Note: On Fridays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
“Feed my sheep,” the risen Christ told Peter. He didn’t sugarcoat what Peter’s future as a shepherd of the flock would entail; he implied Peter would end up crucified. And yet this man who had denied Christ three times in the hours after Jesus’s own earthly death didn’t flinch this time, other than becoming a little exasperated why his friend kept asking if he loved him.
Peter, ever the questioner, ever the one who sought clarity and specificity about what 
Christ was saying, no longer needed that comfort. He didn’t ask Christ what feeding the sheep would entail or how he would do it or how long he was supposed to do it. Other than a final snit about his place vs. John’s, Peter was ready to take on the most challenging job of his life, shepherding the ragtag bunch of believers and believers-to-be in the days and years following Christ’s ascension.
Peter would do it fearlessly. He would do it well. He would feed them all as best he could. He would do it with love until his last day, setting an example we would be wise to follow to this day. How many times must Christ ask us, “Do you love me?” before we can answer yes to the question–and the challenge that lies ahead when we do?
