Do You Love Me?

June 10, 2011

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

By Melanie Rigney

(Festus referred Paul’s case to King Agrippa, explaining it was confusing because Paul’s accusers) “did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected. Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive.” (Acts 25:18-19)

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being bless his holy name. (Psalms 103:1-2)

(Jesus) then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” (John 21:16)

Piety

Lord, I do love You—when it’s convenient, anyway. Hold my hand and light my path that I might carry Your name into the places that are harder and more unfriendly, in the world and in my heart and soul.

Study

Why did the risen Christ ask Peter this question three times, “Do you love me?”

Was it because Peter had denied him three times?

Was it because the writer of this gospel understood the power of repetition?

Was it because three is such a significant number in many faith traditions (Christians’ Holy Trinity and the three wise men; the three sections of the Jewish bible; the Three Jewels of Buddhism; the Hindu Trimurti; the three holy cities of Islam)?

Or maybe Jesus just wanted to make sure Peter understood what he was signing on to do as the leader of the Church after Jesus’s Ascension. Later in today’s reading, Jesus forecasts Peter’s violent death, saying Peter would stretch out his hands, be dressed by someone else, and led “where you do not want to go.” (Tradition says he was crucified upside down.) Yet the post-Resurrection Peter is a different man; he doesn’t run away at Jesus’s words, or ask questions about this somber prediction. Satisfied, Jesus says, “Follow me.” And, after a bit of a dustup between Jesus and Peter over John, this Book of the Gospel ends.

Loving Jesus sounds so easy. He’s a good guy who talks a lot about love and being our friend. The tricky part is he desires us to be more than his friend; we’re to be the friends of people who don’t like him or us, people who want to take us places we do not want to go, whether that’s a stretch of time, talent, treasure, trust, you name it. Because when we are Christlike to the poor, the suffering, and the misguided, we reflect his love.

Do you love him?

Action

What is your answer when Jesus asks if you love him? Are you doing all you can to feed his sheep?