TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Will you lay down your life for me? 

What an odd question! We can imagine Jesus asking Simon Peter sadly, or even sarcastically, “Will you lay down your life?” (John 13:38). Of course, Jesus would lay down his life for Peter, not the other way around. Jesus knew that all his disciples would fall away, that Judas would betray him, and that Peter would deny him. He knew Peter’s heart, even better than Peter knew himself.

Jesus also knew that Peter and Judas had a lot in common. Both were committed followers of Jesus and had been chosen as apostles. And both failed Jesus when put to the test. But Peter seems to have had more of a glimpse of who Jesus was. At the Last Supper, rather than calling Jesus “Lord” as the others do, Judas refers to him as “Rabbi” (Matthew 26:22, 25). While respectful, “rabbi” is a term commonly given to men, not reserved for the Messiah. After his betrayal, Judas realizes his sin and falls into despair (27:3). Without a clear view of his redeemer, he loses all hope.

Though Peter denied Jesus when it mattered most, he better understood Jesus’ nature and what he had come to do. He saw Jesus not just as a friend and teacher but as the Messiah, the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). And so, confronted by his own weakness, Peter still managed to hold onto hope. Even when Jesus later probed his heart with his threefold question, “Do you love me?” Peter did not turn away in despair. He answered Jesus humbly, “Lord, you know that I love you,” and went on to build the Church (John 21:17).

Jesus knew all along who Peter could become. And that’s a message of hope for all of us. Like Peter, we, too, face situations when we deny and fail Jesus. But Jesus offers hope and possibility to each of us, just as he did for Peter. He asks, “Will you lay down your life for me?” Because of Peter’s example, we can answer yes with great hope. No matter our struggle and sins, Jesus is always ready to restore us and make us whole.

“Jesus, I offer you all that I am, even my weaknesses. Lord, I trust in your unfailing love!”

Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalm 71:1-6, 15, 17
John 13:21-33, 36-38