Love means so much more

I owe a gentlemen in a Kairos prison ministry these observations.

This is the story of the day from John's Gospel:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love (agapao) me more than these?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love (phileo) you.' He said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' [16] He said to him a second time,'"Simon, son of John, do you love (agapao) me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love (phileo) you.' He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' [17] He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love (phileo) me?' Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love (phileo) me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love (phileo) you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'" (John 21:15-17)

There's a lot here beyond what you read. In the Greek, the word Peter uses here is philio or brotherly love. The word Jesus uses is agapao or agape or unconditional love. Say it again. Jesus says do you love me unconditionally? Peter answers that he loves him as brothers love brothers. The third time Jesus asks, he uses the word philio, coming down to Peter's level because Peter couldn't come to him, couldn't love him more than that because we humans simply are incapable much of the time.

There's also the change from taking care to feeding but let's stick with love this morning.

Let's work the translations first.
Agape means the following: to be fond of, to love dearly; to love, to be full of good-will, to have a preference for, regard the welfare of: . . . to take pleasure in the thing, prize it above other things, be unwilling to abandon it or do without it; a spontaneous feeling which impels to self-giving, the weak sense to be satisfied, to receive, to greet, to honor, or more inwardly, to seek after; to have love for someone or something, based on sincere appreciation and high regard.

Phileo means the following: friendship, to be friendly to one; phileo more nearly represents tender affection; To love; to be friendly to one, to treat somebody as one of one's own people; to have love or affection for someone or something based on association; love, have affection for, like.". . . It would, however, be quite wrong to assume that [phileo and philia] refer only to human love, while [agapao and agape] refer to divine love. Both sets of terms are used for the total range of loving relations between people, between people and God, and between God and Jesus Christ."

Is there a difference, a quantitative difference in the kind of love Jesus was talking about? I'm not at all sure there is, but this I know: I fall way, way short of each of them much of the time.


I've walked the edge of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus supposedly was standing while Peter was fishing and first saw his Lord. I've stood in front of the rock that tradition says Jesus cooked fish for breakfast for Peter that morning he had this conversation with him.

And there are hungry people all around me this morning, and that hunger is for far more than bread. Some don't even realize their hunger or the focus of their hunger.

Can we begin to feed his sheep? Can we? This world is hungry for spiritual feeding, my friends. While we practice our indifference, his sheep go hungry.