Reflection on Luke 9:28-43 - Trinity

 

The pastor found her just around the corner of the funeral home, sitting in the long-cut, Georgian lawn, staring forward.

“May I sit beside you?” the pastor asked.

“Sure,” the young woman said with a smile.

The pastor lowered himself, making an indent in the long grass; legs outstretched matching the young woman’s.

He looked over at her face and was confused by what he saw. What he expected to see was anguish. What he expected to see were red eyes and a running nose that required one of the pre-loaded tissues in his breast pocket. The pastor expected to be counseling a crushed soul who needed a savior in a harsh world.

Instead, he saw that the smile that she had given him still lingered as she stared forward across the lawn. Granted, it was a smile with a slight hint of pain, but a smile none-the-less.

“You’ve just lost your husband. I can’t believe you would have a smile left in you.”

“Not just my husband Reverend, but also my grandfather a month ago, and my best friend to an automobile accident two months ago.” After she spoke, there was a great silence. The smile lingered in the silence.

Finally breaking the silence the Pastor stated, “You know, when someone loses so many people in such a short period of time, it is normal to be angry with God. Some people wonder why bad things happen to good people. Still others wonder if God is good at all. This is all normal, in case you’ve felt any of it recently.”

“Thank you Reverend for your words, but I tend not to worry about the things I cannot know or answer. I don’t know why bad things happen to good people or if God intended all of these bad things to happen. Maybe, God wants to prove a point, or maybe they just happened. I don’t know. I don’t get riled up about such things. There are depths to God that I just cannot know, so I don’t worry about them. But, there is one thing that I do know…one thing that keeps me going…one thing that allows me to smile even now.”

The Pastor searched her face, waiting for the answer; waiting as a gentle breeze blew waves across the lawn.

As the woman indicated, there are just some things that we cannot know about God.

Oh, how we wish we could ascend the mountain with Jesus and his disciples, see the glory of God shining through Jesus, and listen in on the holy discussion that Jesus has with Moses and Elijah about the depths of God’s purpose. Oh, how we wish, like Peter, that we could pitch a tent with the three of them, and over the course of a few days be guided and enlightened by the deep truths of the Holy One. But, the reality is: such insights into the divine are short-lived and fade quickly.

I remember one night in college; I was pondering the depths of God’s grace in my mind.  No, I was not some holy child during my college years, I had a paper to write on the subject.  None-the-less, I was pondering God’s grace.  I was just on the edge of sleep, and at that very moment I had an insight. It was as if I had been brought up the mountain of God to see the depths of God’s heart. And, for one instance…one brief moment…I felt what it must be like for Jesus to love even an enemy so much that he would go to the cross for them.

I can remember that what I felt was an empathy that understood someone’s pain, their longings, their misguided desires to fix their world. For one brief moment, I felt what it must be like to have unconditional love with no reservations. But, it was just a moment later, and in the next it was gone.

It is weird, I remember that I had the experience, but I cannot for the life of me bring myself back to that mindset where I had that unconditional love with no reservations. That memory blew away just as quickly as it had come. The depth of God’s love that I understood for that brief moment is just as hidden today as it had been before that mountaintop experience. Some things just are not available to us to understand.

Maybe, it is because our visions of Jesus’ pure light are so brief that God gives us further instructions.  Maybe it is because of the inaccessibility of God’s depths…the inaccessibility to the answers to the questions such as “Why do we suffer?” and “Does God intend this evil for good?”…that God does speak out clearly from the cloud saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

“Listen to him.”

Listen to Jesus.

In fact, this church’s vision statement practically is the transfiguration story.  Our vision statement, by the way, is the thing that guides who we are and who we could be as followers of Christ.  Our vision statement is: “Come and see, come and serve, follow Christ.”  “Come and see.”  Come and see who Jesus really is, the holy one…God’s very hands and feet come to the world.  He is the one revealed to us in the transfiguration. 

“Come and serve.”  We will get to that one in just a second.  It is “follow Christ” which gets at what God is saying when God booms that voice from the clouds, “Listen to him.”  We listen to Jesus. We look at his life. We pay attention to him.  We follow him.  And when we do, we will see who God is and what God cares about. 

