Sunday, May 4, 2025

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

You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent. Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Saul was zealous for God, but he didn’t really know Him the way he thought he did. He missed Jesus because he didn’t see that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the promises found in the Old Testament. He was on his way to Damascus to destroy those who were following “the Way,” which at the time was an insulting way of referring to the cult of people following Jesus Christ. Saul had an incredible encounter with the Living Christ on the road and was immediately converted to faith and zealous service to Jesus. Saul, also known as Paul, became the apostle to the Gentiles. Note that Paul’s name was not changed, as happened to many in the Bible. Paul was the Greek or Hellenistic form of Saul, and he began to go by that name for the sake of his ministry to those who were not Jews.

A man named Jacob Koshy described his own conversion to Christianity, “Who would have believed that I could find the truth by smoking the Word of God?” His story is unusual. 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. Eventually he ended up in prison, 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 today’s lesson. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Jacob asked for another copy of the Bible, and he read the whole story of Saul/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. Yet, most of us do not have such an experience. The changes that occur are slow as we grow and mature in our faith. Damascus Road does not happen to us all.

It happened to Saul, 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 who asked him why he was persecuting Him. Saul didn’t know Jesus, and asked “Who are you, Lord? Saul knew that it was someone to be reckoned with and he addressed Him with respect. Saul was chosen by God to do great things for the Kingdom.

Ananias was not pleased. He knew that Saul was a cruel man who had done cruel things to believers. He did not believe that Saul deserved to be touched by God’s grace. There were probably people 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 they thought he was undeserving? God spoke to Ananias. “I have plans for Saul. 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.

Saul didn’t know Jesus, and his zealousness led to the death of Stephen. But when God embraced Him, and called Him to walk in the Way, Paul became a powerful witness to the love and mercy of God that leads to forgiveness, reconciliation, and righteousness.

It is interesting that our scriptures today show us how Paul came to know Jesus and the disciples after they had known Him for three years. They aren’t very different, are they? At this point, the disciples still didn’t really know Jesus, and they weren’t serving God as Jesus taught them to serve.

The work of Jesus on earth was over and they had been commissioned to continue fishing for men, but they returned to the lake. They tried to catch fish but caught nothing. Jesus asked if they’d caught anything, and when they said “No,” He told them to cast their net off the right side of the boat.

This story brings to mind another occasion when Jesus gave the disciples a miraculous catch of fish. It was when He called the disciples to follow Him early in His 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.” They thought this was ridiculous, but Peter responded, “Master, we worked all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the net.” They came back with so many fish they struggled to bring the catch ashore. Jesus told them, “Don’t be afraid, from now on you will catch men.” (Luke 5)

Once again they caught so many fish they couldn’t draw it in. When John saw the multitude of fish, he said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” not because he suddenly saw His face, but because of the memory of that other time Jesus filled their nets and called them to follow Him. Peter jumped into the sea and swam toward Jesus. The other disciples followed, dragging the net. They saw that there was already a fire and some fish cooking on the coals. There was also bread. He told Peter, “Go bring some of the fish you caught.” He went aboard and hauled the net which had 153 fish.

According to John’s telling of the resurrection stories, most of the disciples had seen Jesus at least twice. In the Upper Room, He offered them His peace and told them that their mission would be to take God’s grace and forgiveness to the world. He had already breathed the Holy Spirit on them, and they had been overjoyed by His presence among them. With this in mind, today’s story doesn’t really make sense. Why didn’t they recognize Jesus? They had already seen His resurrected body. Wouldn’t they be confident that Jesus had risen and that He was amongst them once again?

Why were they even fishing?

They had followed Jesus for three years and “fished” with Him as they learned how to carry on His work, yet when the opportunity came for them to go out on their own, they didn’t know what to do.

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? I don’t mean when 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 in a hobby. We work. We find something to stay active, so we don’t have to think about our loss.

They had seen Jesus multiple times, had the Holy Spirit breathed upon them, and were commissioned to take His grace and forgiveness to the world. They were overjoyed by His presence. Despite all this, Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” He went 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 during those three years with Jesus, especially in the most recent days. 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.”

Each time Jesus appeared to them, He revealed Himself in a personal and intimate way that they would recognize and understand. It was never about recognizing His body or His face, but rather 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. They recognized Jesus because they remembered. They were a hundred yards from the shore, so it isn’t really that surprising they wouldn’t recognize Him or His voice. Still, they needed to see Jesus through the eyes of their memories to truly know it was Him.

When we have our own doubts, we can find comfort in the fact that Jesus keeps revealing Himself to us so that we will recognize Him. We might worry that we are not living up to His expectations, but He comes to us with His Holy Spirit so that we will believe. Those disciples who had 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.

