Feed Jesus’ Sheep!. The sheep recognize and trust a good shepherd, who gives them food and other necessities. What did Jesus’ instruction to Peter to “Feed Jesus’ Sheep” mean?
After his resurrection, Jesus visited his followers and shared a supper with them by the Sea of Galilee. He then asked Peter if he loved him three times in a private setting. Peter provided yes responses three times, Feed Jesus’ Sheep!
Simon, the son of John, do you love me? Jesus asked Simon once more in John 21:16. “Lord, you know all things; you know that I adore you,” he said. Feed my sheep, the Lord commanded.
And each time, Jesus gave a different instruction regarding how to take care of or feed Jesus’ sheep. What was Jesus instructing Peter in this instance? This essay will look at Jesus’ command to Peter as it appears in John 21:15–17.
JESUS IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD IN WHAT WAY?
Jesus enjoyed making analogies that his listeners would understand. And shepherds and sheep were common sights for the people in his day and area.
Therefore, it would be far more instructive to use them as an example of his relationship to his followers than it is now in a time and place where shepherding is much less popular.
In John 10:1–18, Jesus uses the parable of the shepherd and the sheep the most frequently. Jesus refers to himself in this passage as “the good shepherd,” who knows and is trusted by his sheep, gives them pasture and everything they want for survival, and who will defend them from harm to the point of laying down his life for them.
Those who know and trust Jesus, who pay attention to his voice, and who follow him wherever he goes are represented in this parable as his sheep.
WHAT CARE FOR THEIR SHEEP DO SHEPHERDS TAKE?
Many of us who live in more industrialized regions of the world are unfamiliar with the process of shepherding sheep. We might only come into contact with sheep if we visit a petting zoo or wear wool apparel.
However, the image of shepherds and sheep is interwoven heavily throughout the scriptures. Psalm 23, which depicts a shepherd leading his flock and providing for them, is likely the psalm that is most well-known among the others.
Two camps of sheep can generally be distinguished. You can find the wild sheep in one camp. The big Horn and Dall sheep are a couple of these. These sheep thrive in the wild without human intervention.
The responsibility of a shepherd is to take care of a flock of sheep. The shepherd will safeguard his livestock from wolves and robbers. He’ll see to it that they have food and drink.
Additionally, he will take care of them if they are unwell or wander away from the herd. The sheep are inextricably linked to the shepherd’s life. Therefore, the shepherd must take care of the sheep.
WHO WAS JESUS REQUESTING TO FEED HIS SHEEP?
To fully comprehend what Jesus is instructing Peter to do in John 2, I think it is crucial to comprehend this text from John 10. Peter was one of the sheep that Jesus, acting as the good shepherd, was tending to in John 10.
Jesus had been put on trial before Jewish and then Roman authorities not long before this incident, which is described in John 21. Peter also went through a trial during the Jewish phase of the trial, and he three times failed by denying that he knew who Jesus was.
WHICH SHEEP WOULD PETER FEED FOR JESUS?
What task did Jesus give Peter to complete? To Feed Jesus’ Sheep! It was done to provide food for Jesus’ small lambs, who were the most vulnerable. It was to guard and tend to his sheep, to meet their requirements. It was also to provide food for all of his sheep, ensuring that they had a consistent diet of healthy grass and water.
In essence, Jesus was giving Peter the go-ahead to assume the position he had been holding for the previous three years. Peter wasn’t intended to entirely replace Jesus; the Holy Spirit was supposed to do it (John 14:16), But only to feed Jesus’ sheep.
Furthermore, Peter’s herd did not include the sheep. They remained the flock of Jesus. However, Peter was asked to look after those sheep on behalf of Jesus. He would take on the role of an assistant shepherd, looking after Jesus’ sheep.
The commission that Peter received 2000 years ago was also given to others in the Bible and is still in effect today. The Greek term for shepherd is the source of the word that we translate as “pastor.”
Today’s pastors continue Peter’s role by caring for Jesus’ flock. Teachers, another duty within the flock with some responsibility for feeding the sheep, are closely related to pastors (Ephesians 4:11).
Paul’s epistle to the Ephesian church, in my opinion, provides the greatest explanation of the shepherd’s responsibility to care for and feed Jesus’ flock. Paul specifies persons tasked with shepherding in Ephesians 4:11–16. Leading the flock to maturity, stability, and fruitfulness is largely a duty of equipping.
He tells him to “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15). The covenant between the Saints of God to support one another spiritually dates back to ancient times, especially for those who are new to the faith.
WHAT PURPOSE DO SHEEP SERVE IN THE BIBLE?
Sheep are mentioned frequently in the Bible. Sheep were frequently offered as sacrifices (Numbers 28:4; Exodus 29:39).
Additionally, they were the main source of income in prehistoric Middle Eastern societies. However, sheep are also a metaphor for God’s people (Matthew 25:32). Jesus Christ is even referred to in the Bible as the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19).
In Genesis 4:4, when Abel offered the Lord “fat pieces from some of the firstborn of his flock,” the Bible makes one of the earliest allusions to sheep.
The word “flock” and the fact that sheep were among the first domesticated animals suggest that this sacrifice was probably a sheep, even though the Bible does not specifically mention a lamb.Feed Jesus’ Sheep! Peter
Genesis 3:21, which states that “the LORD God created clothes of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them,” may be an earlier allusion to sheep.
It is most likely that God used sheep because of the subsequent symbolic significance of lambs as sacrificial animals (Numbers 6:14; Leviticus 14:10; Exodus 12:5), even though the Bible does not specifically declare that these were sheepskins.