³⁶ Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”³⁷ Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” ³⁸ Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Reflection Questions

John 13:36-38

• According to v. 36, how did Jesus pave the road for me to follow him?
• How did the cross enable Peter, who once disowned Jesus “three times,” to follow him to his own death?
• Consider Peter’s heartfelt confession of devotion to Jesus. Did he mean it? Did he know he would deny Jesus only hours later?
• What did Jesus know that Peter did not?
• Reflect on the frailty of human resolve, the generous heart of God, and our need for grace shown through this incident.