"15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep."
John 21:15-17
In the threefold question and answer pattern in this dramatic encounter a point of very considerable importance is obscured in the AV translation. It is that there are two different Greek words both translated 'love'. Twice, when Jesus asked His question, His word for 'love' was 'agape'; but in his answer, Peter used the word 'philia'. At the third question, Jesus dropped His original word and used Peter's. Some scholars maintain that there is no significance in the different words used. They point out, and rightly, that the word Peter used is sometimes used of love to God as well as human love. But the question still arises: Why, if there is no difference in the words, were different words used? This must surely indicate that there was a difference intended, and that difference is this: The word Jesus used is the word always used of divine love, whereas Peter's denotes a different kind of love - natural affection. And what is being shown us here is that there are two levels of love, and it was because Peter loved Jesus in the wrong way that he denied his Lord. Peter's word is one used of friendship and genuine, warm, spontaneous affection. And this sums up Peter's attitude to Christ; it followed his natural temperament. This was the kind of man he was. His heart went out wholeheartedly in true affection for Jesus. We may say, what is wrong with that? The answer is that there is nothing wrong with that, so far as it goes, except that it is not the kind of love Jesus was speaking about and asking of him. Just what Jesus was asking of him - and of us all - we shall discuss in tomorrow's Note.