| ||
 |
||
|
|
|
|
The Third Sunday of Easter |
||
THINGS WERE STILL VERY TENSE IN JERUSALEM, AND THE TOWN WAS GETTING A BIT “HOT” FOR THE DISCIPLES SINCE THE TEMPLE AUTHORITIES WERE STILL LOOKING FOR THEM. THEY HAD TO GET OUT OF THAT RENTED UPPER ROOM BEFORE SOMEONE STUMBLED OVER THEM, SO THEY WENT HOME TO GALILEE. NOT KNOWING WHAT ELSE TO DO OR WHERE TO GO, THEY WENT BACK TO THE HOMES AND BUSINESS THEY LEFT THREE YEARS AGO. I WISH WE HAD A RECORD OF THEIR CONVERSATION AS THEY GATHERED TOGETHER ON THE SHORE OF THE LAKE, BECAUSE I AM CERTAIN THEY WERE TRYING TO SORT OUT ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED, EVEN THE FACT THAT JESUS HAD APPEARED TO THEM TWICE. CONFUSED, AND SHAKEN, BY ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED, THEY WENT BACK TO THEIR “COMFORT ZONE:” TO WHAT THEY WERE FAMILIAR AND UNDERSTOOD. THE BURNING QUESTION IN THEIR MINDS WAS WHAT TO DO NEXT; “WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?” COMING UP WITH NO ANSWER, FRUSTRATED PETER STOOD UP AND SAID, “I AM GOING FISHING.” WITH NOTHING BETTER TO DO, THE REST OF THE DISCIPLES JOINED HIM AND PUT OUT THEIR BOAT. NOW THESE WERE SKILLED BUSINESSMEN WHO MADE THEIR LIVING BY FISHING THIS LAKE, SO, AFTER A FRUSTRATING NIGHT WITHOUT A CATCH, THEY MUST HAVE BEEN WONDERING IF THEIR THREE YEARS FOLLOWING JESUS HAD ROBBED THEM OF THEIR SKILL. AS DAWN BROKE OVER THE LAKE, AND THEY WEARILY MADE THEIR WAY TO SHORE, THEY MUST HAVE WONDERED IF THEY HAD INDEED LOST EVERYTHING IN FOLLOWING JESUS, EVEN THEIR ABILITY TO EARN A LIVING. IN THE DEPTHS OF THEIR FRUSTRATION AND DEJECTION, A VOICE FROM THE SHORE BROKE INTO THEIR MOROSE MOOD: “CHILDREN, YOU HAVE NO FISH, HAVE YOU?” WHEN THEY YELLED BACK, “NO,” THE ONE ON THE SHORE TOLD THESE PROFESSIONALS TO CAST THE NET ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BOAT, AND, WITH NOTHING TO LOSE, THEY DID AS THEY WERE TOLD. THE NET FILLED WITH SO MANY FISH THEY COULD NOT GET IT INTO THE BOAT. LIGHT DAWNED ON JOHN, WHO SAID IN AWE AND WONDER TO PETER, “IT IS THE LORD!” UPON HEARING THIS, PETER GRABBED SOME CLOTHES TO WRAP AROUND HIM AND JUMPED IN THE LAKE TO SWIM TO SHORE TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO REACH JESUS. THIS SAME JESUS, THE ONE THEY HAD FOLLOWED FOR THREE YEARS, THE ONE THEY SAW DIE ON THE CROSS, THE ONE WHO HAD RISEN FROM THE GRAVE, HAD JUST DEMONSTRATED TO HIS DISCIPLES THAT, IF THEY WOULD DO AS HE TELLS THEM, THEN HE WOULD PROVIDE FOR THEIR NEEDS. NOW, AS THEY COME TO HIM ON THE SHORE, THINGS REALLY GET INTERESTING, BECAUSE HE HAS PREPARED BREAKFAST FOR THEM, AND, AFTER INVITING THEM TO SIT DOWN AND EAT, GIVES THEM THE BREAD AND FISH WITH HIS OWN HANDS. IN THEIR TAKING THE BREAD AND FISH FROM THE HANDS OF JESUS, THEY ARE AFFIRMING THAT HE IS THEIR LORD AND MASTER AND THAT THEY BELONG TO HIM. AFTER BREAKFAST WAS FINISHED, AND THEY ALL SAT WAITING EXPECTANTLY TO HEAR WHAT JESUS WOULD SAY TO THEM TO GIVE THEM THE GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION FOR WHICH THEY LONGED, JESUS TURNED TO PETER, THEIR LEADER. PETER, THE BOLD AND BRASH ONE, WHO CLAIMED TO LOVE JESUS MORE THAN THE OTHER DISCIPLES, WAS STILL BURNING WITH HIS SHAME AT DENYING THREE TIMES THAT HE EVEN KNEW JESUS. WHATEVER PETER WAS EXPECTING OR HOPING JESUS HAD TO SAY TO HIM, IT CERTAINLY WAS NOT WHAT JESUS HAD TO SAY. “SIMON BAR JONA, DO YOU LOVE ME MORE THAN THESE?” JESUS USED THE WORD AGAPE FOR LOVE; MEANING THE LOVE WHICH IS UNCONDITIONAL AND SELF – SACRIFICING. PETER ANSWERED, “YES, LORD, YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU,” USING THE WORD PHILEO FOR