John 21 - NLT Student Life Application Study Bible

21:15-17 Three Times Restored Peter had denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus had predicted he would (John 13:37-38; 18:15-18, 25-27). This had no doubt left Peter under a cloud of despair and shattered confidence. In this beach scene, Jesus leads Peter through an experience that removes that cloud. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. When Peter answers yes three times, Jesus commands him to feed his sheep. Jesus reaches into Peter’s trauma and shame to restore and heal him for the ministry he has planned for him. It is one thing to say we love Jesus, but he doesn’t settle for quick, superficial answers. The real test will be our willingness to serve him, something that Peter went on to demonstrate for the rest of his life.

21:18-23 Faithful until the End Tradition indicates that Peter was crucified for his faith—upside down because he didn’t feel worthy of dying as his Lord did. Early church history reports that after John was exiled to the island of Patmos (see Revelation 1:9), he spent his final days in Ephesus, where he had previously ministered. Both of these disciples had a large influence on the early church, and they stayed faithful to their resurrected Lord until the end.