The high priority our Lord has for shepherding God’s flock is revealed in the way He committed His lambs and sheep into the Apostle Peter’s care as a proof of Peter’s love to the Lord. The Lord had said to him, “Lovest thou Me more than these?” When Peter answered, “Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee,” the Lord Jesus responded, “Feed My lambs” (John 21:1515So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. (John 21:15)).
Three times Peter denied the Lord before he realized what he had done, and it took three times before he realized the significance of the words, “Lovest thou Me?” Meanwhile, the Lord graciously kept repeating these words, “Feed My sheep.” The Lord was telling Peter that this was the way He wanted Peter to show that he loved Him, or was attached to Him.
Peter, the most prominent of the disciples, had boasted of his love for the Lord, but he had failed miserably in showing his love. He forcefully denied knowing the Lord. It was not enough for Peter to love in word only — the Lord wanted deeds to prove it. Yes, the Lord knew that Peter loved Him, but where was the display of it in his life? Getting to the bottom of this problem would prepare Peter to be one who could strengthen his brethren (see Luke 22:3232But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:32)). The strength to do this could not come from within. He needed to learn to trust in the Lord.
The Lord Himself knew all that was going to transpire and had told the disciples of it beforehand. Yet, He was willing to go through the experience of being denied by His disciple in order to prepare him to be a shepherd of His precious sheep. What a Good and Great Shepherd He is!
The Lord was soon going away, leaving the disciples to care for His sheep. He would not entrust His sheep to just anyone. We see the premium He puts on the care of His sheep in how He prepares the disciples. This is what He wanted Peter to learn, and more than this, to serve for the rest of his life (unto death), allowing himself to be led by others. This we believe he did.
The Apostle Peter, later in his first epistle, speaks of being a witness of the sufferings of Christ (for he dare not say he was a partaker of those sufferings) as the basis for exhorting us to “feed the flock of God” (1 Peter 5:12). He got the point the Lord had taught him. He fed the flock because he saw how the Lord loved them and showed the saints that this was the reason to do it. He does not, in his epistles, speak of his love for the Lord or His people, though he exhorts them to love one another. He does, however, speak of the “crown of glory” which the Lord would give those who were good shepherds of God’s flock.
May the Lord give us to follow Him in this way, to see the love He has for the sheep and care for them as He does. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:14,1614And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (John 3:14)
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
D. C. Buchanan