In John 21:15-17 the Greek text uses both agapao and phileo as Jesus and Peter speak about love. This variation has often been treated as the hidden key to the conversation.
Jesus in Context
Agapao and Phileo: Two Greek Words for Love
John alternates two Greek verbs for love in Jesus' conversation with Peter, but the passage does not support building a sharp theological distinction on the words alone.
Introduction
Historical and Cultural Context
Jesus uses agapao in his first two questions and phileo in the third, while Peter answers with phileo. Some interpreters have proposed that the verbs represent different levels or kinds of love. Yet John's Gospel can use these verbs with substantial semantic overlap, including in descriptions of divine love.
The change of verbs should therefore be noticed, but the text does not establish the popular idea that Peter can offer only an inferior kind of love until Jesus lowers his demand.
Why It Matters
The linguistic context protects the passage from an interpretation that depends on English-style dictionary distinctions being imposed rigidly on Greek synonyms. The unmistakable emphasis is the threefold questioning, Peter's professions of love, and Jesus' repeated commission.