John 21:15-25

The Love Motivation

15 So when they had ¹finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you ²love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend ³My lambs."

16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "⁴Shepherd My sheep."

17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him ⁵the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, ⁶You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "⁷Tend My sheep.

Our Times Are in His Hand

18 "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go."

19 Now this He said, ⁸signifying by ⁹what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "¹⁰Follow Me!"

20 Peter, turning around, saw the ¹¹disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had ¹²leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"

21 So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?"

22 Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain ¹³until I come, what is that to you? You ¹⁴follow Me!"

23 Therefore this saying went out among ¹⁵the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, "If I want him to remain ¹⁶until I come, what is that to you?"

24 This is the disciple who ¹⁷is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

25 And there are also ¹⁸many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

Cross References

• 1. John 21:12
• 2. Matthew 26:33; Mark 14:29; John 13:37
• 3. Luke 12:32
• 4. Matthew 2:6; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2; Revelation 7:17
• 5. John 13:38
• 6. John 16:30
• 7. John 21:15, 16
• 8. John 12:33; John 18:32
• 9. 2 Peter 1:14
• 10. Matthew 8:22; Matthew 16:24; John 21:22
• 11. John 21:7
• 12. John 13:25
• 13. Matthew 16:27; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 11:26; James 5:7; Revelation 2:25
• 14. Matthew 8:22; Matthew 16:24; John 21:19
• 15. Acts 1:15
• 16. Matthew 16:27; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 11:26; James 5:7; Revelation 2:25
• 17. John 15:27
• 18. John 20:30

Footnotes

• [a]. Gr "agapao"
• [b]. Gr "phileo"
• [c]. Gr "agapao"
• [d]. Gr "phileo"
• [e]. Gr "phileo"
• [f]. Gr "phileo"
• [g]. Gr "phileo"