It may be that Jesus swept his hand round the boat and its nets and equipment and the catch of fishes, and said to Peter: ‘Simon, do you love me more than these things? Are you prepared to give them all up, to abandon all hope of a successful career, to give up a steady job and a reasonable comfort, in order to give yourself forever to my people and to my work?’ This may have been a challenge to Peter to take the final decision to give all his life to the preaching of the gospel and the caring for Christ’s people.

It may be that Jesus looked at the rest of the little group of the disciples, and said to Peter: ‘Simon, do you love me more than your fellow disciples do?’ It may be that Jesus was looking back to a night when Peter said: ‘Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you’ (Matthew 26:33)

Jesus asked this question three times; and there was a reason for that. It was three times that Peter denied his Lord, and it was three times that his Lord gave him the chance to affirm his love. Jesus, in his gracious forgiveness, gave Peter the chance to wipe out the memory of the threefold denial by a threefold declaration of love.

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.