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 I not 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.”

Peter can be a little headstrong at times, to varying degrees of success. Earlier in John’s Gospel, he responds beautifully to one of Jesus’s questions by asking his own question: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68) In today’s Gospel, Peter instead asks “Master, where are you going?” Peter does not know where Jesus intends to go or whether death awaits, yet he still wants to follow. However, Peter fails to listen to what Jesus is really saying here, and so his self-confidence sets him up for an emotionally exhausting, difficult few days.

I think this is one of the many lessons we can learn from today’s readings: listen. First, before the above exchange, Peter seems to miss Jesus’s warning about Judas. Jesus gives an obvious sign that Judas will betray Him, but Peter and the other disciples misunderstand and rationalize that Jesus must be sending Judas to buy feast supplies. It’s such a great tragedy that none of the apostles noticed the signs from their faltering friend Judas. Then Peter ignores Jesus when He says “you cannot follow me now” and makes a promise that he will not be able to keep. 

But I have always found Peter and the other apostles’ mistakes to be comforting rather than concerning. We know how it all turns out. Jesus’s crucifixion gives way to His resurrection. The tomb is found empty. Peter becomes the rock on which the Church is built and eventually follows Jesus into his own death by crucifixion. That some of the greatest saints still made great mistakes shows the power of God’s love and mercy—the power of His Incarnation and Passion. They had Jesus physically walking and talking alongside them, but sometimes it was a struggle for them to pay attention; they still had to learn how to listen.

This Holy Week and beyond, let us reflect upon what Jesus is trying to tell us. Lord, help us to hear You, so that Your will may be done through us. Do not let our previous failures, missed signs, and unwillingness to listen discourage us from listening now.