Three times the Savior asked Peter, “Lovest thou me?” Three times, Peter responded, “Thou knowest that I love thee.” And three times, Jesus extended an invitation: “Feed my lambs…. Feed my sheep…. Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17).
The Come, Follow Me manual asks the following question in this week’s lesson: “Is there anything holding you back from ministering to the Lord’s sheep?” It also asks, “Why is feeding sheep a good way to describe serving God’s children?” As I thought about these questions, I realized that Peter had been miraculously fed by Jesus just before this conversation. The 153 fish they had caught after Jesus instructed them to cast their net on the right side of the ship (John 21:6, 11) likely reminded him of the fish they had caught at the beginning of His ministry (Luke 5:3-6). But the meal they shared, which included bread and fish (John 21:9, 13) may have also sparked a memory of the loaves and fishes which He had so plentifully multiplied for thousands of hungry people. (See Matthew 14:15-21, Matthew 15:32-38, Mark 6:35-44, Mark 8:1-9, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:5-14.)
Sister Bonnie S. Cordon commented on this event:
The resurrected Lord knew He would no longer be by Peter’s side, showing him how and when he should serve. In the Savior’s absence, Peter would need to seek guidance from the Spirit, receive revelation on his own, and then have the courage and faith to act. Focused on His sheep, the Savior desired Peter to do what He would do if He were there. He asked Peter to become a shepherd.
“Becoming a Shepherd,” General Conference, October 2018
Sister Cordon said that we can be good shepherds by: (1) getting to know the people we are called to serve, (2) looking for ways to help them, and (3) pointing them toward the Savior.
Moroni tells us that when people were baptized, “their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith” (Moroni 6:4).
Today, I will feed the Savior’s sheep. I will get to know the people I serve, look for ways I can help them, and inspire them to draw closer to the Savior.
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