Qualifying the Unqualified

Based on Readings: Acts 9:1-6, 7-20; Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

Please pray with me. Lord, we pray you join us on this journey into your word. Bless us with an understanding of what you have to say. To your glory we pray. Amen.

Please close your eyes and let your mind take you to the year 68 AD, in ancient Rome. Now, open your eyes but stay in the year 68 AD! Though Rome rules the world, pagans and Jews have strong centers of influence. We Christians on the other hand are few in number. Some still worship behind closed doors, in whispers even. Our savior was executed a few short years ago and is most surely dead. Rumors of a resurrection have been heard but not widely, nor in sufficient detail to convince us that it really happened. And now, Peter and Paul, two of our most anointed evangelists have been executed. One could argue that with the death of these two great saints and the slimmest of hopes that the stories of the resurrection are true, Christianity is fighting for survival.

Now let’s step out of 68 AD back into the present. Let’s acknowledge that we know Peter and Paul, along with many other missionaries including the first missionary Phillip, have planted the seeds of the Christian church. “The Great Commission” has commenced and here we are some 2,000 years later continuing their work. Now does that not boggle your mind when you think about what I have just said? The seeds planted by a handful of evangelists some 2,000 years ago have yielded 2.5B Christians worldwide today. Clearly, the missions of Peter and Paul to start the Christian church were accomplished. But to what purpose?

The great statesman and military leader, Colin Powell, explains purpose this way. “Purpose is the destination of a vision. It energizes that vision, gives it force and drive. Leaders must embed their own sense of purpose into the heart and soul of every follower.” Our lessons today clearly lay out how Peter and Paul were affected that way by Jesus and did the same for their followers. And what an unlikely beginning . . . Peter, a humble fisherman who would deny Jesus three times. Paul who began as the tyrant “Saul”, fully committed to the destruction of everything Christian. As we consider our church leaders today, the next great leader could be an equal surprise – a teacher, a scientist, a singer, a plumber, or a builder. Do any of those vocations match any of you? Can you imagine being ordered by Jesus Christ to go forth and change the world? Jesus, our sovereign King can make anything happen, at any time, with any of us here as his instrument.

So, let’s talk about Saul who in our readings today was “still breathing threats and murder against the disciples and the Lord.” We ask Jesus how you can choose such a person as your instrument to carry your word to the Gentiles as well as Jews throughout the world? Saul all but threw the first stone at Saint Stephen, he not only does the dirty work of persecuting followers of the Word, but he seeks permission to bind them and drag them back to Jerusalem in chains.

Do you know similar people today? People who judge others, speak derisively about others, mock them for their political or personal opinions, or those who seek an audience to try to cower other people with loud, abusive voices? Well, Saul was worse! And yet, as Jesus often did, he chose the least qualified as his most important advocate. He strikes down Saul, humbles him in the dirt and blinds him. He sends him on to Damascus where now as Paul, he undergoes a transformation. The sight he temporarily lost was not only physical. He permanently lost the sight of hate. The sight restored was the sight of Jesus and an understanding of his love, mercy and forgiveness and most of all, an understanding of the path to eternal life.

This is a story of forgiveness, forgiveness for persecuting Jesus himself. It is a story of redemption of sin through Jesus’s love and grace. And a story of mission. Jesus has a mission for Paul, the great commission. Paul and Peter were contemporaries. From what I read, they were acquainted, either in person or by reputation, I am not sure, but they were aware of each other. Paul traveled much further than Peter did. Peter traveled some but focused his attention on Jerusalem. On the other hand, Peter was in the physical presence of Jesus Christ. He touched him, he heard his voice, ate with him, and slept with him. Peter saw tears on the face of Jesus and listened to his voice in prayer. Peter’s life was one of discipleship and love of Jesus, one of separation, and suffering; it was one of hope, and courage. I will throw in one more aspect of Peter’s life, the denial of all denials. When he was accused a third time of being with Jesus, he said, “Man I do not know what you are talking about.” And the rooster crowed.

We learn from the Gospel of John that with the crucifixion, Peter has returned to his prior life as a fisherman. He is no doubt reflecting on his 3 years with Jesus as well as 2 recent, prior sightings of the resurrected Christ. He is contemplating his separation from Jesus and likely suffering in shame from his denials. But the flame of the holy spirit is still burning within him. He and others are called upon early one morning by a man they do not recognize to go fishing again. I think Jesus was having a bit of fun. “let’s see how long it takes them to know me.” And of course, Peter recognizes him through the miracle catch. He is unblinded to his glory. After some time to process his grief and shame, as well as to rest and regain spiritual strength, he was now ready for “the great commission”.

Similarly, Paul went through the pain and shame of the persecution he had meted out to Christians over several years. He experienced his own baptism and received the Holy Spirit. His eyes were opened to the truth and glory of the Savior.

Have you ever thought much about the catch? They received an instruction not to give up no matter how futile the fishing had been. They were told to fish differently, on the other side of the boat. And by listening to Jesus, they were successful in their effort. Might this have been a metaphor for their upcoming mission. “Follow me and you will be catchers of men”?

Let’s look know at the rest of Peter’s reinstatement and mission assignment. Most good parents would rebuke their son for his denials. But did Jesus ask him if he was sorry? Did he judge Peter poorly? Did he ask Peter how he could do such a thing 3 times even, after all they had been through? No, Jesus set all that talk of guilt and shame aside. He simply asked Peter three times, “do you love me?” I see forgiveness in the question itself! Jesus told him three times to “feed my sheep”, to feed the human flock of Christians, both present and future. And also, that this work would end in his death.

The parallels in Peter and Paul’s stories are evident. They have been forgiven. Their sin has been redeemed. They have been assigned a mission with purpose. I think it is easy to see that Peter and Paul, the rest of the apostles, and hundreds of other ancient disciples are the bedrock of our church. Many like Peter and Paul willingly gave up their lives in the effort to birth and sustain the church. They lived in fear for their efforts much of the time. They lived with very few creature comforts, they had poor transportation, erratic mealtimes, and often had no idea where they were going to sleep at night. But they were sustained in prayer by the Holy Spirit. They had a sense of purpose, and they embedded that purpose into their followers as Jesus had them.

How about you and I? Do we feel a similar sense of mission to spread the gospel? Are we encouraged and strengthened by the example set by Peter and Paul? Are we concerned about our qualifications for such an assignment? My answer is “yes, I do not feel qualified”. Well, with great humility, I must say that we are members of the same club as Abraham, Moses, Peter and Paul – the first being an old nomadic wanderer, another a murderer, then a humble fisherman and finally, a tyrant of persecution. Did they have greatness in them all along? I would submit that the answer is no more than you and I. The secret sauce was Jesus’s intervention.

Now I am not suggesting that anyone here is the next Moses, though anything is possible with God. But I am suggesting that we can live a better life. We can speak more words of kindness. We can obey the 10 commandments. We can share our love of Jesus with others. We can seek his forgiveness when we sin. And we can open our mind and hearts to whatever mission God may call us to do.

Reassurance of his commitment to us is heard today in Psalm 30:3-5, “You brought me up oh Lord from the dead. You restored my life as I was going down to the grave. Sing to the Lord you servants of his. Give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness. For his wrath endures but for the twinkling of an eye, his favor for a lifetime.” Amen.