John 21:17

the third time He had denied thrice, and must thrice affirm his love. This time Jesus makes a further concession: He not only ceases to urge the -more than these," but He adopts S. Peter's own word, philein. The Apostle had rejected Christ's standard and taken one of his own, about which he could be more sure; and Christ now questions the Apostle's own standard. This is why -Peter was grieved" so much; not merely at the threefold question recalling his threefold denial, not merely at his devotion being questioned more than once, but that the humble form of love which he had professed, and that without boastful comparison with others, and without rash promises about the future, should seem to be doubted by his Lord.

thou knowest all things; thou knowest Once more we have two words for -know" in the original and only one in the A. V. (Comp. John 7:27; John 8:55; John 13:7; John 14:7.) The first -knowest" (oidas) refers to Christ's supernatural intuition, as in John 21:15: the second -knowest" (ginôskeis) to His experience and discernment; Thou recognisest, perceivest, seest, that I love Thee. See on John 2:24-25.

Feed my sheep It is doubtful whether we have or have not precisely the same word for -sheep" here as in John 21:16. The Greek word here according to the best authorities is undoubtedly a diminutive (probatia, not probata); in John 21:16 the evidence is pretty evenly balanced between probatiaand probata(-little sheep" and -sheep"). One is tempted to adopt S. Ambrose's order in John 21:15 -lambs," -little sheep," -sheep" (agnos, oviculas, oves), which seems also to have been the reading of the old Syriac: but the balance of evidence is against it. But without counting the possible difference between -little sheep" and -sheep," there are three important distinctions obliterated in the A. V., the two words rendered -love," the two rendered -feed," and the two rendered -know."

S. Peter seems to recall this charge in his First Epistle (John 5:2-3), a passage which in the plainest terms condemns the policy of those who on the strength of this charge have claimed to rule as his successors over the whole of Christ's flock.