2025/02/17

183. "Follow Me!"

In the previous article, we looked back on the "disciple whom Jesus loved" at the last supper in the Gospel of John. He believed and experienced that Jesus was in the Father and the Father was in Jesus. Considering how this disciple leaned against Jesus' chest and said, "Lord, who is it? " (Jn 13:25), we sense the peace of a child resting on his mother's chest. He was, in fact, sleepy. 

In the Gospel of Luke, when Peter, James and John went up the mountain with Jesus and witnessed his transfiguration, it says, "And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli'jah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem" (Lk 9:30-31). The parallel passages in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark write that when descending the mountain, Jesus said, "Eli'jah has already come" (Mt 17:12). This refers to John the Baptist, and since Jesus said, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John" (11:13), Moses and Elijah could not have got involved in Jesus' future. The two that the disciples saw were not Moses and Elijah. They had the opportunity to see the Trinity in a particular way. The Gospel of Luke states, "Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep" (Lk 9:32). 

The three disciples were asleep again when they were with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here also, the disciples are described as "their eyes were heavy" (Mt 26:43). This situation seems unnatural for the disciples, who were accustomed to fishing all night. Furthermore, each of the Gospels tells us that some of the disciples held a sword. Jesus also told them to carry swords that night (cf. Lk 22:35-38). There was no way the disciples could have fallen asleep on such a tense night. They saw the Trinity in Jesus praying. From these descriptions, we can say that this experience exceeded the limits of human perception. If so, believers would never be able to recognise that they had seen God. That is why God had planned from the beginning to institute the Eucharist, intending to take from the "tree of life" and give it to them to eat (cf. Rev 2:7). 

As we discussed in the article before last, when Peter was asked by the risen Jesus, "Do you love me?" he experienced the "love of God", entering the unity of the Trinity. However, Peter did not feel sleepy at this time. On the contrary, the Bible says that when Jesus asked him for the third time, "Do you love me?", "Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?'" (Jn 21:17). He seems to have been so calm. That was because the person standing before him was Jesus after his resurrection. That is the same as when we are in the presence of the Eucharist, which is the body and blood of the risen Jesus. 

By allowing Peter to experience this, the risen Jesus solidified Peter's memory of the scene where Jesus had once said to Peter, who had answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16), "For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (16:17), and "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (16:18-19). These words dwelt in Peter. These all happened for the sake of the priesthood producing the Eucharist in collaboration with the Holy Spirit. 

Peter realised the following words Jesus had said to show him by what death he was to glorify God (cf. Jn 21:18-19). When Jesus said, "Follow me" (21:19), Peter was prepared to share the same fate as Jesus. Then, "Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved" (21:20). He asked Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" (21:21). Peter realised that he would die and became worried about the younger man. 

Jesus answered Peter, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" (21:22). This second "Follow me" had a different meaning. Peter and John, the two who had prepared the Lord's final Passover meal (cf. Lk 22:8), are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as having always preached together after the descent of the Holy Spirit. Eventually, they would meet again on the San Damiano Crucifix by a very different route. 

To be continued.

Maria K.M.