Sunday, May 1, 2022

Third Sunday of Easter
Acts 9:1-22
Psalm 30
Revelation 5:(1-7) 8-14
John 21:1-14 (15-19)

After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples...

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? I don’t mean when we you are bored, but when you are struggling with something, and you just don’t know how to deal with it. For example, what do you do when someone you love dies? Most of us turn to the things with which we are familiar. We clean the house. We cook food. We immerse ourselves into a hobby. We work. We find something to stay active so we don’t have to think about our loss.

In the first half of today’s Gospel lesson, John tells us that “after these things” Jesus appeared to the disciples, again. At this point, the disciples and others have seen Jesus at least once, and several have seen Him multiple times. He told them not to be afraid and He breathed the Holy Spirit on them. He commissioned them to take the grace and forgiveness of God to the world. They were overjoyed at His presence. After all this, Peter said to some of the disciples, “I’m going fishing.”

Each time Jesus appeared to them, He revealed Himself in a way that they would recognize and understand. It was not about recognizing His body or His face, but His words and His actions. Mary knew it was Jesus when He called her by name. The disciples on the road to Emmaus knew Him when He broke the bread. The disciples in the Upper Room on that first Sunday recognized Him by His wounds. We see two more revelations in today’s story, both repetitions from their time together.

Why would Peter go fishing? Despite everything, Peter when to a place that was familiar. He wanted to fish. Fishing was all Peter knew just a few years earlier. It was his livelihood, and the place where he felt most comfortable. I can imagine that Peter could think there, after all it was a place where he was in control. He probably enjoyed the hard work, the fresh air, the satisfaction of bringing in a net full of fish. Some of the other disciples decided to join him. The disciples had experienced some incredible things in the past three years, especially in the past few weeks. Now everything Jesus did was coming to a head; they were beginning to see that their lives were forever changed. It was probably too much to bear, so they went “home.”

This story makes us look back into the early days of Jesus’ ministry. The fishermen had been out on the lake all night and did not catch anything. Jesus called to them from the shore and told them to put out into deeper water. “Let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus was revealing Himself once again through a familiar experience, but they didn’t recognize Him at first. “Master, we worked all night, and took nothing; but at your word I will let down the net.” They returned with so many fish it took an extra boat to haul them all to shore and even then it was difficult. Jesus told them, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.” (Luke 5)

Jesus died but was resurrected, the disciples had seen Him and were commissioned again to go fish for men. Now was the time, but they returned to the lake. They tried to catch fish but caught nothing. Once again Jesus said they should put out their nets despite being unsuccessful so far. There they caught 153 fish, enough for a great meal. It was in the repetition that the disciples realized it was Jesus. They were a hundred yards from the shore, so it is possible that they had a hard time seeing that was Him. Even His voice may have been distorted at that distance. How did they not recognize He who was so familiar?

As He had done so many times before, Jesus revealed Himself in a familiar way. That’s what Jesus seemed to do in all the appearance stories; He revealed Himself in personal and intimate ways. He revealed Himself in ways they would recognize Him: by speaking their name, by breaking the bread, by showing them His wounds. The disciple whom Jesus loved, John, realized it was Him and said, “It is the Lord.” Peter jumped out of the boat in a rush to see Jesus. Even so, the disciples weren’t sure, and they were afraid to ask.

A man named Jacob Koshy converted to Christianity in a strange way. “Who would have believed that I could find the truth by smoking the Word of God?” he asked. He was living in Singapore and success drove him to do whatever was necessary to get ahead. He was a smuggler and drug dealer, a gambler and abuser. He eventually ended up in prison; it was a harsh place where he could not even get a cigarette. He managed to make cigarettes with smuggled tobacco and the torn pages of a Gideon Bible until one night he fell asleep with it in his hand. The cigarette burned out in his hand and when he awoke he read some words from the lesson from Acts, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Jacob asked for another copy of the Bible, and he read the story of Saul who became Paul. He realized that if God could work such a miracle in the life of a man like Saul, then He could do the same for him. He got down on his knees and with tear filled eyes asked Jesus to change him too. With every tear his pain was washed away. He became a missionary when he was released from prison and married a Christian woman. He no longer chased after wasteful things and lived a praise filled life in thanksgiving for what God had done. So, by smoking the Word of God, Jacob experienced the miracle of God’s mercy and grace.

