THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER   Year C  May 1, 2022

• Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)  •   Psalm 30  •   Revelation 5:11-14  •   John 21:1-19

In 1995 Joan Osborne released a song onto the charts.  It was called, One of Us.  The lyrics began; “If God had a name, what would it be, and would you call it to his face?..”  The song posed many questions about what our reaction might be to an encounter with God.  In today’s readings we look at a couple of significant encounters with God, that of Saints Paul and Peter, who were stand out leaders in the establishment of Christianity.

 

Two of the most dramatic encounters with God are described in our readings.  But wait… did you notice that I said encounters with God?  This is true, but the encounters were actually with God the son.

 

Saint Paul, then known as Saul, was a very zealous pharisee.  He was dedicated to God, and he saw the movement of Jesus as a heresy for which he was prepared to spend his life in eradicating.  Saul had letters from the high priest which gave him permission to find the Christians and bring them bound to Jerusalem.  He was there at the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen, holding the coats of those who did the stoning.

 

Along the road, as he was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light flashed around him and he heard the voice say, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

He didn’t recognise the voice…. He asked "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…”

 

What would be your reaction?  Imagine you are going on an expedition to stamp out a heresy and suddenly the central figure of that heresy appeared to you in this way.  Saul immediately realizes that he has been wrong all this time that he has been persecuting the Christians.  More than this, every time there is an encounter with God, it is not just for the benefit of the person who receives it, but it is for the benefit of all.  What this means is that Saint Paul’s encounter with Christ is for the benefit of us.  Not only did his conversion mean that the message spread more powerfully, but the encounter with God formed the theology of Saint Paul.  Firstly, notice that Jesus says, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”?   What we do to each other, we do to Christ… we are the body of Christ….  It is Saint Paul who proclaimed that we are the body of Christ.  This teaching is in the letter to the Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians and Colossians.  It was a message we hear from Jesus in the Gospels, but this message was one that Saint Paul knew by heart because of his encounter with Christ.

 

For three days after the encounter Saint Paul ate and drank nothing.  He was in deep mourning as we might expect a person would be after realizing the damage that they had done in persecuting God himself.  We don’t realize that Saint Paul had other visions in this time that he was blinded, until we hear of God’s words to Ananias, who went and prayed for and baptised Saul.

 

Ananias was hesitant to go to Saul, but God was definite in the call.  Ananias’s response to the word of God, was “here I am” – he was available and willing to do God’s will, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t apprehensive about deliberately putting himself in the way of danger.

 

Saul was baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit and after recovering his sight and energy, immediately began to declare in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

 

Saint Paul encountered God and changed his name to Paul – Little!  He was a somebody as a pharisee.  As a follower of Christ, he declared himself to be little.   He was not little in the history of our faith, but his attitude of declaring himself to be little was a constant reminder of his encounter with Christ and how, in the body of Christ he was not the head.  We can learn from this too.  We are not the head.  Christ is the head and we are all the body and if one member hurts, we

 should all feel the pain.  If one member is in need, we should all be concerned to help where we can.

 

Those travelling with Saul also encountered God.  They heard the voice, but saw no one.  We don’t know what happened to them, but I expect their lives also changed that day.  As the words of the Joan Osbourn song says, “If seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven and in Jesus and the Saints and all the prophets.”   For us today, what would change for us if we saw God face to face, or heard the voice?

 

Perhaps we might be like Saint Peter.  After all, we are church people and we already believe and follow Jesus.  Saint Peter knew Jesus as a human, but Saint Peter was Jesus greatest fan.  Saint Peter put his faith in Jesus long before the crucifixion and resurrection.  Saint Peter had a pretty unique relationship with God… but actually, we all do.  Saint Peter being Jesus’ biggest fan and greatest follower declared that he would never deny him.  But Peter did deny Christ… not once, or twice, but three times.  Three times in the Hebrew tradition was a contract.  It was a sure and done deal.  But Peter was so truly sorry and wept bitterly.  When Jesus rose, Peter was there ahead of the others, once again Jesus’ biggest fan.

 

How do we deal with our own failure towards God?  I have had the privilege of meeting a lady from Rockhampton many years ago.  I don’t know what it was that was in her past, but she confided that for many years she had dedicated herself to working for the church.  She went above and beyond because she loved God, but also because she had failed him.  In some hidden recess of her heart she was trying to make up for what she had done, but knew she couldn’t.  She hadn’t missed the message that Christ died for her sins, but she had sinned since being a Christian and felt that she was beyond forgiveness.  Christ died for our sins….  Past, present and future… they are all forgiven, but I imagine that Peter was like this lady.  He knew Jesus loved him, but he felt unworthy of restoration. This is what we do when we believe, but feel unworthy – we bury ourselves in being so busy that we don’t have time to dwell on the awful truth of our feelings.

