Simon of John, Feed my Sheep

John 1:15-19

After the disciples have breakfast of fish and loaves (two kinds of food), Jesus engages Simon in ten lines of dialog filled with five sets of synonyms or repeated names. There are two different verbs for love (philio and agape), two nouns for sheep (arni, probaton), two verbs for feeding sheep (bosko, poimaino), two verbs for knowing (eido, ginosko), and two aliases for the names of Jesus (Lord) and Simon (of John).

Religious scholars have written extensively about the kind of love (philio or agape) Simon had for Jesus. The word ag-ah-pay means "to love something dearly" while the word phil-eh-o means "to like or be fond of something." So is Simon's love for Jesus a brotherly kind of love or a love of deep genuine affection? Some scholars say the meaning of the two words is significantly different, others say the two words are virtually interchangeable. Read the verses ... see any play on words? Is the "love" Jesus has for Simon anything like the love Jesus has for the beloved disciple mentioned in verses 21:7 and 21:20-25? Is there any connection between Simon and this un-named beloved disciple? The answer is YES!! This little story is a fantastic gematria riddle. It's not just about Simon, it's about the identity of the beloved disciple!

The Sacred Geometry Story