LOVE; MEANING THE LOVE OF ONE BROTHER FOR ANOTHER. TO THE RESPONSE OF PETER, JESUS GIVES A COMMAND; “FEED MY SHEEP.” AGAIN, JESUS ASKS PETER, USING THE WORD AGAPE, “SIMON BAR JONA, DO YOU LOVE ME?” PETER ANSWERS AGAIN, THE SAME WAY USING THE WORD PHILEO, “YES, LORD, YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU.” AGAIN, JESUS GIVES HIM A COMMAND; “TEND MY LAMBS.” THE THIRD TIME JESUS ASKS PETER THE QUESTION, IT IS AS IF JESUS PIECED THE SOUL OF PETER WITH A SPEAR, BRINGING BACK TO PETER ALL THE SHAME AND DISHONOR OF HIS BETRAYAL, BUT, JESUS, KNOWING PETER IS NOT GETTING HIS POINT, HAS MERCY ON HIM. THIS TIME, JESUS USES THE WORD PHILEO, AND ASKS PETER, “DO YOU LOVE ME LIKE A BROTHER?” PETER. CLOSE TO TEARS, WAILS OUT, “LORD, YOU KNOW EVERYTHING; YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU.” THIS IS THE BEST PETER CAN DO, SO JESUS COMMANDS HIM YET AGAIN, “FEED MY SHEEP.” PETER JUST DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE KIND OF LOVE JESUS IS ASKING HIM FOR, NOT YET, BUT HE WILL GET THERE. HIS BOLDNESS AND BRASHNESS, HIS HEADSTRONG WAYS, WILL BE TEMPERED IN SERVICE TO HIS LORD, AND, IN THE END, HE WILL GO WHERE HE IS LED, EVEN TO WHERE HE DOES NOT WANT TO GO; TO HIS DEATH ON A CROSS. PETER’S LOVE, AS WEAK AS IT IS RIGHT NOW, WILL SUFFICE TO TEND THE FLOCK OF JESUS, AND IN FEEDING THE LAMBS OF HIS LORD AND MASTER, THE LOVE OF PETER WILL GROW TO BECOME THAT FOR WHICH HIS LORD IS ASKING. IN HIS SERVICE TO HIS LORD, THE LOVE AND FAITH OF PETER WILL GROW TO BE AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL TIME. SATISFIED, JESUS LOOKED PETER IN THE EYES AND SAID, “FOLLOW ME.” HOW OFTEN WE ARE AT A LOSS OF WHAT TO DO, CONFUSED AND FRUSTRATED BY THE EVENTS OF THIS LIFE, AND, FIND THAT BY OUR OWN REASON AND STRENGTH WE ACCOMPLISH NOTHING. YET, WHEN WE LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF OUR RISEN LORD, WE ARE AMAZED BY THE GRACE AND MERCY HE SHOWERS UPON US. IF WE DO HIS WILL, HE WILL PROVIDE FOR OUR NEEDS. WE MUST FISH WHERE HE COMMANDS, OTHERWISE WE WILL FIND OUR NETS ARE EMPTY AND OUR LABOR IS IN VAIN. IF WE FOLLOW HIS VOICE, HOWEVER, OUR EFFORTS WILL PROSPER BEYOND ANYTHING WE THOUGHT POSSIBLE. WHEN WE COME TO THE TABLE HE HAS SET, AND TAKE THE BREAD OF HEAVEN FROM HIS HANDS, WE AFFIRM AGAIN THAT HE IS OUR LORD AND MASTER AND THAT WE ARE HIS TO COMMAND. HIS COMMAND IS ALWAYS TO FEED HIS SHEEP AND TEND HIS LAMBS, AND HIS FLOCK IS COMPRISED OF EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. TO OBEY HIS COMMAND REQUIRES A SPECIAL KIND OF LOVE; IT REQUIRES THE UNCONDITIONAL AND SELF – SACRIFICING KIND OF LOVE THAT HE HAAS FOR US: AGAPE. BROTHERLY LOVE IS NOT SUFFICIENT FOR THE TASK OF FEEDING HIS SHEEP, AND, ON OUR OWN, WE CAN NOT RISE TO THE KIND OF LOVE OUR LORD DEMANDS. YET, WEAK AND IMPERFECT AS WE ARE, IF WE FOLLOW HIM, AND GO WHERE HE LEADS US, BY THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKING IN US WE CAN BE THE INSTRUMENTS OF HIS LOVE AND TEND HIS FLOCK. BY HIS GRACE AND MERCY, HE TAKES US AS WE ARE, AND, IN HIS SERVICE, WILL LEAD US TO BECOME THAT WHICH HE DIED TO MAKE US; THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD. SO WE MUST, POOR WEAK AND HEADSTRONG PETERS THAT WE ARE, LISTEN TO HIS VOICE, EAT THE BREAD HE PROVIDES, BE HIS DICIPLES, LOVE HIM AS BEST AS WE CAN, AND FOLLOW WHERE HE LEADS US. ONLY IN A LIFE OF SERVICE TO HIM, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, CAN WE FIND FORGIVENESS FOR OUR SINS AND THE KIND OF LOVE SURPASSING ALL OTHERS TO WHICH HE CALLS US. IN FOLLOWING HIM, WE CAN COME TO KNOW WHAT LOVE REALLY MEANS.
|
|
|