Is love love?

John 21:15-19

          It seems quite funny to me that Peter "felt hurt" when Jesus asks him 3 times do you love me? I would think the one hurt most is when Jesus was denied by Peter three times and in a situation when Jesus counted on him most. Be that as it may I am truly interested in the translations once again. 

          In this passage the word used in this English translation is "love". Using the word "love" truly deprives us of the much deeper meanings of the original words used. The original words have a depth of meaning that speaks to different types of love. Our translation just makes the passage bland by comparison. Literalists can simply use the dumbed down translation for their own purposes as to what "love" means. 

          As intriguing as that is we can also look at the answers that Jesus gives to the 3 questions of "do you love me?" Jesus answers,  "feed my lambs" ,  "tend my sheep" and  "feed my sheep". I am sure there are translational issues here as well but the gist of the matter is Jesus has such a broad scope to how we are to treat others and how we should care for each other out of love. 

         For those literalists out there who may define "love" neatly in their own well defined boxes as who is deserving and who is not, this may seem an easy passage. To those of us who are acutely aware of the diversity of what love is in every way, our call is deeper and broader. This makes sense when you think of the depth that Jesus loves each one of us - loves YOU.

        Of course you can find the original texts on line and seek out the actual meanings of 'love' from what the original words are. It would be a great learning tool and a source of some deep thought, meditation or prayer. In lieu of that though we must realize the depth of love we have each been graced with and the depth of love we are called to in serving others.

         How have you loved today ?

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’