Most of us do not come to our knowledge of God in such miraculous ways. As a matter of fact, most Christians are brought to the faith by someone they love like a parent, a friend, or a partner. Through prayer and patient witness, they shared the Word of God with us. Slowly, but surely, we came to know Christ and to make Him a part of our daily life. We probably know someone who had a miraculous experience, who suddenly experienced God’s grace and fell down in praise and thanksgiving. That doesn’t make our experience any less than theirs. We might not be changed immediately, but the change is still miraculous as we grow and mature in our faith. Damascus Road does not happen for us all.

It happened to Paul, though. He was a persecutor of Christians, those Jews who were living according to “The Way.” He was on his way to stop another group from preaching about Jesus when suddenly he found himself in the presence of a powerful authority. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul answered, “Who are you, Lord?” Saul knew that it was someone to be reckoned with and he addressed Him with respect. Saul would become Paul, the chosen one who would take the Gospel to Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

Ananias was not pleased. He knew that Saul was a cruel man who had done cruel things to believers. He did not deserve to be touched by God’s grace. Perhaps there were those in the world who thought the same thing about Jacob Koshy. Christians most certainly had come across Jacob in his days of smuggling, drugs, and gambling. Did they speak the Word into His life, or did they turn away because he was undeserving? God spoke to Ananias. “I have plans for Saul who will become Paul. Do as I say, and you will see something amazing.”

It took a miraculous revelation to get Paul’s attention. Jacob had a Bible in his cell, but it took a miraculous experience for him to read the words in that book and to learn of God’s grace. We are called to be like Ananias, to share the Gospel with those who cross our path, to prayerfully share God’s grace with them. We might be rejected and persecuted, but God knows what He is doing. Eventually His Word will touch the heart of those whom He loves, and they will be saved.

How would you react if you came face to face with your favorite star? I can tell you how I would react; I was a blithering idiot. I was a teenager. My mother, a friend, and I were traveling home from a meeting that was a few hours from home. We stopped at a rest area to use the rest room and grab a quick snack. It was very late, and we were tired. A fancy privately owned bus pulled into the gas station. It did not take long for us to discover that the bus belonged to Rick Springfield.

Rick Springfield was definitely one of my favorite stars at that time. I loved his music and I liked to watch him on the soap opera General Hospital. I was determined to meet him, to get his autograph, and to give him an encounter he would not forget. I doubt that he would remember it, but if he does he’s probably still laughing. My mom, my friend, and I stood in the path from the bus to the building at the rest area. He had to walk by! When he did, he kindly gave us his autograph and humored us for a moment. He was obviously exhausted, having just come from a concert a few miles up the road. To add to the strain, we later discovered that the evening we met him was the anniversary of his father’s death, an event that to that still brought tears to his eyes.

He was gracious and listened to us babble about how much we liked his music and then I, trying to be all cool, blurted out “So, how do you like being on ‘The Love Boat’?” I meant “General Hospital,” of course.” I’m not even sure why I came up with the wrong television show. I was so embarrassed, and then blurted out, “I mean ‘General Hospital’,” and giggled desperately. I think he smiled a little, and I hope that I gave him a moment of happiness in his time of sadness. As I look back on that moment, I think that he smiled a little and perhaps my foolishness gave him a bit of happiness in a time of sadness. All I know is that being in the presence of someone famous made me silly.

Today’s passage from the book of Revelation is a description of what it will be like in heaven. For some, this is a ridiculous vision; who would want to spend eternity falling on their knees praising God with the same words over and over and over again? It seems like a waste, living forever and ever doing the same old thing. Won’t we get sick of it? For a non-believer, this scene does not give them any sort of hope or reason for seeking to know God.

