Lent Week Six
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love (agapas) me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love (philo) you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love (agapas) me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (philo) you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love (phileis) me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love (philo) you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
John 21:15-19
In the dialogue between Jesus and Peter, Jesus uses the Greek word for the highest form of love, Agapao, in the first two questions, and the Greek word for the love of friendship, phileo, in the third question. In each of Peter’s responses, on the other hand, the lesser form of love – the love of friendship, phileo – is used.
What do you make of this?
Consider what happens normally in the world. When we are cursed, we curse back, if only in our hearts. When we are hated we pass the hate on; we keep it, so to speak, in circulation. Someone is mean to me so I take out my feelings on someone else, probably someone weaker than me. So it goes on – in the world of humankind.
Tiberius Caesar, growing old and suspicious, is ever more likely to take it out on his government officials; and Pontius Pilate is afraid of what may happen when he gets back to Rome if reports circulate about his ham-handed administration. Pilate, in turn, takes out his fear and spite on the subject people who find themselves at his mercy.
The Jews, meanwhile, have reason enough of their own to be bitter and frustrated, and a would-be Messiah who doesn’t deliver the goods is an ideal target; and so the weight of the world’s insecurity, anger, bitterness, hostility, is heaped on to the head of Mary’s son, the young man from Nazareth.
But the divine way is different. Jesus takes temptation, hatred, curses – the bitterness of a bitter world – and he absorbs it into himself on the cross. Jesus, pronounced guilty as a blasphemer, for claiming to be the Son of God, demonstrates on the cross that he was speaking the truth, by doing what only the Son of God could do – loving his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end, the bitter end. And this pattern, acted out uniquely on the cross, becomes then for us, by the Spirit of Jesus working within us, the pattern we are commanded to live out, as we give back good for evil, blessing for curse, prayer for persecution.
One might say that this is the vocation of the Church: To take sadness of the world and give back no anger; the sorrow of the world and give back no bitterness; the pain of the world and not sink into self-pity; but to return forgiveness and love, blessing and joy. That is what Jesus was doing on Calvary. He drew on to himself the sin of the ages, the rebellion of the world and humankind, the hatred, pain, anger and frustration of the world, so that the world and humankind might be healed, might be rid of it all.
(N T Wright, The Crown and the Fire: Meditations on the Cross and the Life of the Spirit, William B Eerdmans, 1995, 52-53.)
The 14th Century Dominican teacher, Meister Eckhart, says:
“Get out of the way and let God be God in you!”
How might that apply in your life? In particular, how might it apply in your relationships?
