John 6:60-69
Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’
Often in liturgy we are holding several time frames at once. I am very much aware of this today when I read Peter’s response to Jesus. The scene from last Sunday’s Gospel at Tiberias and the depth of encounter between Jesus and Peter is so fresh in my memory. We can read back and forth between today’s text and that scene. We know too that in between comes Peter’s denial.
Peter’s profession of faith roots him firmly in the thought world of both the Old Testament and New Testament. He recognises that the life he longs for has been promised to his ancestors and is now found in the person of Christ.
Imagine Jesus asking you: ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’
How do you respond?