The Solemnity of St. Peter & St. Paul Jenny Scott, Pentecost 3, June 29, 2014
Today we recognize the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Peter – the rock on which Christ built his church, and Paul – the man who helped nurture and guide the early church and provided them with wisdom that still impacts the church today through his epistles. Even though Peter and Paul did not always agree with each other, we celebrate them together because traditionally it is taught that these two men died martyrs on or around the same day. It was not that long ago that we as a church again journeyed through Holy Week where we remembered Christ’s crucifixion. And now here we are recognizing the martyrdom of two key followers of Christ. There is similar news regarding Christians today. A report by Reuters says that the number of Christian martyrs doubled from 2012 to 2013. It highlighted the suffering occurring specifically in Syria and North Korea. The article also stated that 100 million Christians suffer persecution today.1 I don’t know about you but it sounds like being a Christian can be risky business. If I were conducting risk assessments for an insurance company, it seems to me, insuring Christians would come at a cost. Do we find our Christian faith to be unsafe? Or are the most uncomfortable things about our belief practices the hard wooden pews we are sitting on or the heavy vestments we wear in on a hot summer day? Our gospel reading2 for today may initially make us feel warm and fuzzy. Here we have Jesus reappearing to his disciples after his resurrection, where Jesus helps the disciples catch a bounty of fish, and prepares a nice breakfast on the beach for the group before he pulls Peter a side and asks him where his love lies. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. This reflects the three times that Peter denied knowing Jesus to others on the night between the Last Supper and crucifixion of Jesus. It is as if with every time asked, Jesus was wiping away one of the denials until Peter was left with a clean slate. Jesus, the restorer of all things, in this moment is restoring Peter and his place among the disciples. In this passage, Jesus addresses Peter by calling him “Simon, Son of John” referring to his original identity and then gives Peter the chance to confirm for himself where his identity now lies. It is now certain that he is Peter, the rock on which Jesus will build his church (Matt 16:18). He is Peter, the lover of Jesus. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/08/us-christianity-persecution-reportidUSBREA070PB20140108 2 John 21: 15-19 1
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But the passage does not remain in this “nice” place as Jesus then tells Peter that “When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.”3 This does not sound pleasant, and with more study into this passage, I discovered that there is a lot throughout it that should make us feel uncomfortable. First, there is Jesus’ question: “Do you love me more than these?” John, the author of the gospel does not seem to clearly define what the pronoun ‘these’ refers to. Was Jesus asking, “Do you love me more than these?” pointing to the fishing equipment and the net filled with fish. Was he asking, “Do you love me more than your trained profession and the boat and the nets and the fish and the income?” This may be an important question since earlier in this chapter of John, we find Peter once again back in his boat fishing like he did before he met Jesus. Equally, I think we can ask if we love Jesus more than our occupations and the resources that bring us security or wealth? Or was it that Jesus was asking if Peter loved Jesus more than Peter loved the other disciples? Was Peter willing to risk all, even his relationships with others for the sake of Christ? Equally, do we love Christ more than our other relationships? Are we willing to put God before others in both love and service or do we get caught up in the comfort that our friends provide? Do we seek approval from others before God? Or was Jesus asking Peter here if Peter’s love for Christ is greater than the other disciples’ love. This may seem like a bold question. I would imagine the other disciples, eavesdropping in on this conversation, would also feel uncomfortable. Talk about putting Peter between a rock and a hard place. Yet, have you ever loved something so much that it overwhelmed you and you thought, surely nobody could be as filled with love as you are at that moment? That is what God longs for us; that we love him so intensely that we think it is not humanely possible for anyone to love more completely than we love God. By loving God more than these, it means that all other things are left behind in some way. Am I willing to let go of my other loves? What loves do each of us carry that still may be ahead of God? Letting them go will be difficult but the reward is great. Another part of this passage that should make us uncomfortable is Peter’s response to Jesus’ question. Three times Peter answers Jesus, not just with a simple ‘yes’ or an “I love you.” But he puts it back on Jesus saying “Lord, you KNOW I love you” The third time, the author uses two 3
John 21:18
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different Greek words for ‘know.’ And it could be translated “You know all things, you must be able to see that I love you.” Between the use of the title ‘lord’ and showing this very high view of Jesus as one who knows everything, Peter is showing that he is changing from the headstrong, assertive man who we find throughout the gospels, into a man that is humble and putting Jesus’ knowledge above his own. Where Peter used to correct Jesus by saying “no, not me” (both regarding having his feet washed4 and the denial5), now he is submitting to Jesus’ knowledge. Beyond just submitting to Jesus’ knowledge, the verbal proclaiming of love might have made Peter feel unsafe. What if Peter said, “Lord you know I love you” but Jesus didn’t agree saying, “Peter, I don’t know that you love me?” Or today when we proclaim our love for Jesus we may be concerned that others will doubt us or criticize us or even disown us? Proclaiming to the world our feelings for God can be a risky thing. And a final uncomfortable portion to this passage is Jesus’ response, telling Peter to go feed and care for his sheep. This response is not manipulative like: “Honey do you love me? Than can you do something for me?” No it says the foundation of service is love. If we truly love God then there will be transformations within us, which leads to outward responses of love, such as caring for God’s flock. And this can be uncomfortable for multiple reasons. Shepherding was not a safe vocation. Earlier in the gospel of John, Jesus calls himself the “Good Shepherd” and then quickly proceeds to say that he will lay down his life for others. Someone caring for sheep had to guard against beasts that might attack the sheep and sometimes rescue a sheep from a precarious situation. Being a caretaker of sheep was not a safe job and I think we are kidding ourselves if we don’t transfer the idea of risk found in this metaphor to how we are to nurture and serve God’s people now. One way that caring for Jesus’ sheep is uncomfortable is by recognizing the flock is Jesus.’ Jesus says “Feed MY sheep”. Those that we serve and minister to today are not ours, but Gods. We have a responsibility to but not ownership of the sheep. The flock is God’s and because of that we must give ultimate control to God. Giving up control and relinquishing possession is not easy. We can also look to the reading from Ezekiel to see that caring for sheep is not comfortable. Today’s reading says: 4 5
John 13:8 John 13:36-38; Matt 26:33
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“I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.”6 This is what it means to care for the sheep. Who are the lost, injured and weak in our community? We are called to act in ways of justice, but we all know that justice often comes at a heavy cost both to ourselves and to those around us. Are we willing to risk all to serve neighbors both here in the DTES and also throughout the world so that we can see God’s justice revealed? Also, in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, Paul instructs Timothy to care for the sheep by saying “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.”7 Rebuking others is not an easy thing. Especially in our politically correct society that teaches “to each her own” and “anything goes”. Yet, I believe that if we truly have love as our foundation, are guided by the Holy Spirit, and speak in truth, then we can proclaim God’s good news without hesitation. It will be risky. It will be uncomfortable. But it is what we are called to do as the result of loving Jesus. There have been times in my life when I have been aware of the risks and have happily taken them because I trusted God. There have been other times where I find myself sitting rather comfortably in my relationship with God and with others. I do not believe this is an indication that I have come to some heightened, supreme place in my faith journey but more likely have lost sight of what I am called to do when I’m called to feed and care for Jesus’ sheep. Do we love Jesus, even when it is hard? Do we proclaim, “Yes Jesus, you know I love you!” even if its difficult? Are we caring for his sheep, even though its risky? May we all strive for a journey with Christ that is more uncomfortable than the pews we sit on this Sunday morning.
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Ezekiel 36:16 2 Timothy 4:2
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