We read the scriptures and hear the stories, but they are given to us for a purpose: so that we can see as they did that Jesus is who He said He is and that He has done what He said He would do. The stories are keys to their memory to help them, and us, be encouraged so that we will turn from our doubt and go forth in our calling.

Jesus knows just what we need when we need it. He doesn’t let us go when we have our doubts. The disciples approached Jesus on the shore in their uncertainty. They did not want to ask Him who He was; they knew it was the Lord. Yet they still seem unsure. So, Jesus broke bread and gave it to them to eat along with some fish, which surely brought to mind other miraculous meals with Jesus, giving them more assurance that He was indeed alive and walking amongst them again.

In the presence of the Risen Lord Jesus, Peter put on some clothes and jumped into the sea. All he wanted was to be with Jesus. I doubt Peter expected his reunion with Jesus would go as it went. He was probably timid, after all it had not been very long since he had denied knowing Jesus. What would Jesus say? What would Jesus do? Would Jesus forgive him? Yes, Jesus forgave him and reminded him of the work he was called to do. Even now that all was said and done, Peter went back to fishing for fish. After the breakfast, Jesus turned His attention to Peter; Peter needed forgiveness.

Peter had a heavy burden on his shoulders. How could he possibly do the work Jesus wanted him to do? He had denied Jesus when it mattered most, but Jesus had compassion. He turned to Peter and asked, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” What was Jesus asking? I always thought that Jesus wanted to know if Peter loved him the most of all the disciples, but perhaps Jesus wanted Peter to love Him more than His old life. “Do you love me more than your fishing gear and the hard work of catching fish on the sea?” Peter simply answered, “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.”

There are several reasons for why Jesus might have asked Peter three times. We are reminded that Peter denied Jesus three times, and the threefold confession of love for Jesus counters the 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.

I think it is helpful to recognize the difference between these words. In the first and second questions Jesus asked Peter, “Do you agape me?” Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, I phileo you.” In the third question Jesus asked, “Do you phileo me?” Peter answered, “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 continue Jesus’ work in the world.

We are comforted by Jesus’ grace at this moment, because we all experience times when we don’t want to commit to the work Jesus is calling us to do. Jesus has patience; 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 a cross.

There is another subtly in this passage. Jesus first told Peter, “Feed my lambs.” Then He said, “Tend my sheep.” Finally, He told 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?

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 gave to the disciples to feed the lambs, tend the sheep, and feed the sheep. Or the Great Commission given in Matthew 28, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you.”

What is our purpose as the Church? Are we called to get as many people in the pews as possible? Should we conform to the world so that we will bring people through our doors? After all, if we can get them to come, then we can speak God’s word and they will 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. We can claim that we are doing it for God, but what if we’ve turned from Him in the process? Paul was zealous for God, but he missed Jesus until Jesus captured him on the road to Damascus. Only then was Paul able to truly serve God and glorify Him.

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 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 shared the stories of Jesus, 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. Our purpose is to take the forgiveness of Jesus into the world.

This happens when we remember the words of today’s Psalm. This psalm was apparently written for the dedication of the Temple. Though this was a time of joy for the people of Israel, it was also a frightening moment. The Temple gave the people a sense of stability and roots. Yet, people were still out to destroy David and the Israelites. They could not become complacent with their blessedness, for complacency is our greatest enemy. It means we take for granted our past and our God, we forget His grace and we think we can take credit for our blessings.

Unfortunately, many people just don’t want what we have in our faith. Today’s passage from the book of Revelation is a description of what it will be like in heaven. John describes a scene with myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands of angels, creatures, and elders surrounding the throne of God. They sing His praises with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!” Then every creature in heaven and on earth sing blessings to the One on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. 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 suppose in some ways this sounds like what the Church must seem like to those outside our community of faith. Who wants to sit around even for an hour and sing the same old hymns, talk about the same stories and eat the same food? It is no wonder that some people aren’t interested in spending eternity in heaven: it would be boring to do the same thing over and over and over again forever, wouldn’t it? It is bad enough to do it every Sunday. Yet there is so much more to the faith we experience in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is peace and joy and indescribable love that will last forever.

It took a miracle to set the disciples back on track, so that they would do what Jesus taught them to do. It took a miraculous revelation to get Paul’s attention so that he would be the apostle he was meant to be. It took God’s voice to convince Ananias that he should embrace Paul because He was chosen for that moment. 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.

The world needs the Gospel. We won’t fill our nets with fish by becoming like the world, but by following Christ. Let us constantly seek to understand God’s will and try to be obedient. We may have to step out of our comfort zone, to do things that seem beyond our ability and beyond our resources. Like Peter and Paul, we look to God’s grace to move us forward from our doubts to confidence in His Word. We have been called to feed the lambs, tend the sheep, and feed the sheep until we get to spend eternity together worshipping the God who turns our mourning into dancing forever and ever.