QUO VADIS?

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 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” (John 13:36 NKJV)

Henryk Sienkiewicz was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. He was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer."

Quo Vadis is taken from a scene in Sienkiewicz book with the same title. The scene reveals that, persuaded by the saints in Rome, horrified Saint Peter is leaving Rome and suddenly he sees Jesus going towards the city. He asks Him 'Quo vadis, domine..?' (where are you going my master?) Jesus says: 'I am going to be crucified for the second time, because you do not ought to'. The legend says Peter immediately turned back to the city and faced his martyrdom. He was killed in Rome around the same time as Saint Paul.

Fiction aside, a look at Peter’s question in the book and Jesus' answer in the bible (John 13:36) reveals some similarity. In Sienkiewicz's Quo Vadis scenery, Jesus told Peter where he is going, knowing Peter had grown enough as His disciple to know and follow His ways, whereas in the bible account, He withheld His destination from Peter who was still too young in the faith to understand His plans and purpose, but He predicted that Peter would later go the way He was going, and he did - he died a martyr in the way of the cross!

According to one writer, "When used idiomatically, in ordinary day-to-day language, Quo vadis is usually spoken or written to inquire about someone's purpose, ambitions, or decisions in a particular situation. It may also be employed to encourage introspection or to express surprise or confusion regarding someone's actions or decisions. The phrase Quo Vadis deals with universal themes such as love, faith, courage, and the struggle between good and evil. In general, Quo vadis prompts individuals to consider their direction and purpose [especially when questionable], urging them to reflect on their goals or to assess the consequences of their choices."

In John 21, Peter and six other disciples of Jesus were together in one place. Since His resurrection, Jesus only appeared to them occasionally unlike before so their faith and expectations began to wane. Unexpectedly, Peter got up to leave and the others must have asked him that question, "Where are you going?" He most likely answered, "I quit; I'm going back to fishing. I'm not sure I can carry on without Jesus!" "Same here, we are going with you!" the others said. [Paraphrase mine.] But with great miracles and assurance of His love and continual presence, Jesus restored them to faith in Him.

The questions to us now are: 1)What is our standing with Jesus right now? 2)How strong is our faith in Him? 3)Do we choose to turn back when He appears to have abandoned us? 4)Can we still be loyal in the face of persecutions? And finally, 5)Where are we going at the end of our journey on earth? 

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