And this is where the “come and serve” part off our vision comes into play.  When we see what God cares about, then we know how to serve God.

As we watch Jesus walk down the mountain, we do see, immediately, what God cares about. 

In the story, God cares about a child.  One of the lowly ones is brought to Jesus, infested with a terrible spirit. The child spits and snarls and screeches. No one else has been able to give him any help.

Maybe, no one believes that he can be helped. Maybe, no one believes that he is important enough to be helped. Maybe, people are afraid to even look at him. That is what people tend to do when they see the hopeless walking about, they tend to look away.

But, Jesus looked. He looked and he healed. Maybe, we do not know what it feels like to have God’s unconditional love…love that knows no enemies and fears no one…, but we know what it looks like. It looks like giving time to even the most lost of causes. Even people who are the most lost of causes are children of God.

“This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

“Thank you Reverend for your words, but I tend not to worry about the things I cannot know or answer. I don’t know why bad things happen to good people or if God intended all of these bad things to happen. Maybe, God wants to prove a point, or maybe they just happened. I don’t know. I don’t get riled up about such things. There are depths to God that I just cannot know, so I don’t worry about them. But, there is one thing that I do know…one thing that keeps me going…one thing that allows me to smile even now.”

And, she pointed straight ahead. Ahead, the Reverend saw what looked to be a three year old boy spinning with his face to the sky with complete abandon. He recognized the boy as the woman’s son. The boy seemed oblivious to the pain surrounding his world.

“I smile because of him. I smile because Jesus cared that little children be given a fair shot at life.  In the Bible Jesus takes the time to stop what he is doing and heal children. Well, that boy right there deserves the same. He does not deserve a broken mother or a broken world. I smile because I love him, and he needs that love right now.”

The child stopped spinning, and waved to his mother and the pastor. The mother kept smiling and the pastor gave a smile of his own. It was a fake smile, of course. But, for the child it was the reassurance that life can be whole and new and wonderful again. The smile told the story of the cross...of death and resurrection. One does not need to understand the depths of God to understand the need for God’s unending love.

Reflection on Luke 9:28-43 - Wysox

 

The pastor found her just around the corner of the funeral home, sitting in the long-cut, Georgian lawn, staring forward.

“May I sit beside you?” the pastor asked.

“Sure,” the young woman said with a smile.

The pastor lowered himself, making an indent in the long grass; legs outstretched matching the young woman’s.

He looked over at her face and was confused by what he saw. What he expected to see was anguish. What he expected to see were red eyes and a running nose that required one of the pre-loaded tissues in his breast pocket. The pastor expected to be counseling a crushed soul who needed a savior in a harsh world.

Instead, he saw that the smile that she had given him still lingered as she stared forward across the lawn. Granted, it was a smile with a slight hint of pain, but a smile none-the-less.

“You’ve just lost your husband. I can’t believe you would have a smile left in you.”

“Not just my husband Reverend, but also my grandfather a month ago, and my best friend to an automobile accident two months ago.” After she spoke, there was a great silence. The smile lingered in the silence.

Finally breaking the silence the Pastor stated, “You know, when someone loses so many people in such a short period of time, it is normal to be angry with God. Some people wonder why bad things happen to good people. Still others wonder if God is good at all. This is all normal, in case you’ve felt any of it recently.”

“Thank you Reverend for your words, but I tend not to worry about the things I cannot know or answer. I don’t know why bad things happen to good people or if God intended all of these bad things to happen. Maybe, God wants to prove a point, or maybe they just happened. I don’t know. I don’t get riled up about such things. There are depths to God that I just cannot know, so I don’t worry about them. But, there is one thing that I do know…one thing that keeps me going…one thing that allows me to smile even now.”

The Pastor searched her face, waiting for the answer; waiting as a gentle breeze blew waves across the lawn.

As the woman indicated, there are just some things that we cannot know about God.

Oh, how we wish we could ascend the mountain with Jesus and his disciples, see the glory of God shining through Jesus, and listen in on the holy discussion that Jesus has with Moses and Elijah about the depths of God’s purpose. Oh, how we wish, like Peter, that we could pitch a tent with the three of them, and over the course of a few days be guided and enlightened by the deep truths of the Holy One. But, the reality is: such insights into the divine are short-lived and fade quickly.

