“Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Lovest thou me?”
The full verse · John 21:17 · KJV
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Asked by
Jesus: the risen Lord, who had just given His disciples bread and fish on the shore (John 21:13)
Asked to
Peter: Simon Peter, who had denied Jesus three times on the night of His arrest (John 18:17, 25-27), who had now twice told Jesus, "thou knowest that I love thee" (John 21:15-16)
The Scene
Still on the shore, Jesus asks Peter the same question a third time, after Peter has twice answered, "thou knowest that I love thee" (John 21:15-17).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe third question matched Peter's three denials. Barnes says, "It is probable that Jesus proposed this question three times because Peter had thrice denied him." Gill adds that three answers from Peter's own mouth established the matter "out of all doubt." Peter felt the weight of it: he "was grieved because he said unto him the third time" (John 21:17). Gill says the repetition "put him in mind of his having denied his Lord three times," and Matthew Henry reads it the same way. Each denial now had an answering confession of love.
The Response
What Scripture recordsPeter answered, "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee" (John 21:17). This time he did not begin with "Yea"; he rested his case on everything Jesus knew. Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." Then He told Peter how he would one day glorify God by his death, and said to him, "Follow me" (John 21:18-19).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsFor the first two questions the Greek has agapaō; this third time Jesus uses phileō, the same verb Peter had used in each of his answers. English versions translate both as "love," so the change does not show in the KJV or ESV.
Peter's answer also uses two different verbs for knowing: oidas in "thou knowest all things" and ginōskeis in "thou knowest that I love thee."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyJesus did not leave Peter's three denials hanging. He gave him three opportunities to confess his love, and three times gave him a charge. Matthew Henry writes, "A commission given to one convicted of a crime is supposed to amount to a pardon." Peter's restoration was not only private comfort; it put him back into the work.
Peter's answer shows where his assurance now rested. After his failure he could not point to his own record. He pointed to Jesus' knowledge: "Lord, thou knowest all things." The same Lord who had foretold his denial (John 13:38) also knew his love.
Look Closer
Why was Peter grieved?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, You know all things, my failures and my love; what would You have me do with the fresh start You give?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Peter was grieved by a question that touched his past. When a painful memory surfaces, do you tend to run from it or bring it to Jesus?
- Peter could not point to his own record, only to what Jesus knew. Share a time when it comforted you to be fully known by God.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Restoration can hurt before it heals. Peter was grieved by the third question, but the grief led to an honest confession and a renewed calling. The questions that touch old failures can be part of how Jesus restores.
When you doubt yourself, you can pray as Peter did: "Lord, thou knowest all things." Your hope does not rest on your track record but on the One who sees your heart.
This does not mean that saying the right words is enough. Jesus answered each confession with a task. Love for Christ shows up in caring for His people (John 21:17) and in following Him (John 21:19).
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?”
“Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?”
“Art not thou also one of this man's disciples?”
“Did not I see thee in the garden with him?”