All that love

I read somewhere recently that you can tell how important a concept is for a culture by the number of words they have for that concept. For example the Inuit of Alaska have a truck load of words for ice and snow. The Greeks had four words for love. We have one word for love. For a culture and language built on Christianity this is a little surprising. That lack of words for love does not help us in the conversation between the Risen Jesus and Peter where the writer of John uses two different words for “love”: agape – unconditional love, the love of God for humanity; and philos – the love between friends as close as siblings in strength and duration. Lots of commentators are not convinced that the usage denoted anything significant. But maybe it offers us some hope.

Maybe in asking if Peter loved (agape) him, Jesus was also laying out that he, Jesus, loved Peter unconditionally. Peter responds with “Yes Lord, you know that I love (philos) you” The third exchange is all philos. Peter, unlike his previous promises of devotion, recognises his limits. And Jesus finishes by affirming those limits. We might wish, as Peter did, that we could commit to unconditional love whatever the cost. But for most of us that is beyond our capabilities. In this story Jesus still loves Peter with agape love by accepting whatever love and commitment he could offer. He does the same for us.

As we hear the story of Jesus on the lake shore in John, and as we hear Peter’s fear and doubt, where are our places of fear and doubt. And how do we see Jesus standing on the shore welcoming us home?