Despite Peter's denial of Jesus only a few days before, now the risen Christ sends Peter a message that they will meet again in Galilee. When he heard that message, Peter must have wondered (and even feared) what the Lord would say to him.
In John's Gospel, we are told that the last words Jesus addressed to Peter after the resurrection are the same as the first words Jesus spoke to him years before: "Follow me."
Jesus has held Peter in a soft spot of his heart. He has told Peter that he would suffer as he tried to follow the Lord, but he also promised Peter that he would be with him "all days."
The words Jesus spoke to Peter, "Follow me," frame your life in your baptism and, ultimately, your death.
Following the Lord is hard - but he promised to be with you always, in life and through death.
Just as the Lord promised Peter.
- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw