Matthew 26:75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly . John 21:15 Then when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My lambs.
“Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” The reason the Lord asked him this question first was because Peter had boldly told the Lord on the eve of His betrayal that he would not give up the Lord, even though all the other disciples would forsake Him. Peter had said that he would follow the Lord unto death.
When the Lord asked him, “Do you love Me more than these?” the Lord was reminding Peter of what he was. He was a man so self-confident and proud...full of natural strength. Peter's love toward the Lord was precious, but his natural strength had to be dealt with.
Peter's strength was dealt with in two ways: in his denying the Lord and in his taking the lead to backslide from the Lord's call. Peter failed the first test by denying the Lord three times, and he failed the second test by going fishing. Thus, the Lord tested Peter twice, and Peter failed both tests.
Since he might have been somewhat disappointed, the Lord came to restore his love toward Him, to charge him with the shepherding of His church... so that he would not follow Him with any confidence in his natural strength.