I remember one night in college; I was pondering the depths of God’s grace in my mind.  No, I was not some holy child during my college years, I had a paper to write on the subject.  None-the-less, I was pondering God’s grace.  I was just on the edge of sleep, and at that very moment I had an insight. It was as if I had been brought up the mountain of God to see the depths of God’s heart. And, for one instance…one brief moment…I felt what it must be like for Jesus to love even an enemy so much that he would go to the cross for them.

I can remember that what I felt was an empathy that understood someone’s pain, their longings, their misguided desires to fix their world. For one brief moment, I felt what it must be like to have unconditional love with no reservations. But, it was just a moment later, and in the next it was gone.

It is weird, I remember that I had the experience, but I cannot for the life of me bring myself back to that mindset where I had that unconditional love with no reservations. That memory blew away just as quickly as it had come. The depth of God’s love that I understood for that brief moment is just as hidden today as it had been before that mountaintop experience. Some things just are not available to us to understand.

Maybe, it is because our visions of Jesus’ pure light are so brief that God gives us further instructions.  Maybe it is because of the inaccessibility of God’s depths…the inaccessibility to the answers to the questions such as “Why do we suffer?” and “Does God intend this evil for good?”…that God does speak out clearly from the cloud saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

“Listen to him.”

Listen to Jesus.

One of this church's stated values has to do with paying close attention to Jesus.  Our values are those things that we hope every member of the congregation would find vital to their lives and incorporate into their lives.  These are the values:

Jesus Centered Worship

Real, Caring Relationships

Active Generosity

Loving Service

Sharing Faith

All the values are essential, and I hope that your life will reflect each one, but the value that we are talking about today is the first one: “Jesus Centered Worship.”  We are a people who are Jesus centered.  Our decisions in life are based on looking at Jesus and listening to him.  We listen to Jesus. We look at his life. We pay attention to him, and when we do, we will see who God is and what God cares about.

 As we watch Jesus walk down the mountain, we do see, immediately, what God cares about. 

In the story, God cares about a child.  One of the lowly ones is brought to Jesus, infested with a terrible spirit. The child spits and snarls and screeches. No one else has been able to give him any help.

Maybe, no one believes that he can be helped. Maybe, no one believes that he is important enough to be helped. Maybe, people are afraid to even look at him. That is what people tend to do when they see the hopeless walking about, they tend to look away.

But, Jesus looked. He looked and he healed. Maybe, we do not know what it feels like to have God’s unconditional love…love that knows no enemies and fears no one…, but we know what it looks like. It looks like giving time to even the most lost of causes. Even people who are the most lost of causes are children of God.

“This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

“Thank you Reverend for your words, but I tend not to worry about the things I cannot know or answer. I don’t know why bad things happen to good people or if God intended all of these bad things to happen. Maybe, God wants to prove a point, or maybe they just happened. I don’t know. I don’t get riled up about such things. There are depths to God that I just cannot know, so I don’t worry about them. But, there is one thing that I do know…one thing that keeps me going…one thing that allows me to smile even now.”

And, she pointed straight ahead. Ahead, the Reverend saw what looked to be a three year old boy spinning with his face to the sky with complete abandon. He recognized the boy as the woman’s son. The boy seemed oblivious to the pain surrounding his world.

“I smile because of him. I smile because Jesus cared that little children be given a fair shot at life.  In the Bible Jesus takes the time to stop what he is doing and heal children. Well, that boy right there deserves the same. He does not deserve a broken mother or a broken world. I smile because I love him, and he needs that love right now.”

The child stopped spinning, and waved to his mother and the pastor. The mother kept smiling and the pastor gave a smile of his own. It was a fake smile, of course. But, for the child it was the reassurance that life can be whole and new and wonderful again. The smile told the story of the cross...of death and resurrection. One does not need to understand the depths of God to understand the need for God’s unending love.

Reflection on Luke 6:27-38

 

God the Father is so very good.  Like most good fathers out there, God is so forgiving.  It does not matter what you do, God will still love you.  It is who God is. 

