Jesus Calls Us
John 21:1-17; Acts 9:1-20[1]
Last week we talked about how we are always in the process
of “coming to faith” in the midst of new challenges and opportunities. And we
do that by responding to those challenges and opportunities with a faith that
is both true to life and true to who we are. But the question remains, what
does it look like for us to authentically “come to faith”? In one of our
Scripture lessons, we heard the story of Saul’s “conversion” on the road to
Damascus. That experience has been held up by many in our day as the definitive
model for what it means for us to truly come to faith in Jesus. We make a
complete, 180-degree turn in our lives. We turn away, in a dramatic experience,
from all that may lead us “astray” and determine to walk the “straight and
narrow path.”
That traditional view of conversion has resulted in a lot
of people getting “saved” who never really experience much of a change in the
way they live. Once the “drama” in the dramatic conversion wears off,
everything goes “back to normal.” I would say there’s something amiss when that
happens. In our Scripture lessons for today we hear the stories of three people
who, when Jesus called them, changed the way they were living their lives, and
never went “back to normal.” In part, that change took place because their
encounter with Jesus changed the way they viewed reality as a whole, and how
they were going about their lives. But I would say the Bible is full of stories
of people who changed the way they lived because of an encounter with God. And
the point of those stories is that truly coming to faith changes the way you
live.
In our Gospel lesson, Simon Peter and a number of the other
“apostles” have gone fishing. It’s a little confusing, because this story comes
after John’s Gospel has already told us about Jesus’ appearance to them, not
once but twice. It would seem that this story, which had the ring of truth to
it, never quite found a “home” in the tradition of preaching the good news that
came to be written down in our Gospels. What is notable is that it “explains”
how Simon Peter went from being a deserter to being a leader in the early
church. After boasting that though all the others might desert Jesus, he would
die before doing so (cf. Matt. 26:33/Mk. 14:29), Peter publicly denied even
knowing Jesus. Not once, but three times. It shouldn’t surprise us that Peter
went fishing. He likely thought his career as an “apostle” of Jesus was over.
But Jesus had different plans for Peter. Jesus revealed
himself to Peter as the one who was risen from the dead and called them all
back from fishing. Even Peter. After they shared a meal together, Jesus had an
unusual conversation with Peter. He began by asking, “Simon son of John, do you
love me more than these others do?” (Jn. 21:15, NLT). I would say it’s
likely that Jesus’ question alluded to Peter’s boast, which implied that he
loved Jesus more than the other disciples, because he would die with Jesus even
though the others deserted him. Peter, now a much humbler man after his bitter
failure, simply answered, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” And in
response, Jesus simply told him, “Feed my lambs.” Just a simple task, yet one
that would take all the love, all the energy, and all the strength he had to
give. And to leave no room for doubt about what Jesus had in mind for him, he
asked Peter the same question three times, and each time he told Peter that if
he loved him, Peter should show it by caring for the “flock.” Peter emerged
from this encounter with Jesus a changed man.
In our lesson from the book of Acts, we learn how Saul the
Pharisee encountered Jesus, alive and risen. Given our general impression of
St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, we might find the description of Saul the
Pharisee a bit shocking: he was “breathing threats and murder” against the
disciples of Jesus (Acts. 9:1)! It’s hard for us to imagine the same Apostle
who wrote “Love is patient; love is kind” (1 Cor. 13:4) acting out such vicious
hostility. But as he was on his way to carry out his violent intentions, he met
Jesus. I find it interesting that, when Jesus confronts him, “Saul, Saul, why
are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4), Saul replies, “Who are you, Lord?” Despite
his former notions about Jesus, Saul recognized that he was dealing with the
“Lord.” But nevertheless, I think he was stunned to hear the answer: “I am
Jesus, the one you are persecuting!” (Acts 9:5 NLT). And as we know,
that encounter with Jesus, alive and risen, changed his life. Saul the
persecutor became Paul the preacher of the Gospel.
But he wasn’t the only one who was changed. We also hear
how Ananias, one of the believers living in Damascus, was changed, and perhaps
the whole community of believers as well. Ananias had heard about Saul’s
violent persecution of believers. Like most of the Christians of that day, I’m
quite sure Ananias feared Saul. And yet, we hear that Jesus appeared to Ananias
in a “vision” and told him to “Go” and “ask for” Saul of Tarsus. It’s not
surprising that Ananias objected! But Jesus insisted, “Go, for Saul is my
chosen instrument” (Acts 9:15, NLT). And so Ananias went. But his
encounter with Jesus had also changed him. Instead of approaching Saul with
fear, he called him, “Brother Saul,” and he prayed for him. As a result, Saul
was welcomed into the fellowship of believers. I would say that played no small
role in the fact that Saul the former persecutor began preaching the Gospel so
effectively that the believers had to smuggle him out of Damascus for his own
safety.
Three stories of people who encountered Jesus, alive and
risen from the dead. Three stories of people whose lives were forever changed
by that encounter. Peter went from being a dejected failure to a leader of the
church. “Simon, do you love me more than these others do?” “Yes, Lord; you know
that I love you.” “Feed my lambs.” Saul went from being a violent persecutor to
a humble and obedient servant of the Gospel. “Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting me?” “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, the one you are
persecuting!” Ananias, and likely the whole community of believers, went from
living in fear of persecution to witnessing first-hand what God could do with
someone like Saul the Pharisee when they embraced him as a brother.
I would say that in each case, these people were following
a course of action that was dictated by their assumptions about their lives,
about their reality, and about other people. Peter went fishing, he wasn’t
feeding any lambs. Saul wasn’t proclaiming the Gospel, he was trying to stop
it. Ananias wasn’t about to go anywhere near Saul of Tarsus, let alone call him
“brother” or pray for him. But those assumptions were preventing them from
fulfilling the work of God’s kingdom. So Jesus, the one who was alive and risen
from the dead, confronted each of them. And in response, their lives were never
the same. It makes me wonder what assumptions we’re holding that may be
preventing us from fulfilling the work of God’s kingdom in our day. Perhaps
it’s time we submit them to Jesus, the one who is alive and risen from the
dead, so that we might learn from him how our lives need to change. Coming to
faith is always about responding to the call of Jesus in the midst of new
challenges and opportunities in a way that is both true to life and true to who
we are.
[1] ©
2025 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 5/4/2025 for
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
No comments:
Post a Comment