John 21:15-19
That Peter and Paul share a feast day has always struck me as a testament to the fact that from the beginning the Christian community had to navigate different styles of leadership and different opinions. Peter had first hand knowledge of Jesus and Paul did not. It is almost inevitable that they wouldn’t see eye to eye.
In John 21 Jesus asks one of the most poignant questions in all of the Gospels: ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?
Peter will spend the rest of his life living out his response: ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ From his Damascus experience to his missionary journeys, Paul too spends the rest of his life living out his response to this fundamental question.
I’ve often imagined myself being in Peter’s position and wondered what my own reply would be.
How would you respond to Jesus?