Even when we go astray; even when we wander away, even when we turn our face; God shows us mercy and makes in God’s house a place.  God the Father is so very good.  It is who God is. 

It is in God’s very nature to be gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.  Even to the ungrateful and the wicked, God is kind.  It is who God is.

And, my deepest wish is that I could be like God.  Not in a pretend that I am God and make my brother clean my room or he will get thrown into hell sort of “be like God” way.  Not that that ever happened.  Rather, I wish that I could love like God loves; showing mercy to friends and the enemies alike.  I deeply wish that I could have a love like that. 

I deeply wish that I could have a love that would welcome the wayward child back home with open arms and no regrets or resentments. 

I deeply wish that I could have a love that would care for the poor and feed the hungry without wondering if they deserved such grace. 

I deeply wish that I could look into my enemies’ eyes and see the person who is suffering deep hurt and in need of healing.  I wish that I could take a blow and turn the other cheek receiving another blow, yet never forgetting to look into their eyes, seeing their suffering and need for care and a cure. 

I deeply wish that I could lend my shirt and not become bitter because of the cold.  I deeply wish that I could be like God, filled with God’s amazing grace.

I think I had it once.  I think we all did.  I see how my little boy hears me say, “Wow, I’m thirsty” and he simply runs and gets me some water without being asked.  That is pure, untainted love. 

He reminds me of the day that well over 5,000 hungry people were fed by the hand of the Lord Jesus.  They did not need to prove anything to be shown such love.  They simply needed to be hungry.  Love says, “Feed someone when they are hungry.”  Love is simple.  It shows grace and offers the meal.  It simply runs and gets the water.

But, I think that the disciples had lost this simple love in the same way that we all do.  We are taught that something else is more important.  “Send the crowds away,” the disciples demand Jesus, “so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions” (Luke 9:12).  Somehow, somewhere we learn that people’s self-reliance should be held higher than love. 

Jesus does not let the god of self-reliance win the day.  Rather, Jesus demands that love be given the highest place in our lives.  “You give them something to eat.”  Then Jesus takes their five loaves of bread and two fish and feeds the entire crowd.  Love for the crowd wins the day, that day.  But, there is still plenty of opportunity to forget the lesson of love.

I remember once when I was a kid giving one of my favorite toys to another child who did not have something to play with that day.  It was love.  When it was discovered that I had given the toy away, I was told that the child had parents of his own.  I was not to give away gifts that others worked hard for me to receive.  That day I learned that money which buys me things was important.  I learned that money and things are more important than love.

And, just like that, our love is lost, little by little as we grow.  Losing a sense of mercy is almost as automatic as losing teeth.  We simply forget.

Someone who had just experienced a divorce came to me once, filling my head with the horrors of their former spouse; a person I had previously liked very much.  They demanded loyalty of me.  They demanded that their enemy be my enemy. They demanded that I not be friends.  They demanded that I forget how to love.  For them, loyalty was much more important than love, and compassion, and forgiveness.  And, in convincing me of their truth, I lost a little more of that divine gift called love.

After-all, love can be dangerous.  Turning the other cheek when one side is slapped can lead to two sore cheeks and an enemy retaining power.  We cannot live in a society with no repercussions.  So, love is thrown into the back seat.

If everyone in the ancient world were to give their shirt also when their coat was taken, the entire societal system of service and slavery developed so that the poor would pay back the rich would crumble.  You cannot allow an entire society to crumble because of mere sentimentality.  So, love is abandoned and God’s ways are lost.

There was a reason that Jesus was hung on a cross, and it was not because he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.  It is because of his insistence that God’s love can transform and save.  But, you see, love does not win wars or plunder wealth.  Love does not maintain the division between the rich and the poor.  Love does not allow people to be hated or used as scapegoats for other’s problems.  God’s radical sort of love is a dangerous idea to the world, and ideas like that need to be stopped.  The world does not desire transformation and salvation.

But, I do.  I want transformation.  I deeply wish that I could be transformed into a person who loves others just as God loves me.  After-all, I have hurt others.  I have taken what was not mine.  I have been an enemy.  And, so have you…if you are honest.  All of us have.  All of us at one point or another have forgotten what love is all about. 

