Peter, do you love me?

How could he have done it?

How could he have acted like he didn’t even know a man who had been one of his best friends for the past three years?

Like he’d done so many times Peter went fishing with some friends. After fishing all night and catching nothing someone showed up on shore and yelled, Throw your net on the other side of the boat.” When they did, they caught so many fish they couldn’t even drag the net into the shoreline.

They didn’t ask the man who he was.

They knew.

It was Jesus.

After they had breakfast together, Jesus engaged Peter in a conversation .

This conversation took place after Peter had denied Jesus—not once, but three times.

After all the bold promises, all the loyalty he thought he had… in the moment it mattered most, he failed. And then Jesus was crucified.

Can you imagine how Peter felt?

The grief.

The regret.

The weight of it all.

I don’t think it was just sadness—I think Peter was devastated at his behavior.

And then… Jesus showed up.

And what happened next is one of the most beautiful pictures of grace in all of Scripture.

Jesus didn’t scold Peter. He didn’t bring up the failure. He didn’t say, “How could you?”

Instead, He invited Peter into a conversation.

Three times, Jesus asked, “Do you love Me?”

The first two times, Jesus used the word agape—a deep, sacrificial, God-like love.

And both times, Peter responds with phileo—a brotherly, friendship kind of love.

Then the third time… Jesus met Peter where he is. He used phileo.

When I read that it stopped me in my tracks.

Why would Jesus do that?

As I dug a little deeper, I came across an explanation that made so much sense. In Greek, there are different words for love. Agape is a love of the will—a choice to seek the good of someone else. A God-like love. Phileo is affection, friendship, closeness.

And here’s what really got me: we, you and I are actually commanded to agape one another.

Not just feel love—but choose it.

Live it.

Act it out.

Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In 1 John, it’s even clearer—don’t just love with words, but with actions and truth.

That’s not just for a select few.

That’s for all of us.

Back on that shoreline, something incredible happened.

Three times Peter denied Jesus.

Three times Jesus asks, “Do you love Me?”

Three times Peter says, “Lord… You know I do.”

It’s as if, with each response, grace is rewriting Peter’s story.

Jesus wasn’t just forgiving Peter—He was restoring him.

He was saying, “Peter, your failure is not the end of you.”

And then comes the part I love most.

Jesus doesn’t just forgive Peter—He gave him purpose.

“Feed my lambs.”

“Tend my sheep.”

“Feed my sheep.”

In other words:

“I’m not done with you.”

“You still matter.”

I hear it like this:

“Peter, I know you think you’ve blown it. I know you feel like you’re not enough anymore. But you’re still mine. Now get up… and get back in the game.”

And the truth is—that same grace is for YOU. It’s for me!

Jesus doesn’t give up on us either.

So if you’re feeling discouraged…

If you’re carrying regret…

If you think you’ve messed up too badly to be used again—

This is your reminder:

You’re not disqualified.

You’re not forgotten.

You’re not finished.

Jesus still loves you.

Jesus still forgives you.

Jesus still has work for you to do.

And His grace is greater than anything you’ve done.

And honestly… what could be better than that?