21:17 the third time. Peter was grieved not because of the change of wording in this last question, but because Jesus repeated the question itself three times. Perhaps Peter was reminded of the three times he had denied Christ (13:38; 18:27). Whether Jesus intended such a reminder or not, He was giving Peter an opportunity to confess his love and to reaffirm his calling to follow Christ. With this knowledge Peter calls Jesus the “chief Shepherd” (1 Pet. 5:4).