Children: Or “Young children.” The Greek word pai·diʹon (diminutive of pais, “child”) is an endearing form of address that may indicate a fatherly interest. Here it is used as an affectionate expression of friendship.

anything to eat: Or “any fish.” The Greek word pro·sphaʹgi·on occurs only here in the Christian Greek Scriptures. In non-Biblical texts, it describes something that can be eaten with bread. In this context, used in a question addressed to a group of fishermen, it obviously refers to fish.

the disciple whom Jesus loved: That is, the one whom Jesus especially loved. This is the fourth of five occurrences mentioning a certain disciple “whom Jesus [or “he”] loved” or “for whom Jesus had affection.” (Joh 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20) It is generally believed that this disciple was the apostle John, the son of Zebedee and brother of James.​—Mt 4:21; Mr 1:19; Lu 5:10; Joh 21:2; the reasons for this identification are given in the study notes on Joh 13:23; 21:20.

naked: Or “lightly clad.” The Greek word gy·mnosʹ can have the meaning “lightly clad; in the undergarment only.”​—Jas 2:15, ftn.; see study note on Mt 25:36.

about 300 feet: About 90 m. Lit., “about 200 cubits.” The Greek word peʹkhys (rendered “cubit(s)” at Mt 6:27; Lu 12:25; Re 21:17) refers to a short measure that is roughly the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. The Israelites commonly used a cubit of about 44.5 cm (17.5 in.).​—See Glossary, “Cubit,” and App. B14.

Jesus said to Simon Peter: This conversation between Jesus and Peter took place shortly after Peter had denied Jesus three times. Jesus asked three probing questions about Peter’s feelings for him, to the point that “Peter became grieved.” (Joh 21:17) John’s account recorded at Joh 21:15-17 uses two different Greek verbs: a·ga·paʹo, rendered love, and phi·leʹo, rendered have affection. Twice Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love me?” Both times Peter earnestly affirmed that he had “affection” for Jesus. Finally, Jesus asked: “Do you have affection for me?” Again Peter asserted that he did. Each time Peter affirmed his love, Jesus emphasized that this love and affection should motivate Peter to feed and “shepherd” Jesus’ disciples spiritually, here referred to as his lambs, or “little sheep.” (Joh 21:16, 17; 1Pe 5:1-3) Jesus allowed Peter to confirm his love three times and then entrusted him with the responsibility to care for the sheep. In this way, Jesus dispelled any doubts that he had forgiven Peter for denying him three times.

John: According to some ancient manuscripts, the father of the apostle Peter is here called John. In other ancient manuscripts, he is called Jona. At Mt 16:17, Jesus addresses Peter as “Simon son of Jonah.” (See study note on Mt 16:17.) According to some scholars, the Greek forms of the names John and Jona(h) may be different spellings of the same Hebrew name.

do you love me more than these?: Grammatically, the phrase “more than these” can be understood in more than one way. Some scholars prefer such a meaning as “do you love me more than you love these other disciples?” or “do you love me more than these disciples love me?” However, the likely meaning is “do you love me more than these things?” that is, the fish they caught or the things connected with the fishing business. So the overall idea of the verse seems to be: ‘Do you love me more than material things or pursuits? If so, feed my lambs.’ The question would be appropriate in view of Peter’s past. Although Peter was one of Jesus’ first disciples (Joh 1:35-42), he did not immediately follow Jesus full-time. Rather, he returned to his fishing. Some months later, Jesus called Peter away from that substantial business to become a ‘fisher of men.’ (Mt 4:18-20; Lu 5:1-11) Shortly after Jesus’ death, Peter announced that he was going fishing, and other apostles joined him. (Joh 21:2, 3) So it seems likely that Jesus is here driving home to Peter the need for making a decisive choice: Would he put first in his life a career in the fishing business, represented by the fish piled before them, or would he give priority to the work of spiritually feeding Jesus’ lambs, or followers?​—Joh 21:4-8.

love . . . have affection: See study note on Joh 21:15.

little sheep: The Greek word pro·baʹti·on, here and in verse 17 rendered “little sheep,” is the diminutive form of the Greek word for “sheep.” In the Christian Greek Scriptures, diminutives are often used to indicate affection and familiarity.​—See Glossary, “Diminutive.”

a third time: Peter had denied his Lord three times; Jesus now gave him the opportunity to affirm his feelings three times. As Peter did so, Jesus told him to show that love and affection by putting sacred service ahead of all else. Along with other responsible brothers, Peter would feed, strengthen, and shepherd Christ’s flock of faithful followers. These ones were anointed but still needed to be fed spiritually.​—Lu 22:32.

John: The English equivalent of the Hebrew name Jehohanan or Johanan, meaning “Jehovah Has Shown Favor; Jehovah Has Been Gracious.” The writer of this Gospel is not identified by name. However, by the second and third centuries C.E., the book was widely attributed to the apostle John. Whenever the name John is mentioned in this Gospel, it refers to John the Baptist, with the exception of Joh 1:42 and 21:15-17, where Jesus referred to the father of Peter as John. (See study notes on Joh 1:42 and 21:15.) Although the apostle John is never mentioned by name, he and his brother James are referred to as “the sons of Zebedee.” (Joh 21:2; Mt 4:21; Mr 1:19; Lu 5:10; see study note on Joh 1:6.) In the closing verses of the Gospel, the writer refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (Joh 21:20-24), and there are good reasons for linking this expression with the apostle John.​—See study note on Joh 13:23.

the disciple whom Jesus loved: That is, the one whom Jesus especially loved. This is the last of five occurrences mentioning a certain disciple “whom Jesus [or “he”] loved” or “for whom Jesus had affection.” (Joh 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20) It is generally believed that this disciple was the apostle John, the son of Zebedee and brother of James. (Mt 4:21; Mr 1:19; Lu 5:10; Joh 21:2) As the context of Joh 21:20-24 shows, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” was also “the disciple who . . . wrote these things,” that is, the writer of the Gospel of John.​—See study notes on Joh Title; 1:6; 13:23.

the one who . . . leaned back on his chest: See study note on Joh 13:23.

until I come: These words may have given the other apostles the impression that the apostle John would outlive them. In fact, he served faithfully for almost another 70 years and was likely the last apostle to die. Also, the expression “until I come” may have reminded Jesus’ disciples of his reference to “the Son of man coming in his Kingdom.” (Mt 16:28) In a sense, John did remain until Jesus came. Near the end of John’s life, while in exile on the isle of Patmos, he received the Revelation with all its amazing prophetic signs of events that were to occur during “the Lord’s day” when Jesus would come in Kingdom power. John was so deeply moved by these spectacular visions that when Jesus said: “Yes; I am coming quickly,” John exclaimed: “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.”​—Re 1:1, 9, 10; 22:20.

many other things that Jesus did: Using hyperbole, John wrote that the world itself would not have room for all the scrolls (the book style then used) needed to record every detail about Jesus’ life and ministry. The Greek term John used for “world” (koʹsmos) could have been understood in the broad sense of the whole human society (with its then existing libraries), though it was sometimes used in secular Greek writings to refer to the whole universe, that is, the greatest space conceivable. (Compare study note on Ac 17:24.) John’s point was that much more could have been written, but there is enough in John’s “scroll” and the other inspired Scriptures to prove beyond doubt that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” (Joh 20:30, 31) John’s relatively brief written record reveals a beautiful portrait of God’s Son.