Peter is trying to be what is now called “transactional” with Jesus. What am I going to get out of following you? Jesus answers, “Oh you’re going to get 100 times as much as you give up” … and then he adds, “and persecution besides.” Our relationship with God does not involve giving up so much and getting back so much. Rather, it is about accepting God’s gifts. There is a scene in the play Man for All Seasons where Thomas More’s wife and daughter visit him in prison to persuade him to obey the king. His daughter says, “Haven’t you done as much as God could reasonably want?” To which More responds, ” Finally, Meg, it isn’t a matter of reason; finally it’s a matter of love.”
MARCH52019
By Church Staff
