"Lovest Thou Me?" then be a Light unto this People

"Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people"

3 Nephi 15:12

This week in class, we touched upon John 21, when the resurrected Christ returns to visit the apostles as they are out fishing. When they return to the shore to sit and eat with Christ again, Jesus turns to Peter and asks "Peter, lovest thou me?" He asks His apostle three times, and to each Peter responds, "thou knowest that  I love thee," to which Christ responds at last, "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17). 

This reminded me of a conference talk Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a few years ago. I loved the way he described this scenario and lesson, so I just have to share. Elder Holland speaks out of context as to what he imagines the conversation/situation was like:

"What I need, Peter, are disciples--and I need them forever.

I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs.
I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith.

I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, 

and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do.

Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. 

It is not hapless; it is not hopeless;

it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history.

It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world.

So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time,

 I am asking you to leave all of this and go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally

 until the day in which they do to you exactly what they did to me."

I loved this! What amazing principles we can relate to ourselves here in this life as we strive to be disciples of Christ. We are to be a light unto this people, to labor and serve, to declare His word and live accordingly.

What will you say, when asked, "Lovest thou me?" by your Redeemer? I expect that I will fall at his feet, with tears full of love, gratitude, and loyalty that I have never physically felt before.

"And if at such a moment we can stammer out, 'Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,' then He may remind us that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty." - Elder Holland

With such sources of scripture--through conference, apostles, examples, leaders, scriptures, personal revelation, temples--we can do our duty as disciples of Christ, letting our light shine, declaring His word, and sharing the hope of everlasting life (3 Nephi 5:13).