When last with Jesus, Peter was being threatened by rulers and their soldiers. Fearing they might arrest him along with Jesus, Peter denied knowing Jesus, three times. Seeing Jesus after his resurrection, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?,” three times. Peter is true to his love of Jesus which means, like Jesus, he is now challenging rulers and their soldiers and is facing threats. This is relayed in the reading from Acts of the Apostles, “The captain and the court officers had brought” Peter “before the Sanhedrin,” “We gave you strict orders, did we not, to stop teaching in that name”? This time Peter does not deny but rather affirms the truth, ‘We must obey Jesus rather than you men.’
How do we stay true to our core integrity in threatening circumstances? In the Gospel story of Jesus’ arrest when Peter denies knowing him, Peter knows his life is on the line. While Peter obviously fears the loss of his life, there is also an element of wisdom in Peter’s response. If we stand for Communion amidst rulers’ domination we must develop and practice discernment – how and when and why do we do we take action to transform the system. For some of us in the U.S., we have not had to worry that our presence at a peaceful protest or our speaking the truth about rulers would cost us our lives. For others of us, for example, we who are Native or Black have always had to worry that our presence – just our presence alone, let alone at a peaceful protest – or our speaking the truth about rulers would indeed cost us our lives. 55 years ago, students at Kent State University were present at a peaceful protest. They spoke the truth about the U.S. Empire and its colonialist war on Vietnam. The ruling class sent their soldiers to the campus. The soldiers murdered 4 young people; Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder. Now, students on campuses across the U.S. are making their presence felt at peaceful protests. They are speaking the truth about the U.S. Empire, the Israeli Empire, the Russian Empire, and so forth. Will the ruling class send their soldiers to campuses? The Trump administration is threatening academic integrity, finances, freedom of expression, medical research, plurality, and more. Students are honest, emotional, passionate, and gaining knowledge to express themselves fully. Some are being arrested. They are attempting to stay true to their core integrity in threatening circumstances. Our lives are not being interrupted by student growth. Our lives are being enriched by student growth. Will we join with them as the Trump administration broadens its threats – against immigrants, against people who are poor, against all of us – especially if we stand up to their threats?
“You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, guide us in taking action for peace.
Question: What change actions am I taking or whose change actions am I supporting?
May 04, 2025 Gospel John 21:1-19 Third Sunday of Easter