Bible ReadingJohn 21:15–19 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.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him 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, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved 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. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
[28:24] [31:39] [32:51]Jonah 4:11 “And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”
[00:54] [02:46]Matthew 12:39–41 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
[03:36] [03:46]John 18:15–18, 25–27 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself... Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.
[10:43] [10:58] [11:01]Observation questions- In John 18, what setting surrounds Peter’s three denials, and what does Peter repeatedly say when people ask about his relationship with Jesus? [10:43]
- What are the three questions Jesus asks Peter in John 21, and what three commands does Jesus give in response to Peter’s answers? [31:39]
- What details in John 21 show Jesus’ tenderness toward the disciples before he speaks directly to Peter about love and shepherding? Consider the morning, the full nets, the charcoal fire, and breakfast. [22:32]
- In Jonah 4:11, what reasons does God give for having compassion on Nineveh, and how does Jonah’s response stand in contrast to God’s heart? [02:18]
Interpretation questions- Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” rather than first asking whether Peter is sorry enough or whether he will perform better. What does this show about the kind of restoration Jesus gives to a believer who has failed? [29:31]
- Why might Jesus use another charcoal fire—the setting connected with Peter’s denial—as part of Peter’s restoration? How can facing a real failure be different from being trapped in shame? [23:21]
- Jesus calls himself greater than Jonah. In what ways does Jesus’ going into death and rising again reveal a greater mercy than Jonah showed toward Nineveh? [25:30]
- Jesus connects Peter’s love for him with feeding and tending his sheep. What does this suggest about the relationship between love for Christ and practical care for other people in the church and in the world? [33:27]
Application questions- Peter went back to the familiar boat after failure. What is the “familiar boat” you may be tempted to climb into when you feel ashamed, disappointed, or unsure—control, isolation, work, comfort, distraction, or something else? [17:09]
- Jesus’ question reaches beyond Peter’s nets to his identity, ego, comparison, and personal agenda. What are some “these” in your own life that compete with loving Jesus first? [28:41]
- Peter was willing to fight for his preferred outcome, but he struggled to trust when Jesus’ plan did not match his own. Where are you finding it hard to trust God because his plan feels different from the one you wanted? [12:24]
- A charcoal-fire moment can expose what bravado, busyness, or self-confidence has covered up. Is there a failure, hurt, or pattern that you tend to avoid naming before God? What might it look like to bring it honestly to Jesus rather than hiding from him? [23:45]
- Jesus meets Peter with food and fellowship before commissioning him. How does Jesus’ welcome change the way you approach him after sin or spiritual failure? [27:45]
- “Feed my sheep” belongs to the whole church, not only to pastors or ministry leaders. Who is one person you could help nourish with Scripture, encouragement, hospitality, prayer, or a faithful conversation this week? [34:30]
- The church is not a cruise liner built around personal preferences, but a people equipped for Christ’s mission. In what ways might you be tempted to approach church mainly as a consumer, and what is one concrete way you could participate in the mission instead? [40:06]
