<p>21:16 <em>He said to him, a second time: Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to him: Yes, Lord. You know that I love you. He said to him: Tend my sheep</em>- In the first two engagements, the Lord asks Peter if he 'loves' <em>agape</em> Him, and Peter replies that yes, he 'loves' <em>phileo</em> Him. In the third engagement the Lord asks Peter if he really 'loves' <em>phileo</em> Him, and Peter replies that yes, he does <em>phileo</em> Jesus. To argue that <em>phileo </em>and <em>agape</em> are interchangeable is to miss the point here; indeed, this whole exchange would surely show that they are not. And if they are, then we wonder why the two words are used as if there is a difference. Only surface level reading would suggest they are interchangeable. For <em>agape </em>is the otherwise colourless Greek word which has been chosen in John to refer to the Lord's love for us, the new commandment being to love <em>as He loved us</em>. Peter hasn't yet grasped that, and can think only in terms of <em>phileo</em>, the love of human friendship.</p>