I’m sure there are those who do not understand how I could have been so blown over by someone like Rick Springfield. They can’t understand how I could get so tongue-tied over him. Yet, for me, that was a memorable moment, foolish or not. I have since lost that autograph, but I'll never forget standing in the dark parking lot waiting for him and his crew. I won’t forget his kindness to two teenagers and a mom in the middle of the night.

I imagine there are folk who think they would really be cool if they met their favorite star, but we really do not know how we will react or what we will say in that moment. We also like to think we’ll know how we will act when we meet face to face with our Creator. Some time ago there was a song by Mercy Me called “I can only imagine”. Will we stand? Will we fall? Will we sing or be silent? We can only imagine what we will do when we meet Him in that day and perhaps this image from Revelation is exactly how we will naturally act in His presence. Perhaps being there with Him will constantly bring us to our knees in praise and adoration for eternity, and eternity will not be long enough.

I doubt Peter expected his reunion with Jesus would go as it went. He was probably timid, after all it was not very long since he had denied knowing Jesus. What would Jesus say? What would Jesus do? Would Jesus forgive him?

The disciples finished their fishing, and then went to where Jesus was sitting on the beach. He had already established a fire and was already cooking fish on the fire. They were all timid. Was this really Jesus? Jesus broke bread and gave it to them to eat along with some fish, thereby reminding them of the miracles they had witnessed while Jesus was alive; revealing Himself again to give them the assurance that He was indeed alive and walking amongst them again.

Jesus turned to Peter and asked, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” What was Jesus asking of Peter? Did he love Jesus more than the other disciples? Did he love Jesus more than those disciples love Jesus? Did he love Jesus more than his fishing gear and the hard work of catching fish on the sea? Peter did not answer with specifics but simply said, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” Jesus did know, for Jesus knew the hearts of His disciples as well as He knows our own hearts. Yet, Jesus asked again. And then He asked again. Three times Jesus asked Peter about his love and by the third time Peter was hurt because Jesus asked it again. “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.”

Why did Jesus ask three times? Peter denied Jesus three times, and the threefold confession of love for Jesus counters his denial. For Peter, the three questions seemed to verify his unworthiness, but for Jesus the three answers restored their relationship and reinstated Peter to his position as leader among the disciples.

There are some subtleties in the text that may or may not be significant. One thing that is often noted is the use of the word “love” in these passages. In the Greek there are different words used by John in describing this scene. The transliteration of these words is “agape” and “phileo.” Some suggest that there is little difference between these two words and John simply used the variety to keep the passage interesting. Others will tell you that agape refers to a deeper, more abiding sense of love while phileo is a brotherly love.

There is some comfort to be found in this passage if we recognize the difference between these words. In the first and second questions Jesus asks Peter, “Do you agape me?” Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, I phileo you.” In the third question Jesus asks, “Do you phileo me?” Peter answers, “Yes, I phileo you.” To me it appears Jesus was asking Peter for a deep commitment while Peter was not yet ready to give him that much. Yet, Jesus did not take anything away from Peter. Peter was still restored and reinstalled, commissioned to do the work of Christ in the world. There is comfort in this for those of us who have taken too many years to make that commitment to the work Christ is calling us to do. We can see that Jesus has patience, that He does not take away our commission because we have doubts and uncertainties. He loves us and encourages us until we are deeply and fully committed. Obviously, Peter’s love became deeper as he continued the work until he died a martyr’s death on the cross.

Another subtlety we see in this passage is found in the commission. Jesus first tells Peter, “Feed my lambs.” Then He says, “Tend my sheep.” Finally, He tells Peter to “Feed my sheep.” There is a progression in the way we do ministry found in these commands. First, we are to give the lambs, the newborns, the babies, the milk of the Gospel that they might believe and be saved. We go out into the world feeding the lambs with God’s grace so that they will follow Jesus. Once they have been saved, the lambs are brought into the fellowship of believers, through baptism and the sharing of the eucharist, and there in the congregation the shepherd tends to their needs, making disciples who will also go out into the world to take the Gospel to others. Finally, we feed the sheep. We never stop needing to hear the Word of God, to learn more, to grow in our faith. Every Christian needs to hear the Gospel over and over again, to stay firm in the faith which has been given. Peter first, and those of us who have followed, are called to continue to feed Christians with the Word of God, to offer Bible studies and the sacraments so that they will stand firm in Christ. Is that what we do?

