 21:15.

Response to counterargument:

The point is not that there is a necessary grammatical connection between the direct object of John 21:13 (the bread and fish) and the demonstrative in John 21:15 (these), but that there is a literary connection. The highlight of the expedition is arguably the large number of fish, miraculously caught at Jesus command, and still, the net did not break. Peter has hauled the net ashore and after counting 153 large fish, the disciples must have delighted in the breathtaking catch. Now after handing Peter (and the others), some bread and fish, Jesus asks Peter if he loves Jesus more than these. In other words, for all the satisfaction that comes with fishing all night, dragging a full net to shore, and enjoying a taste of their catch, would Peter confess that he loves Jesus more than these?

Possible weaknesses: This view does not consider the wider context of Peter’s character and relationship with Jesus, which is described in the wider corpus of John and the rest of the Gospels.

a)     When interpreting a passage, it is important to consider not just the immediate context of a verse, but also the paragraph, chapter, and wider themes of a given body of work to determine the meaning. Sometimes by doing this, one finds that the immediate context, including the grammatical structure, is a good indicator for the meaning of the passage. Other times, passages are ambiguous within their immediate context, and so wider themes can shed light on a verse’s meaning. In the case of John 21:15, we seem to have a scenario where the immediate context could shed light on the passage, but this interpretation loses weight when the wider themes of Peter’s character and relationship to Jesus are considered. When taken in isolation, the fish are a good candidate as the referent for these, but one should not interpret passages in isolation.

b)    If one reads the passage closely, one notices that breakfast is finished when Jesus asks Peter if he loves Jesus more than these. That breakfast is done is indicated by the verb ἀριστάω (to eat breakfast) being in the aorist tense, a tense that suggests that the action of the verb occurred in the past. If breakfast is finished, the fish and the bread have been consumed. If so, it is not possible for Jesus to be referring to these. How could Jesus refer to bread and fish that have been eaten? If we are supposed to think that Jesus is referring to the fishing gear, this is not obvious, because the fishing gear has only been mentioned in connection with catching fish. Nowhere has John alluded to the notion that the gear is lying around, or that Jesus is referring to it.

Explanation:

It is hard to deny that Peter has been the most vocal about his love for Jesus. Then he disowned Jesus three times when his master needed him most. Jesus has been crucified on the cross, and beyond all hope, God miraculously raised him from the dead. Jesus really is the Son of God and Lord of the universe, and this is the third time after the resurrection that he has revealed himself to the disciples (John 21:14). After another spectacular miracle, Jesus interrogates Peter in order to prepare him for his future role in proclaiming the gospel of hope. Peter has had a couple of weeks to reflect on the fact that after all his boasting in his love for Jesus, he still denied him three times. Now Jesus has been raised from the dead and he wants to know where Peter stands. He wants to know if Peter loves Jesus, and more so, if he loves Jesus more than he loves his closest companions. Following Jesus requires absolute commitment (Luke 9:23–24), and Jesus offers Peter a chance to reaffirm his dedication.

Counterargument:

According to D.A. Carson there is no strong theme in John that would support the idea that Jesus is asking Peter if he loves Peter more than he loves the other disciples.⁸ On the other hand, there are occasions where Peter boasts that he loves Jesus more than the others do, and that his boasts are undermined by his denials. This lends credibility to the interpretation that Jesus is being ironic by asking Peter if he is still willing to claim that he loves Jesus more than the others do. Still, there is nothing in John to support that Jesus is asking Peter if he loves Jesus more than he loves the other disciples.

Response to Counterargument:

It may be that John does not offer any literary theme which supports the interpretation that Jesus is asking Peter if he loves him more than he loves the other disciples. Still, there are other passages from Scripture such as Deuteronomy 6:5 and Deuteronomy 10:11–12, which indicate that one is to love God with all of one’s heart, soul, and mind. An especially poignant example of this comes to us from Matthew 10:37 where Jesus states, Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Jesus is the God of the universe, so if he is prompting Peter to consider whether he loves Jesus more than he loves the other disciples, this is not only consistent with Scripture but also expected by Jesus.

Possible weakness:

This a minority view by the authors surveyed in this study. Just because the view is a minority does not mean it should be ruled out with nothing more to say, but it should cause us to pause.