He [Jesus] said to him [Peter], “Feed My lambs.” John 21:15
If Peter was going to be restored, if he was going to be a pastor, a
shepherd to the flock of Christ, loving Jesus meant feeding Christ’s lambs.
Let’s quickly run ahead: He said to him
again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him,
“Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said
to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, 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 all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed
My sheep” (vv. 16–17).
Some have made much out of the variation in the
terms here—“Feed My lambs,” “Tend My sheep,” and “Feed My sheep.” Some believe
the lambs are the new converts and the sheep are the old ones, and that there’s
a difference between tending and feeding. I don’t think Jesus’ words had any
such meaning. I think He was simply saying, “If you want to be a pastor, a
shepherd, then feed My sheep; don’t starve them. Make them your highest
concern.”
We are witnessing a great tragedy
in the revolution of worship in the United States. Following the model of
“seeker-sensitive” worship is harming the church. The idea is that if you want
your church to grow, you must design worship to meet the desires and the
interests of non-Christians. I believe in seeker-sensitive worship, but not in
the way most modern worship theorists define it. The Bible says in our natural
state, no one seeks after God. It is only when a person’s heart is regenerated
by the Spirit of God so that he is born again that he begins to seek God. That is
why Jonathan Edwards said that seeking after God should be the main business of
the life of the Christian.
On the night of my conversion, I
went to the dorm parking lot with my best friend in college. We got in my car
and I turned the engine over, then hit myself in the shirt pocket. I said to my
buddy, “I’m out of cigarettes; I need to go back in the dorm.” So I went in,
down the stairs to the cigarette machine, and got a pack of Luckies for a
quarter. When I turned to go back upstairs, there was a fellow there who said,
“Sit down.” So I did and he told me about Jesus. I wasn’t seeking Jesus; I was
seeking cigarettes, but I found Jesus. Seeking after God starts at conversion;
it doesn’t end there. That’s why a truly seeker-sensitive worship service is designed
for Christians.
The saints, the holy ones, those
called out from the world assemble together on Sunday mornings to be fed. We
are to do evangelism, engage in outreach, and be involved in ministries of
mercy, but Sunday morning belongs to the sheep. It is the task of the pastor
and of the church to feed the sheep. If someone who is not a sheep comes in,
that’s fine, but we’re not going to change the menu and give the sheep goats’
food. Worship is for the sheep.
Why did Jesus put so much
emphasis on feeding the sheep? When the sheep of Christ are fed, nurtured, and
filled with the strength of Christ and of His word, they become a mighty army
turned loose on the world. Babies have almost no influence in a culture. Before
they can turn the world upside down, they have to grow up, they have to become
mature, and that happens as they are fed the Word of God. Nothing less will do.
Notice that when Jesus spoke to
Peter, He did not say, “Peter, if you love Me, feed the goats.” Neither did He say, “Peter, take care of your flock; feed your sheep.” He said, “Feed My sheep, feed My lambs,
tend My sheep.” He said, “If you love
Me, if I make you a pastor, whatever else you do, take care of My sheep—feed them, tend them,
strengthen them.” Those who are called as pastors are undershepherds, given the
task of tending Jesus’ sheep.
Sproul, R. C. John. St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary. Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2009.
