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 lectionary today has taken us back to the early chapters of John’s Gospel, but we last met Peter on the shores of Tiberias when he is invited eat breakfast by Jesus. Jesus will ask Peter three times if he loves him. 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. This promise of life runs through the whole of Biblical revelation. Peter 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?