I asked Peter if he loved me more than these. Theologians still debate about the meaning of ‘these’, but it is clear from the passage that Peter was troubled by my repeated questions. Do you love me more than the blessings I give? You have never been without them, so how can you know for sure? The Psalmist said that he would rejoice in the Lord though the fig tree shall not blossom and there be no fruit on the vine. This passage goes on to indicate a state of total poverty. Blessed are those who reach a sufficient state of detachment from the blessings I give that they don’t have to be deprived of them entirely to know that they love me more. 

Have you ever met someone who is a know-it-all? This would appear to be a desirable trait and a person to be sought out and inquired of, since knowledge has value and confers power. Yet have you ever heard this term used as a compliment? Doesn’t it rather refer to someone who is full of half-truths, opinions, and endless arguments, that you prefer to avoid? Such people are full of pride, contention, and strife, so perhaps it would be better to refer to them as a no-it-all. My word says that knowledge puffs up, and you can see the evidence of it. Yet don’t you also observe that the truly wise and knowledgeable are eager to listen and learn? Blessed are those who know they know in part. 

Do you believe in the power of prayer, that it changes things on earth? Yet sometimes you do not see these changes immediately. Would you be surprised to know that prayer changes things in heaven? And that the effect is immediate? How could anything be improved in heaven? Yet my word clearly teaches that the prayers of the saints are like incense in my presence, creating a sweet fragrance in heaven. You will see the results with your own eyes when the time is right. Until then I value them so much that I keep them in my throne room, stored securely in special vials. 

Do you see science and faith locked in irreconcilable conflict? Does it have to be this way? There are too many Christians and scientists that divide into warring camps and see the battle as a winner-take-all struggle. Christians could acknowledge that when I created the world I didn’t explain how I did it, and that when I wrote the Bible I didn’t include a timeline. Scientists could acknowledge that they can speak with authority only to observable things that yield to generalized explanations. Scientists can admit to having unanswered questions because science isn’t all-encompassing. Humility and charity on both sides would facilitate peace between them.