Sunday after Easter

Scripture John 21:15-19

Last week we heard Mark’s account of the resurrection. The women found an empty tomb and mystifying instructions. They were to join Jesus in Galilee.  Death could not halt Jesus. Now the women are invited to join him in a Godly mission to save the world. Justifiably so, they were terrified. One moment these women were risking their lives to bury a friend. The next they were asked to expose their lives to save an enemy.   How many of us are up to that task? We conquer enemies. We vilify enemies. We do not invite them to dinner.  

Thank goodness there are four gospels. Each tells the same story……. Differently. Matthew is more the Law and Order gospel. Luke has a heart for the poor. Mark is very open ended. John tends to be a poet. Each gospel tells their story of who Jesus is. Unfortunately, through the years the world mostly hears who Jesus was. Note the difference in the verb tense. The Gospels all make the proclamation, “Jesus comes, Jesus loves, and Jesus says, Follow me and do the same.” Somewhere along the way the message became Jesus came, Jesus loved, believe and be saved.”

I know what you are thinking. Louie is spending way to much time in isolation thinking about stuff that no one else ever considers. Maybe that is true. But I’ve got to tell you the more I look at the Jesus of the gospels, the more I wonder if Jesus would even recognize himself should he wander into a church service on Sunday morning. I have hundreds of books from my library staring down at me proclaiming Jesus Christ, risen savior. Each tells me believing in Christ’s resurrection guarantees for my eternal salvation. Then I have four gospels, each telling the story of who Jesus is and who Jesus continues to be in my life today.

Last week we heard from Mark. Today let us look at the poet. Is there anyone of us who has not felt betrayed? We hardly expect the neighbor down the street to be thinking about our best interest, but what happens when a friend, or a family member, throws us under the bus. Words are spoken, feelings are hurt, and often the relationship appears to be permanently broken. Somewhere down the road, we throw a patch on our worn nerves but we know it is only a temporary fix. Eventually something else happens and once again, the relationship explodes. We want to trust people but once betrayed it is just too hard to start over.

Peter betrayed Jesus. Peter swore to follow Jesus anywhere yet when Jesus was arrested, a woman pointed Peter out and declared, “That man is one of the disciples.” Peter replied, “You have mistaken me for someone else.” That denial must have broken Jesus’ heart.

Jesus was taken to trial. Not one disciple spoke on his behalf. Jesus was beaten by soldiers. Not one disciple brought him water to drink. Jesus hung on the cross. Only one disciple stood at the foot of the cross as he died. Where was Peter? Where was the man renamed The Rock? Peter is nowhere to be found.

Easter comes. In John’s gospel, we have three post resurrection appearances. The last is along the lakeshore. The disciples went fishing. In one of the greatest fish stories of all time, they caught 153 fish in one net. Peter dragged the fish to shore and sat down to have a meal with Jesus. Imagine how awkward this conversation must have been. You don’t exactly have small talk with someone who has been dead for three days. Finally, Jesus breaks the ice, “Peter, do you love me?” Notice Jesus didn’t say, “Peter, why did you leave me?” He didn’t say, “Peter, why did you deny me?” He didn’t even say, “Peter, why didn’t you believe in me?” The question went straight to the heart. “Peter, do you love me?” 

Any other question Peter could have answered with the response we all have used, “Yes…. but.” “Yes I denied you but why should I have been arrested.” “Yes I left you but they would have killed me also.” “Yes I believe in you, but your way is so hard.” If someone asks, “Do you love me”, there are only two answers. Peter chose yes.

Then Jesus, the one betrayed, the one denied, the one forgotten, responded, “Then put those 153 fish to some good use. Follow me by feeding my sheep.”

A friend sent me a cartoon. Charlie Brown and Snoopy were sitting on a deck looking out at the water. Charlie Brown said, “Someday we all will die.” Snoopy responded, “That’s true, but on all the other days we will not.”

The Jesus that “was” too often has been given significance because he covers the last day of our life. But to the Jesus that “is”, the Jesus that resides in our hearts, the Jesus that continues to say, love your neighbor, feed the poor, the Jesus that says if you have been hurt or betrayed, YOU take the first step toward reconciliation, that Jesus says every day matters. That Jesus says, “If you love me, feed my sheep.” That Jesus says, “Follow me, not just to eternity, but follow me into the next moment, into the next room, into the next life.”

Resurrections are easy because believing does not cost us anything. But restorations? That is a whole new ball game. Restorations are hard and painful. Often they fail. But restoration is a Holy Labor. Funny how we always find the Jesus that “is” involved in acts of restoration, not one day a lifetime but every day of our lives. Follow and be restored.