“An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.”

This quote might seem like something that was written recently by someone concerned about the number of churches feeding the flock with activities and preaching that will draw in the crowds and satisfy everyone’s desires. It is certainly a problem in today’s world, but apparently was a problem in the nineteenth century. The words were written by C.H. Spurgeon. It is a problem that every generation of Christianity faces. We have to discern our purpose and do God’s work according to His Word. But the world constantly tries to distract us from the commission Jesus to the disciples.

What is our purpose as a Church? Are we called to get as many people in the pews as possible? Are we called to be the majority? Should we conform to the world so that it will come through our doors? After all, if we can get them to come, then we can speak God’s word into their lives and they will come to believe, right? So, we spend our time trying to be exciting, satisfying and relevant, whatever that means, in the hope that we’ll fill our churches until they are overflowing. Then we can build bigger churches with room for more activities that will draw more people into our doors. We can claim that we are doing it for God, but are we if we’ve turned from Him in the process?

We certainly want the Church to grow. We want to experience the exciting spread of the Gospel that we see in the book of Acts, when families, hundreds, and even thousands of people were added to their numbers. Yet, in those stories it is not what the disciples were doing to attract the people that made them believe: it was the Gospel, God’s Word that gave the people faith. Nowhere does it tell us that the disciples entertained the people or that they gave the people everything they desired. They preached, they baptized, and they healed. They took the Resurrection of Jesus into the world, and many were convinced of its truth. By God’s Word they believed and were saved.

This is not an easy thing for God to ask from us. The world does not want to hear the Gospel. As a matter of fact, the message of the cross, of forgiveness, is foolishness to the world. There are those who do not believe they have anything for which they should be forgiven. They have lived well enough; no one is hurt by their actions. There are others who think that they are beyond forgiveness. They believe that things will never be right because they are unworthy of such grace. The disciples were arrested and even killed for the message they preached, but the Church refused to stop speaking despite the persecution because they were commanded by Christ to do this work.

There is nothing in this commission about entertaining folk or focusing on good works. We are called to share the Gospel message and help people make it a part of their life. Then we help one another grow and mature in our faith so that we can do the work that God has called us each to do. We might be overwhelmed with the tasks we have been given and with the people we have to help, but we find comfort in the scriptures and in the sacraments as we go study and gather in worship, even that so called boring worship that has no modern entertainment value. Our call might take us into places we do not want to go, but God will be with us through it all. We do not have to work so hard at filling our pews to do the work God has called us to do: God provides the harvest and He holds the Church together through everything, including persecution.

When we have our own doubts, we can find comfort in the fact that Jesus keeps revealing Himself to us in ways that we will recognize Him. We might wonder, but He will make it clear and by His Holy Spirit we will see Him and believe. Those disciples who’d ministered and lived with Him for several years needed to be reminded time after time so that they would be confident in this most amazing thing: that Jesus had been raised from the dead. We can trust, by their witness, that all these things truly happened, and that Jesus really is alive.

The world needs the Gospel. We won’t fill our nets with fish by becoming like the world, but by following Christ and doing His work. When we step out in faith to do the work God has called us to do, we ask ourselves, “What is our purpose.” We seek to understand God’s will for our lives, and we try to be obedient to His will. This often leads us to step out of our comfort zone, to do things that seem beyond our ability and beyond our resources. When we succeed, it is easy to pat ourselves on our backs in a congratulatory way. Yet we learn, particularly during this Easter season, that our purpose is not to create grand buildings to build up great ministries. Our purpose is to take the forgiveness of Christ into the world.