Feed My Lambs. Shepherd My Sheep. Feed My Sheep.

There are some conversations that echo for eternity.

This one happened by a fire. And not just any fire—but a redemptive fire kindled on the very shore where ashes of regret once smoldered in the heart of a man who had once followed closely… and then fallen away.

Peter. The one who said he’d never deny.

Peter. The one who cut off ears, walked on water, and wept bitterly.

Peter. The one whom the resurrected Christ now called by name.

It’s not lost on the Spirit-filled reader that the same man who denied Him three times by a fire is now being restored by a fire of mercy—with three questions, each piercing, each surgical, each more tender than the last:

“Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

“Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

“Feed My lambs.”

“Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

“Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

“Shepherd My sheep.”

“Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

(Grieved, Peter responds:)

“Lord, You know everything. You know that I love You.”

“Feed My sheep.”

Three questions. Three commissions. Three restorations.

But this was no repetition for emphasis—it was a divine blueprint.

Unpacking the Flow Hidden in Plain Sight

Yeshua didn’t speak in Greek, though that’s how our Scriptures came to us. He likely spoke to Peter in Aramaic—the language of daily life, intimacy, and covenant. In Greek, we’re told the word for love changes: from agape to phileo—from divine, unconditional love to brotherly affection. But in Aramaic, a single word for love, “rachma”, covers all shades. This shifts our understanding: the issue wasn’t the type of love—but the depth of love. The level of surrender. The fullness of restoration.

And with each level, Yeshua gives a different command:

1. Feed My lambs.

2. Shepherd My sheep.

3. Feed My sheep.

This is not redundant. This is order. Structure. Progression.

And if you listen closely with the ears of the Spirit, you’ll hear a leadership model—a call to anyone who would take seriously the command to follow Him and care for His people.

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1. Feed My Lambs – Tend to the New & Fragile

The first command is to feed the lambs. Not the mature. Not the seasoned. But the little ones—the new believers, the broken, the ones learning to recognize His voice. In Aramaic, the word for “feed” implies both nourishment and growth. The task? Tender nurture. Gentle instruction. Patient guidance.

Before you can carry authority in the spirit…

Before you can carry revelation with maturity…

You must learn to handle fragility with tenderness.

This first call is not glamorous. It’s not visible. It happens in the fields—not the platforms. It’s spoon-feeding grace and wiping away fear. It’s bottle-feeding faith until the young ones learn to chew.

Yeshua starts here because if you don’t learn to feed lambs—

You cannot be trusted to shepherd sheep.

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2. Shepherd My Sheep – Protect, Guide, Correct

Next comes shepherding. Not feeding, but guiding. This is different. It speaks of direction, discipline, discernment.

The shepherd is responsible for leading the flock safely, watching for wolves, correcting drift, and ensuring the sheep stay near to the Shepherd’s voice.

This is leadership in motion.

Not just nurturing the soul—but guiding the steps.

This role requires wisdom, courage, and spiritual authority.

Many want the platform of the shepherd,

But have never fed a single lamb in secret.

Yeshua’s pattern is clear:

Compassion must come before correction.

Intimacy must precede authority.

Feeding must precede leading.

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3. Feed My Sheep – Sustain the Mature

Finally, Yeshua returns to feeding—but this time, the mature sheep.

This is not milk for lambs. This is meat for disciples.

It is the sacred responsibility to feed those who walk closely—who still hunger, who long for deeper things, who must be kept full so they can multiply.

The mature still need nourishment.

The seasoned still need bread.

The strong still need to be fed at the fire of the Word.

What does this teach us?

That no matter how far you go in faith, you never outgrow your need for intimacy, instruction, and the Bread of Life.

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The Pattern of Redemption

Peter denied three times.

Peter is restored three times.

And with each layer, Yeshua entrusts more.

He doesn’t just forgive Peter—

He re-commissions him.

He doesn’t just redeem the moment—

He reveals the mandate.

This is restoration with purpose.

Healing with direction.

Forgiveness with fire.

And it all happened where?

By a fire.

The same place Peter fell—

Was the same place Yeshua lit a flame of mercy and met him in love.

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The Transferable Message for Us Today

We are all called to feed and to shepherd.

But not all at once.

First: learn to feed the lambs. Nurture the innocent. Speak life to those in spiritual infancy.

Then: shepherd the sheep. Step into responsibility. Learn wisdom. Discern danger. Guide others into green pastures.

And finally: feed the sheep. Pour out revelation. Bake fresh bread from the Word and serve it with clean hands and a burning heart.

The Spirit’s order is not accidental.

It is intentional. Sequential. Foundational.

The question He asked Peter still echoes in the heart of every disciple:

“Do you love Me?”

And the answer… is always followed by a call to action.

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I Hear the Spirit Say…

“If you love Me—really love Me—

you will not just say it.

You will live it.

You will feed what I feed.

You will love who I love.

You will guard what I’ve entrusted to you.”

And when you do—when your actions align with your adoration,

when your footsteps follow My whispers,

when you stop asking how much you love Me and start asking how much of Me your love reveals—

you will discover the rhythm of My heartbeat pulsing through your own.

You’ll stop chasing platforms and start building altars.

You’ll stop asking who is worthy and start washing the feet of those I died for.

You’ll stop rehearsing your regrets and start carrying My redemption like a torch in the dark.

Because real love doesn’t stand still—it moves.

It multiplies.

It ministers.

It manifests.

And it always remembers:

I didn’t just ask for your affection—I asked for your action.

So take the Bread I’ve given you.

Break it open.

And feed them.

One lamb. One sheep. One soul at a time.

Because every act of obedience is a love song I never forget.

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Closing Thought

It began with failure.

It ended with fire.

And in between, The Shepherd restored a shepherd.

Not by erasing the moment of denial,

but by rewriting it with mercy,

reframing it with purpose,

and reigniting it with holy trust.

This wasn’t just a story of Peter’s redemption—

it was a divine blueprint for ours.

Feed My lambs.

Shepherd My sheep.

Feed My sheep.

This isn’t a sentimental suggestion.

It’s a sacred commissioning.

It’s not just for Peter.

It’s for you.

For every heart that’s been healed by fire and found worthy to carry it.

Because love always comes with a commission—

And that commission carries His voice.

Still asking:

Do you love Me?

Still waiting for a life that answers,

Yes, Lord. You know I do.

Now go…

And feed them.