Do You Love Me More Than These?

Do You Love Me More Than These?

In one of his last interactions with Peter before His ascension, Jesus asked him in John 21:15, “Do you love me more than these?” That question is worth exploring because there are three possibilities as to what “these” could be a reference to.

First, “these” could be a reference to the other disciples as the object of affection. In other words, Jesus may be asking Peter, “Do you love me more than you love your fellow disciples?” Numbered among those disciples would have been his brother Andrew, as well as two of his best friends, James and John. So, Jesus could be asking Peter if his love for Him is superior to his love for his friends and family. This is important because, on one occasion, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). So, by asking Peter “Do you love me more than these,” Jesus may simply be trying to determine whether or not Peter’s devotion to Him has surpassed his devotion to everyone else.

Second, “these” could be a reference to the other disciples but with Jesus as the object of affection. In other words, Jesus may be asking Peter, “Do you love me more than these other disciples love me?” Peter made some bold proclamations prior to Jesus’ arrest. Upon hearing Jesus tell the disciples, “You will all fall away because of me this night” (Matthew 26:31), Peter said, “I will never fall away” (Matthew 26:33). Then, upon hearing Jesus say, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now” (John 13:36), Peter said, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you” (John 13:37). Such bold proclamations implied that Peter’s allegiance to Jesus was superior to his fellow disciples, and, yet, he went on to deny his relationship with Jesus three times during His trial. So, Jesus may be “asking Peter to examine the strength of his earlier pledges” by essentially asking, “Do you [indeed] love me more than these other men love me?”1

Finally, “these” could be a reference to the boats, nets, and all the fishing gear. In other words, Jesus may be asking Peter, “Do you love me more than you love fishing?” Before becoming a disciple, Peter was a fisherman, and immediately prior to this interaction with Jesus, Peter initiated an all-night fishing trip with some of his fellow disciples when he abruptly said, “I am going fishing” (John 21:3). Peter once said, “we have left everything and followed you” (Mark 10:28), but at that moment, he had returned to what he left. And that may have caused Jesus to question the extent of Peter’s love for Him. So, it may be that Jesus is challenging Peter to consider whether he loves his career or whether he loves his calling.

Regardless of which of these three possibilities Jesus intended, all three of them address the concept of priority. Jesus is asking Peter if He is Peter’s first love. And I think it is pertinent for us to ask ourselves the same three questions. Do we love Jesus more than we love other people, including ourselves? Do we love Jesus more than anyone else loves Him? Do we love Jesus more than we love our jobs, hobbies, and our extracurricular activities?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, then we do not love Jesus “with all [our] heart…with all [our] soul…with all [our] mind and with all [our] strength” (Mark 12:30) because love manifests itself through priority.


1Gary M. Burge, The NIV Application Commentary: John (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000): 586-587.

  • Read the entire conversation between Jesus and Peter in John 21:15-19. Why do you think Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me” three times?
  • Read about the fishing trip that preceded this conversation in John 21:1-14. How did Peter react when he realized that Jesus was the man standing on the shoreline? How might his reaction be a demonstration of his love for Jesus?
  • What can we learn about love from Jesus in this entire episode (John 21:1-19)?
  • As an individual or a family, make a list of things that compete for your affection, then discuss some practical steps you can take or “rules” you can put in place to ensure that your affection for those things doesn’t surpass your affection for Christ.
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