NOTES for Joh 21:15-25
Christ's conversation with Peter by the Sea of Tiberias is a constant subject of discussion between Eastern and Western Christians in connection with the so-called primacy of Peter and his successors. In reality, this dispute is resolved internally, and there is no point discussing that here. In practice, something else is far more important. After Peter's denial, after the risen Christ's meetings with the apostles, after the Lord tells the myrrh-bearing women, "tell My brothers, and Peter," specifically calling Peter to become a witness of the resurrection, after all this a new moment arrives in their relationship. This is the moment of Peter's forgiveness and complete healing. It is the moment of Peter's new calling to the way of the Cross. From this moment on, the weight of the denial no longer hangs over Peter in any way.
What is needed for this? What does Christ ask of him? Whether Peter is ready to be a zealous keeper of the commandments? No. Whether Peter is ready for feats of asceticism and self-restraint? No. Whether Peter is ready to build the Church and carry out Christ's commission? No; that will come later in this dialogue. The Lord asks about only one thing: "Do you love Me?" This matters because both our relationship with Christ and the fate and life of each of us depend only on the answer to this question and on what we embody that answer in. Everything else is detail.