8. A Lesson Learned About Love
It is almost impossible to read the epistles of Peter and not to see the importance of the theme of love. Love is mentioned nine times in the first epistle alone – significantly, at least once in every one of the letter's chapters.
Peter's stress on love is doubtless biographical in reflecting the apostle's own experience. Every reader of the Gospels remembers the post-resurrection incident in which Christ asked Peter three times "Do you love me?" This pivotal event of Peter's reinstatement and recommissioning after his triple denial of Jesus doubtless had a tremendous impact on the apostle:
… Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17). It is often pointed out that while in his first two questions Jesus used a form of the word agapé – godly, unconditional love – Peter replied with a form of the word phileó – meaning brotherly love or affection. We can paraphrase the question and answer: "Do you have love for me?" "Yes, I have affection for you." In his final question (vs. 17) Jesus lowered the level of love and asked, "Do you have affection for me?" to which Peter replied "…you know I have affection for you."
Peter did have great affection for Christ, of course, and that affection had been the basis of Peter's rash promise that he would never forsake Jesus (Matthew 26:35). Unfortunately, Peter had to learn that human love has little depth compared to the love God wants us to develop, and his human affection was not enough to keep him from forsaking Christ and even denying him three times.
So it is possible that in Peter's reinstatement by repeating his question three times Jesus was subtly reminding Peter of his three denials. But it is clear that Peter, in his shame, could not bring himself to say he loved Jesus to such a high level as unconditional godly love, only to the lesser degree of affection – to which Jesus finally lowered his question.
Yet while the element of shame may have affected Peter's answers at that moment in time, the apostle's letters make it clear that he had learned from the incident and moved beyond his mistake of thinking that humanly-generated affection is enough. Peter not only talks frequently about love in his epistles, he also specifically addresses the difference between human affection and godly love. In two extremely poignant scriptures, Peter tells us that we too must move beyond the love that is human affection:
Now you have purified your selves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love [phileó] for each other, love [agapé] one another deeply, from the heart (1 Peter 1:22). add ... to godliness, mutual affection [phileó]; and to mutual affection, love [agapé] (2 Peter 1:7). Although these two verses are worded slightly differently, Peter's point is clearly identical in both: already having human love, we must learn godly love (1 Peter); having human love, we must add to it godly love (2 Peter).
It is doubtless significant that Peter included this thought in both of his epistles: we must move beyond human love to a godly love that is both deeper and higher than human affection. That would certainly seem to be the lesson Jesus was teaching Peter in his reinstatement. Peter had learned the hard way that human love – even love between the closest friends – is not enough to fulfill God's law of love. It is a lesson that Peter's letters show he had clearly grasped. That is why he wrote so adamantly:
Above all, love [agapé] each other deeply, because love [agapé] covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).
PART THREE:
1, 2, 3 JOHN –
TRUTH, OBEDIENCE, LOVE