Feeding the Sheep

Peter had denied the Lord three times and apparently continues to be despondent over his failure. Jesus gives him three opportunities to declare his love for him, but Peter has gotten more cautious. Jesus asks for agape (a love of devotion and service) and Peter offers phileo (the love of a close and dear friend). Still, Jesus gives him tasks that will build his faith. He tells Peter to feed his lambs, to tend his sheep, and to feed his sheep.

Jesus' sheep are all Christians, both Jews and Gentiles (John 10:14-16). Jesus is the Shepherd and we follow him. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (John 10:11).
We aren't talking about physical sheep, so also the action of feeding is not a physical one. Jesus is instructing Peter to give spiritual nourishment. It is an imagery God has used often. "And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 3:15).

Lambs are young sheep, so lambs well represent new Christians. "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (I Peter 2:2). Peter's job was to teach God's word to help new Christians to grow.

He was also to tend the sheep. Again, this imagery was used before. "He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands" (Psalms 78:70-72). It is true that this is a job of elders. "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock" (Acts 20:28-29). Peter did fill the role of an elder along with being an apostle. "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away" (I Peter 5:1-4).

Peter was not being placed at the head of the other apostles. Such counters what Jesus had long taught them. They had always fought over who would be greatest and thus missed the point. "There arose also a contention among them, which of them was considered to be greatest. He said to them, "The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves. For who is greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves? Isn't it he who sits at the table? But I am in the midst of you as one who serves" (Luke 22:24-27). In John 21, Jesus was giving Peter instructions on how to serve, not to rule. And this Peter did. "Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior" (II Peter 1:12-21).

The apostle Paul wanted to preach in the Roman providence of Asia when the Holy Spirit told him no, Paul tried to go to Bithynia instead but was again told no (Acts 16:6-7). Eventually, Paul went to Macedonia and later to Achaia. Why not go to Asia and Bithynia? Notice I Peter 1:1. It appears that Peter was working in those regions.

The supposition that Peter was in Rome is based on "She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son" (I Peter 5:13). Babylon is used as a representation of a city given over to sensuality and worldly pleasures (Isaiah 47:5-15). In the book of Revelation, the city of Rome is called Babylon (Revelation 17:3-6, 9, 15, 18). Thus, if Peter is using the same symbolism, he is forwarding greetings from the church located in Rome (the "she" who is elect together with other Christians) and from John Mark.

Other evidence is:

• Irenaeus, about 180 AD stated, "Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we do this, I say,] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops" [Against Heresies]. It should be noted that Paul states that he did not found the church in Rome. The church in Rome existed before he first came to it (Romans 1).
• Tertullian, about 200 AD stated, "The church of Smyrna, for example, reports that Polycarp was placed there by John, the church of Rome that Clement was ordained by Peter" [The Demurrer Against the Heretics]. This is second-hand evidence.
• "Peter appears to have preached in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, and Asia to the Jews of the dispersion. And at last, having come to Rome, he was crucified head-downwards; for he had requested that he might suffer in this way. What do we need to say concerning Paul, who preached the Gospel of Christ from Jerusalem to Illyricum, and afterwards suffered martyrdom in Rome under Nero? These facts are related by Origen in the third volume of his Commentary on Genesis" [Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History].
• In citing Clement (about 300 A.D.), "The Gospel according to Mark had this occasion. As Peter had preached the Word publicly at Rome, and declared the Gospel by the Spirit, many who were present requested that Mark, who had followed him for a long time and remembered his sayings, should write them out. And having composed the Gospel he gave it to those who had requested it" [Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History].

Some argue against this conclusion. There is no reason that Peter could not be speaking literally of Babylon in I Peter 5:13 and assume that a church existed there. Josephus does mention that were Jews in Babylon during this time period [Antiquities of the Jews, XV.II.2] and it makes sense that the apostle to the Jews would visit areas where the Jews had a strong presence. This does not eliminate that Peter could have been in Rome at another point in his life.

It does seem likely that Peter was in Rome and probably died there. This does not prove that he founded the church there or that he established a succession of bishops there that lead to the first pope.