The third time that Jesus showed himself to His disciples following His resurrection was on the shores of the Tiberias sea (John 21:14). After they had dined on fish and bread, Jesus turned to Simon Peter and asked him: "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" Peter answered that he did. After the question was asked the third time, Jesus said to Peter: "Feed my sheep" (John 21:16). Why was this admonition given to Peter out of all the apostles? Because this simple instruction was directed at the President of His Church and the sheep that Jesus committed into Peter's care were members and not people in general. When pressed by the Jews in Solomon's porch to declare more openly His divinity, Jesus explained that we do not all fall into the category of His sheep : ".......I told you and ye believed not......ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep......my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:23-27). When Peter became the President of the Church, he became the Saviour's under-shepherd and was entrusted with the care of His sheep.
Today, we are great in number and scattered all over the world. We are the sheep and we are the under-shepherds. We have a sacred responsibility to care for one another. We don't have to join clubs, knock on doors in our street or advertise to find those that are in need of care. There are many among us at Church that need to be fed because there are many of us that are weak, and sick, and naked and lonely, and misunderstood, and neglected, and unloved and many that are aching for loving kindness.
It is not always easy or convenient to feed one another and often it requires sacrifice. Before the disciples' encounter with Jesus on the shores of Tiberias' sea, Jesus instructed the weary fishermen to cast their nets one more time. They did so and what resulted was the most spectacular single catch of Galilee. It could have made Peter very rich and enhanced his fishing career. When Jesus posed His question to him, He did not just say; "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" but "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?", meaning the fish. In other words, "Peter do you love me more than the prospect of riches these fish could bring you? Do you love me more than yourself? Do you love me enough to forsake all this for the sake of the ministry?" Peter did, he 'forsook all, and followed him' (Luke 5:11) and he became a great great man. So great that 'the believers' brought out their sick onto the streets and laid them on beds 'that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them' (Acts 5:14, 15). Peter served as the under-shepherd with the price of sacrifice and often great suffering. He was imprisoned, flogged and threatened with loss of life but he did not waver in his responsibility as the under-shepherd.
We are the body of Christ, we are the sheep and we are the under-shepherds. We need to be fed and we need to do the feeding. We need to feed the hungry and clothe the poor and strengthen the weak. We need to liberate the captives and dry their tears and we need to show loving kindness to the unlovable and the unwanted. If we do this we will be worthy of the connection to the source of all compassion and love, even the Saviour of the world, who has promised: "...Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matt 25:40)
