After a casual breakfast, Jesus and Peter have a not-so-casual conversation. If we read back over the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John all have such interactions) we see that Jesus and Peter often had such interactions. Sometimes they were contentious, as Peter almost "talked back" to Jesus. A couple come to mind: Peter's vehement response at the Last Supper when Jesus tells him that he will deny knowing Jesus, and Peter's vigorous admonition after the Transfiguration that Jesus shouldn't say that he would suffer and die (after all, he's just been glorified and hung out with Moses and Elijah and been called God's beloved son), when Jesus calls Peter :"Satan". It seems safe to say that their interactions have been lively, even contentious at times. And so again, here is a lively interaction--followed by an admonition in the form of an invitation.
This interaction and admonition/invitation involves clarifying the meaning of love (Peter and Jesus were using different words for "love" as the original Greek of the New Testament clearly shows), and hence clarifying what love looks like as it's put into action. And it seems that loving Jesus involves feeding, tending, and following.
To love Jesus means, in Jesus' words, to "feed my lambs" (John 21:15). Love as Jesus defines it is not only loving God but loving neighbor (to pull from what Jesus agreed are the "two greatest commandments"). They are related. And to "feed" is more than meeting physical needs, although that is a part of it. The early church was all about taking care of widows and orphans--in other words, those who in that society could not take care of themselves because societal structures shut them out from being able to.
To love Jesus means, in Jesus' words, to "tend my sheep" (John 21:16). "Tending" gets at more than just basic human needs to get at how care for others is conveyed--it is not a coincidence that the word "tender" has "tend" in it. It is not just a dumping of resources for people to pick up as they come along without any interaction. To tend is about relationship--attentive, engaged, intimate, caring relationship.
To love Jesus means, in Jesus' words, 'follow me" (John 21:19). Jesus has shown with his life and taught with his words what loving God and neighbor looks like. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has laid down his life for the sheep--both in terms of taking on human sin and triumphing, and in living the kind of life that showed his commitment to caring for others. His priority in his ministry was to live out and teach others how to live out the values of the "Kingdom of God"--a complete reversal of societal priorities and values, a complete reversal of cultural views of the relative worth of one human to another based on standing in society, and a complete reversal of human instincts to exact revenge and keep score, to manipulate for personal advancement, to influct guit and shame and be self-motivated by that same guilt and shame. To follow Jesus is similarly to embrace these new values and practices in our interactions in the world--the world that Jesus entered to redeem.
A lively conversation--one that we are invited not only to eavesdrop on, but to have with Jesus in our own right--and to respond to.
John 21:15-19
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”