I will lay down my life for you
PETER makes a promise without knowing what he is saying. For Jesus, to lay down one’s life is to die. It is not yet time for Peter to do so. Jesus must first give his life for his brethren. Peter and the rest will follow.
To follow Christ is to die for him. Following him is not just hearing and taking to heart his teachings and fulfilling such precepts as almsgiving, but also giving one’s life to God.
Judas Iscariot is different. Not only is he unwilling to die for Jesus. He will deliver Jesus to death.
In the Church, not all followers of Christ are real apostles. Some are Judases who pretend to be close to Jesus but are bent on making money out of him, even to the extent of killing the faith of many because of their scandalous behavior.
Gospel • JOHN 13:21-33, 36-38
Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” ... One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him, “Master, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.” So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After he took the morsel, Satan entered him. So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” ... So he took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.
When he had left, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”
Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later.” Peter said to him, “Master, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times.”
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2019,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http:// www.stpauls.ph.