But, Jesus has never forgotten.  And, Jesus has never abandoned the idea that love can transform and save.  Jesus has looked upon us, as feeble as we may be, and determined that though we are sometimes ungrateful, and wicked, and misdirected, and unforgiving, and unloving, that he would be merciful anyway, just as the Father is merciful.  He loved you and me all the way to the cross.  The cross is the ultimate in cheek turns.  Choosing death for our undeserving sakes is the very definition of loving the enemy. 

Do you not see?  Only love can win the day, every time. Only love defeats death.  Only love is the answer.  Only love saves the lost.  Only love feeds the hungry.  Only love raises the dead to new life.  Only love leaves the mark of salvation on our souls.

So, take a moment to forget all that you have been taught by the world about what is important in life, and learn again the lesson you understood so well as a little child…the lesson of love.  Hear now the word of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of love:

"Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you."

(Luke 6:35-38)

 

Reflection on Luke 6:17-26

 

There is one thing that I want you to keep in the back of your mind as we explore the “blessings” and “woes” in this scripture: I want you to keep in the back of your mind all of those normal, everyday folk like yourselves who gather around Jesus to be healed and cured of unclean spirits.  In fact, I want you to imagine that you are right there as Jesus descends the heights, stepping down the rocks, to be present with you, a normal, average person with normal struggles, illnesses, and fears in life. 

Choose any normal occupation, ancient or otherwise: bread maker, mechanic, gas station attendant, seamstress, waitress, cup barer, etc.  Choose one and pretend that you are that person, just trying to scrape by in life, not having the money to get the aches and pains looked at by a doctor, and you see Jesus walking toward you.  And, as he walks toward you, you can literally see the healing of people right before your eyes as he walks through the crowd; like a parting of the now healed who run off in joy. 

Jesus has intentionally descended the heights to bring healing to the hard working, struggling, scraping to get by, normal, everyday person such as yourself.

Keep that image in your mind and do not lose it as we study the “blessings” and “woes” that follow.  This image is really, really important.

Once after worship, at another church, I talked with a man who puffed on a cigarette outside the church door with a disturbed look on his face.

“I have a question for you,” the man threw my way as I exited the church.  “I think it is just fine that Jesus blesses the poor and the struggling and the excluded.  I would too.  But, the problem that I just can’t shake is all of the ‘woes’ that Jesus gives the people.  He seems to be cursing all sorts of people: people who have money, people who are happy, and people who are well liked.  I come to church to hear about our loving God, but today I heard a God who curses people and sends them to hell for being well off and happy.  And, I know it’s not you pastor; you are just preaching what is right there in the Bible.  But, to tell you the truth, my job does me well.  I am respected.  I am happy most of the time.  Does that mean I’m going to hell?  I ran away from a terrible church that preached a God that curses us a long time ago. I don’t need that.”

These “woes” quite honestly shook the man to the core.  And, I understand where he is coming from.  Countless are the times that I have heard stories of people who have fled an image of God as punisher; bringing curses to burn us into being better people. 

This image of God is very real in some churches out there, and the good news of Jesus’ forgiveness and never-ending love of the sinner (which is the essence of the gospel message…which is the message of the cross) is always a welcome and freeing word to those who have only heard of a God that punishes.  Jesus is always saving people from such assumptions about who God is and what God does.  But, that was the very problem in this guy’s case, because the one seemingly doing the cursing was Jesus himself!

Do you know what helped this man?  A little good old fashioned Bible study.  That’s right; Bible study is not only a device of boredom induced torture.  Sometimes, it can actually bear the good news of Jesus Christ, and through it Jesus can save.

You see, the man made a really big assumption.  He assumed that “woe” means “cursed.”  And, that is totally natural because when bad things befall us even today we hear people say “Woe is me!”  But, in the Greek, “woe” does not mean “cursed.”  And, if “woe” does not mean “cursed,” then that means that Jesus is not cursing anyone here. 

