Do You Love Me? – A Fresh Start with Jesus (John 21:15-25)
Have you ever messed up badly and wondered if someone would still believe in you? That’s exactly what Peter might have felt like in John 21:15–25.
A Breakfast by the Sea
After Jesus had risen from the dead, He appeared to His disciples several times. One morning, He met them by the Sea of Galilee. They had been fishing all night and caught nothing—until Jesus told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. Suddenly, their net was overflowing! That’s when they realized: It’s the Lord!
They came to shore, and Jesus had already made breakfast—bread and fish over a fire. After they ate, Jesus turned to Peter.
The Big Question
Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Each time Peter said yes, Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep” or “Take care of my lambs.”
Why did Jesus ask Peter three times? Maybe because Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times before the crucifixion. Now, Jesus was giving Peter a chance to start over. Not only did Jesus forgive Peter, but He also trusted him with a big job: taking care of His followers.
Jesus didn’t bring up Peter’s past mistakes to shame him. Instead, He reminded Peter that love for Jesus shows through caring for others.
Follow Me
Then Jesus said something simple but powerful: “Follow me.” That’s the same call Peter had heard when they first met. Even after all the failures and regrets, Jesus still wanted Peter to follow Him. That’s grace.
Peter noticed that another disciple—probably John—was nearby and asked, “What about him?” But Jesus said, “What is that to you? You follow me.” In other words, don’t worry about someone else’s path. Focus on your own walk with Me.
What This Means for Us
This story isn’t just about Peter. It’s about all of us who’ve failed, doubted, or walked away at times. Jesus doesn’t give up on us. He meets us right where we are, forgives us, and invites us to follow Him again.
If you’ve ever felt like your past disqualifies you from being used by God, think of Peter. Jesus took his greatest failure and turned it into a new beginning.
Jesus still asks today: “Do you love me?” If the answer is yes, then let’s show it—not just in words, but by how we live, care, and follow.
John 21:15-25 (WEB)
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.” 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.” 17 He said 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. 18 Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you don’t want to go.”19 Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”20 Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ chest at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”22 Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” 23 This saying therefore went out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, but, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you?”24 This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote these things. We know that his witness is true. 25 There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.