Section 3
him this question first was because Peter had boldly told the Lord on the eve of His betrayal that he would not give up the Lord, even though all the other disciples would forsake Him (Matt. 26:33). Peter had said that he would follow the Lord unto death (John 13:37; Matt. 26:35). By saying this, Peter made himself different from the other disciples. Yes, he was different from them— in his weakness, not in his strength. When the Lord asked him, "Do you love Me more than these?" the Lord was reminding Peter of what he was. He was a man so self-confident and proud.
Peter's love toward the Lord was precious, but his natural strength had to be dealt with. Peter's strength was dealt with in two ways: in his deny ing the Lord and in his taking the lead to backslide from the Lord's call. Peter failed the first test by denying the Lord three times, and he failed the second test by going fishing. The reason the disci ples went fishing was because they were without food. When Abraham was in Canaan, he also was tested by the same problem and went down to Egypt because of the famine. In the same princi ple, Peter and the other disciples went to the sea to fish, being tested by the lack of food. Peter thought that he was strong, and able to withstand any test, even death itself. He had told the Lord that he