What “woe” does mean in the Greek, and this is a little hard to get at in the English, is something like, “Watch out!” with a strong hint of grief mixed in.  It is an exclamation that either something bad is happening or, more to the point, something bad could happen.  When you read these “woes” in this way in sounds kind of like this:

“But watch out all of you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25“Watch out all of you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Watch out all of you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26“Watch out all of you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Reading the “woes” in this way just makes a lot of sense because it speaks of a deep truth: anything can happen in this world.  Anything can change.  You cannot rely on your wealth because the stock market could crash tomorrow and it could all be gone.  You might not be hungry today, but you have no idea what will happen tomorrow.  A massive famine can wipe out all of the crops and dry up your gardens.  You might be laughing today, but you know that tragedy can, and probably will happen tomorrow.  And, just look at the highly regarded celebrities of today.  They say just one wrong thing and their career is on the rocks.  Your reputation is just one self-inflicted, idiotic remark away from dissolving like a fine mist in the sun. 

Remember at the start when I asked you to imagine being one of those normal, everyday, struggling people who sought to be healed by Jesus?  The truth is that any one of us could be that person at any time.

“I have been that person before,” the man said as he puffed on his second cigarette.  “Many times.  You know what is interesting?  During the times I struggled, I think that I prayed that Jesus would pull me through more than any other time in my life.  I think that I trusted Jesus more in those times.  I need to think on that one pastor.”

And, as Jesus wades through the crowds, healing people on all sides as he approaches you, Jesus looks at you, his disciple and says:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.”

And, as you imagine yourself, a normal, struggling bread maker or gas station clerk, standing and watching Jesus come near, you are certain that Jesus can heal you too.  You pray that his heavenly power will flow into you also.  As he comes near, you trust that Jesus can make all things new.

The Greek word for “Blessed,” by the way, is also hard to translate into English.  But, the idea behind the word is that something is made “large” or “extended.”  In other words, when Jesus “blesses” he extends his care to us, or makes his concern for us larger.  So I guess Jesus is saying:

“Loved and respected are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Loved and respected are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Loved and respected are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22Loved and respected are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.”

And, as Jesus approaches with his loving eyes and his healing hands, we feel not only the tingling of his healing power, but also the love and respect with which he regards us. 

We are not just normal, everyday people after-all.  We are the children of God and Jesus shows us the love and respect that the world cannot.  The world divides, but as followers of Jesus we are a people who approach everyone in the world with love and respect, especially the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the excluded.

Reflection on Luke 5:1-11

 

The truth is that this life can be so tiring.  This is so true for all of us who continue to work our way through these long, troubled days, and it was true in the past too. 

Simon, James, and John were tired too.  They had just worked all night, fishing on the lake of Gennesaret.  And, though they had worked hard throughout the night, they caught no fish.  When Jesus comes along the lakeshore, teaching the crowds, these three are just trying to get their nets cleaned so that they can go home and rest. 

A nap would have been so nice, but, Jesus asks Simon to put his boat out a little ways so that he can teach the crowds that have pressed him into the waters.  Simon does so. 

Then, after teaching the crowds, Jesus tells Simon to sail further out and put down the nets; the nets that he had just cleaned.

I do not know the type of person you become when you are frustrated, angry, and probably a little hungry on top of it all, but apparently Simon is a lot like me.  Being tired, hangry, and frustrated, has a way of taking nice, calm, diplomatic sounding words and just letting them spill all over the place like a river of toxic waste.  It never looks or sounds good.  This is how Simon’s response sounds to Jesus’ request to let the nets down again. 

“Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing.  Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 

It is like a customer demanding that a car mechanic replace the blinker fluid.  “Ok, if you say so.  The customer is always right!” 

It is like a patient demanding to have sugar pills for their pain.  “Ok, if you say so.  Take three.  Heck!  Take ten.  Whatever you say.”

You have to understand that Simon, James, and John are professional fisherman.  They have been doing this since they were children.  And, now some fly by night preacher is just going to tell them to go lower their nets over in the deepest part of the lake to catch fish; because we all know that the fish love to gather in the deepest part of the lake. 

The truth is that they are tired.

The truth is that we are tired.

How many times have you tried to make your little corner of the world just a little better; just a little more efficient, or just a little more kind, or just a little more rational, or just a little more loving?  But the truth is that people are people and people sometimes are not very bright, or organized, or loving.  It is like beating your head against a wall over and over again just to make the slightest of improvements.  It is all a little tiring. 