 

If we can face our feelings, we will find them transformed in the light of the Gospel.  Notice how Jesus draws out the deep pain in Peter…. Very gently… and restores him fully.

 

In our Gospel we read that Jesus actually asks Peter three times if he loves him, but in the original language of the Bible there is more going on, as we only have one English word for love, but the language of the Bible uses two different words in this story.

 

As our encounter begins, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him more than “these”.  Who or what are “these”.  There are three possibilities; Did Peter love him more than his fishing career?  Did Peter love Jesus more than he loved the other disciples?  Or Did Peter love Jesus more than the other disciples loved Jesus. 

 

Many have put emphasis on the fish or career and implicate that we too must love Jesus more than our career, but this is not most likely what Jesus was asking….  Jesus actually blessed their fishing expedition and even Saint Paul continued in his tent making trade as he travelled proclaiming the Gospel.  His tent-making work meant that he was able to support himself and give the gift of the Gospel freely.  God does not require us to all quit our jobs and proclaim the Gospel, but he does want us to proclaim the Gospel as we go about our jobs. 

 

We are to love God with all our heart, mind and strength.  It is the first commandment, and the second is like it; to love others.  The two are closely united and those who proclaim that we must love God first, often do so with an ulterior motive to justify a lack of love for another.  Many times the way that people have come to faith is because they sensed the love of God through the way that someone loved them.  This love for others must be genuine. 

 

I have been to churches where there is an appearance of love, but the purpose of that love is simply to make you one of them.  So that you can become a church member.  This kind of love is fake and revolting.  Genuine love for others is something that Jesus commands and it seems unlikely that Jesus was asking Peter, do you love me more than you love these.  We must ensure our love for others is not conditional or measured, because God’s love isn’t. 

 

It seems clear to me that Jesus was asking Peter if Peter loved Jesus more than the other disciples loved Jesus.  Let me explain why…  In Peter’s life he had been the loud man of action, and where Jesus was concerned Peter had always made it clear that Peter was the one Jesus could rely on most.  But in this first question was a word for love, used by Jesus which is AGAPE – meaning the full and unconditional love of God.  Peter responds that he does love Jesus.  He doesn’t say whether it is more or less than the others, but the word Peter uses for love is not AGAPE, but Philos….  A friendship kind of love. 

In the second question Jesus lowers the bar a little and asks Peter again if he loves him, but doesn’t ask if he loves him more than the others.  This time Jesus uses the same word, AGAPE, and Peter responds exactly the same with the word PHILOS.  Peter has been truly humbled and, it would appear, doesn’t want to make big claims about his love.  He knows that his love was incomplete and that he denied Jesus – He knows that his love is fallible.  Peter really does love Jesus.  Peter is truly a friend of God, but now he knows that he caves under pressure – there is no big boasting anymore.

 

Finally, Jesus asks Peter a third time, but this time Jesus lowers the bar again and asks Peter if he loves him using the word PHILOS… friendship love.  I guess this rubbed salt into the wound and opened it right up.  Do we deny our friends?  But Peter responds that Jesus knows all things and knows that he loves him, using Philos again.  Peter is honest, but he also declares the sovereignty of Christ who knows all things.

 

After each question Peter is exhorted to feed God’s lambs, tend the sheep and feed the sheep.  Regardless of where Peter is at and his limited love, God has a calling for Peter.

 

These encounters with God changed those who had the encounter.  They understood God because of these interactions and they understood God’s priorities.  These encounters not only changed those people who had the encounter but they also helped to shape our church.  Through these encounters we reap the benefit and understand some very important things; God loves us and will choose us as his people regardless of what we have done and regardless of some failing we have done while already knowing him.  Peter was not only forgiven, but his position of leadership was confirmed.

 

Something else we learn; Our own encounters with God are not for us alone.  Everything that God teaches us he wants us to share as his message is for all.  After all, we are the body of Christ – If one member receives a message, it is for the benefit of all.  Saint Paul was not a follower of Christ, but Christ came to him in a very dramatic way, post resurrection.  There is nothing to say that this will not happen to you too.  Saint Peter was a leader of Christ’s people and when he was put under pressure, he denied Christ.  But Jesus forgave him and restored him.  This Jesus will do for you too.

 

There is no other religion in the world that has a God like our God who loves and forgives us.  Who restores us and even lifts us up into positions of leadership – but know that both of these Saints suffered for their faith.  They knew that they would – they were told ahead of time and they both willingly proclaimed the truth of Jesus because that is what one does when faced with God and all his love and mercy.  But where are we in this story?  Are we waiting for the blinding light, living in busyness to hide our shame, or are we declaring the truth of God because we have also encountered the risen Christ?  Perhaps we are waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit with power to change our lives – but do we want that and what will we respond if we are presented with the fulness of the power of God?