I have mentioned before that I have come to appreciate the Gospel of John as theater, filled with some of the most dramatic scenes in all of scripture. More than Noah and the rain, more than Sodom going up in flames, more than David and his giant or Daniel and the lions, the most dramatic scene in the Bible comes, for me, at the very end of John.

On the stage are Peter and Jesus, old friends. They have gone through much. You can see it in their eyes.

"Do you love me, Peter?" Jesus asks.

"Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."

"Feed my lambs." Jesus says and there is a long pause.

"Do you love me, Peter?" Jesus asks again and it seems to Peter like a dream. He sputters over the words.

"Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."

"Tend my sheep," Jesus says and the words take on a deep, awesome meaning in their repetition.

But there is more.

Again, Jesus asks, "Do you love me?"

Peter is nearly hysterical. Why doesn’t Jesus understand? He keeps saying the words.

"You know, Lord. You know..."

"Feed my sheep," is Jesus' final command.

And the curtain comes down and leaves us all haunted by the eerie interview. We can’t shake the query. It troubles us all the way out the aisle and into the lobby and backing out of the parking garage and onto the street.

"Do you love me?"

And somewhere between then and now, here and there, you discover the answer as Peter surely discovered it and John just as surely intended.

You discover what really matters.