How many times have you worked hard to improve your situation in life and something always comes up?  It reminds me of the time that we had just gotten to the point in life where we could save up just a little bit of money to go somewhere and do something fun.  Then, on a bright, sunny day, with no wind in the air, an enormous tree in our yard just up and decides that it is going to die…right on my car.  I tell you, I let that dead tree have it.  If it were alive, and had emotions, and had eyes, it would have feared the torrential barrage of rocks and inappropriate words that I was throwing at it.  The truth is that we all sometimes get very, very discouraged and tired.

And, that is exactly what is so amazing about this story, because though Simon, James and John were so very tired and discouraged; Jesus chose them to be his guys.  Out of all the hundreds of people who were swarming to get Jesus’ attention at the lakeshore that morning, Jesus chose these tired and frustrated guys to be his.  Why?

Maybe, it is because they put down their nets anyway.  Even though they knew it was of no use, they put their nets down anyway.  Even though all they wanted to do was go home and take a nap, they put their nets down anyway.  Even though the truth was that they were tired and frustrated, they put their nets down anyway.  Because, maybe, just maybe, Jesus knows something that we do not know.  Maybe, Jesus knows that there are so many fish that they will not even be able to haul in their nets.  Maybe, Jesus knows that God is so plentiful that their boats will begin to sink from God’s gift. 

Have you ever done that?  Have you ever just gone ahead and followed Jesus, even if your heart was not in it?  Have you ever forgiven someone, not because you wanted to, but because it is the way of Jesus?  Have you ever provided for someone, not because they deserved it…they most certainly did not…but because it is the way of Jesus?  Have you even just set your nets into the water anyway?

Here is the truth: faith is so often simply trusting that Jesus knows what he is doing.  Faith is so often just doing it anyway, because you know that even if you cannot make a difference, Jesus can.

You see, Jesus can turn your little boat into a pulpit where the word of God touches hundreds of people’s lives.  Jesus can fill your nets when you have been unable to even find a single fish.  Jesus can call your name and lead you out of a tired life into a holy life.  Jesus can transform everything. 

Now, undoubtedly, there is a little voice somewhere in the back of your head that is saying something like, “Jesus does this sort of thing to other people.  Not to me.  After-all, I am not good enough, or smart enough, or healthy enough, or young enough, or old enough, or good looking enough.”

You are not alone.  The truth is that Simon felt the same way.

After pulling in the bounty of fish, Simon Peter falls down at Jesus’ knees and says over and over again, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”  In other words, Peter hears the voice too.  He too is convinced that he is not good enough.  He knows who he is.  He knows all that he has done.  He is a rotten fish in a sea of clean, fresh water. 

Yet, Jesus’ response is not, “It’s OK Peter, you are forgiven.  Try harder next time.”  Instead, Jesus’ response to Peter is, “Do not be afraid…”

“Do not be afraid.” 

We have heard this before.  God sends the angels to both Mary and the shepherds with these words of invitation, “Do not be afraid.”  And, Jesus will continue to invite people into his way and his life with the words, “Do not be afraid.” 

Jesus is calling you.  Do not be afraid.  Do not let the sins of the past hold you back.  

Do not be afraid.  Do not let what others have said about you, “You are too fat,” “You are too stupid,” “You are too old,” “Your are too young,” “You are too caring,” “You are too stubborn,” “You are too…whatever!” hold you hostage. 

Do not be afraid.  You are good enough.  You are God’s child.  You are a brother or sister of Jesus.  And, Jesus is choosing to say to you: "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." 

You are good enough to be given a purpose from God.  You are a part of God’s story.  Do not be afraid, God has chosen you.  Do not be afraid.  The truth is that the Lord has called you to follow.

I love that Simon, James and John just drop their things and follow Jesus.  They just let it all go.  Like Jesus, they just let the past go.  Like Jesus, they just let the fear go.  Like Jesus, they just let their tiredness go.  Like Jesus, they just let their sinfulness go.  They just let it all go and they follow.

What is it that you need to let go?  What is it that holds you back from Jesus’ call?  What is it that stubbornly gets in the way of you being who God created you to be? 

Jesus says to you today, “Do not be afraid.”  Go ahead, let it go, leave it all here today, and follow your savoir.