Sea of Galilee Peter did not boast about the superiority of his love for Jesus. But The New English Bible (New Testament, 1961) reads: “Do you love me more than all else?”

32. For gaining people, whose qualities should Peter show, and for keeping those gained, what quality must Peter show?

³² Whatever the pronoun “these” here means, Jesus proceeded to indicate to Peter how he could show his love on earth for his invisible resurrected Lord and Master, namely, by taking loving care of the Master’s “sheep” on earth. Toward gaining people for God, Peter must display the qualities of a fisher; but toward keeping within the organization those brought inside, Peter must show the tender love of an undershepherd for his Master’s sheep.

Orders for Worldwide Fishing

 1. Where afterward did the resurrected Jesus appear again to his apostles, and, according to Matthew, what did he say to them?

EVIDENTLY it was some short time after the above that the resurrected Jesus reappeared to his disciples in Galilee, this time to all eleven faithful ones, and this time not by the seaside but in a mountain. The apostle Matthew was there and writes this about it: “The eleven disciples went into Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had arranged for them, and when they saw him they did obeisance, but some doubted. And Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: ‘All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”

 2. (a) Was the discipling work to be confined to the eleven faithful apostles, and what evidence is offered in answer? (b) In what fishing grounds was the work to be carried on?

² Likely there were many more in the mountain than just the eleven faithful apostles. (Matt. 28:16-20) This may be the occasion to which the later apostle Paul refers, when he says: “After that he appeared to upward of five hundred brothers at one time, the most of whom remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep in death.” (1 Cor. 15:6) Unquestionably the discipling work was not to be confined to the eleven faithful apostles, and the later Bible records show that it was not limited to the apostles. The fishing for men was to be carried on by all the disciples, including the newly made disciples, and Jesus’ parable of the dragnet proves this. The fishing grounds were not to be confined to the small pool of the natural Jews but were to include the whole sea of mankind, “people of all the nations.” This was to continue down to the “conclusion