Love is dangerous. When you truly love someone, you are willing to sacrifice and go outside your normal boundaries of comfort. You never know what will be asked of you, but true love does not consider the cost of loving, it simply responds affirmatively to whatever the need.
When Jesus asks Peter several times about his love for him, he is clarifying that this is true love Peter has and not admiration or infatuation. This is because Peter’s love of the Lord will end up costing him dearly. Love gives us life, but we also die somewhat when the source of that love suffers and passes away. But the good news of Jesus Christ is that those who love him will follow him in life, through death, and into a life that is eternal, even if before that heavenly banquet there will be many trials along the way.
The stewardship way of life demands of us a certain maturity of discipleship. Just as a child is not yet ready to be a parent, an immature disciple may not yet be ready to sacrifice regardless of the cost. So every day we are challenged and called to respond, sometimes even with little cost to ourselves. But each step, no matter how small, brings with it growth. We are growing not only in maturity, but in love as well.
When questioned, was Peter ready to accept the challenge regardless of the cost? His denial of Jesus after the arrest in the garden leads one to say no. But Peter grew wiser and more mature in faith, becoming the head of the church in Jerusalem and our first pope. If love can do this in Peter, what does love have in store for you? Be careful, because love that great is indeed dangerous.
Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS
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