John 21:17
The context
The epilogue on the shore of the lake, after a night of fishing and a breakfast of bread and fish. Jesus asks Peter three times whether he loves him, and three times gives a commission about sheep. The third question uses a different verb for love than the first two, and Peter stops claiming and appeals instead.
What it establishes
It establishes that restoration is given by the one who was denied, and that it is given in the form of a task. Peter's three answers match his three denials, and the commission to tend sheep follows each answer rather than preceding it.
What it does not establish
It does not settle what the two verbs for love mean. Whether John intends a distinction between self-giving love and affection, or uses the words interchangeably for style, has been argued for centuries. The grief of Peter is plain; the lexical point is not.
Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.
Cited in these answers
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