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these?” Peter answered, “ Yea,
Lord; thou knowest that I love
thee.” Then Jesus said, “ Feed my
lambs.” Soon after, Jesus asked
again, “Simon, lovest thou me?”
And again Peter answered, “Yea,
Lord; Thou knowest that I love
Thee.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”
Jesus asked the third time, “Simon,
lovest thou me?” Peter now began
to feel grieved. He thought to him-
self, “Does not Jesus believe me?
Does he think that I do not really
love him?”

Peter had, a little time before,
denied Jesus three times; perhaps

this was why Jesus now asked him |

three times, “ Lovest thou me?”
Jesus had forgiven Peter, and washed
away his sin; but» He wished Him
to remember that sin, and to be
humbled for it still. And, no doubt,
Peter did remember it, and was
very sorry that he had ever so wick-
edly denied his master; yet he felt
sure in his heart that he really loved
Him, so he turned to Jesus, and
said, “ Lord, thou knowest all things,
thou knowest that I love thee.”
And once more Jesus said to him,
“Feed my sheep.”

What did this mean? Christ
calls His people, His sheep. Peter
was to give spiritual food to those
sheep. He was to go and preach
the gospel to them. And Peter
was to feed Christ’s lambs too.
They are the young, the little ones

 

PETER’S DEATH FORETOLD.

of the flock. Jesus did not forget
them. He loves to “gather the
lambs in His arms, and carry them
in His bosom.” /satah xl. 11.

There was great need for Peter |
to love Jesus with all his heart, for
soon he would have to suffer and
die for his master’s sake. Jesus
told him this. He said, “ Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, when thou
wast young thou girdest thyself,
and walkest whither thou wouldest;
but when thou shalt be old, thou
shall stretch forth thy hands, and
another shall gird thee, and carry
thee whither thou wouldest not.”
What did this mean? Jesus said
it, signifying by what death Peter
should glorify God. When Peter
was an old man, his enemies took
him and bound him to a cross; and
so he died for his master’s sake.
This was a sad death; very painful,
and very dreadful; but if Peter
truly loved Jesus, he must be will-
ing even to be crucified for His
sake. So when Jesus had foretold
this, he said, “Follow me.” Peter
must not deny his Saviour for fear
of death; he must follow Him
faithfully to the end, whatever that
end might be. And so he did; and
now Peter is with Jesus in Heaven,
and he has received that “ crown of -
life”? which is promised to all those
who are “faithful unto death.”
Rev. 11. 10