In our gospel lesson this morning, Jesus’ disciples miss an incredible opportunity to share the gospel with a bunch of people who desperately wanted to hear it.
Thankfully, the Samaritan woman didn’t miss her opportunity. She told everyone about Jesus and John tells us that many people in that city came to believe in Jesus Because of her testimony.
Are we really thankful for this gospel lesson? Jesus tells us that if we want to become his disciples we must hate our families and our lives give up all our possessions, too.
Is this really the good news that we came to hear this morning?
Well, my hope is that by the time we're done this morning this will seem like good news; news for which we’ll gladly say, "Praise to you, O Christ!”
Sometimes there are parts of scripture that we’d rather not
hear, and today’s lesson is one of those.
Sure, we’re glad to hear the first part; where Jesus tells
us that the Father has chosen to give us the kingdom, but the second part?!
Well, that’s another story.
Jesus can’t be serious when he tells us we need to sell our
possessions and give all our money away? Can he?!
The Rich Fool's problem is that he doesn't recognize the source of his blessing, and as a result he puts his trust in the blessing rather than in the One who blesses.
We, too, must admit that at times we measure our worth by the abundance of our possessions, rather than in the true wealth given to us by God in Christ Jesus.
The key to understanding this difficult passage is to understand the "journey" that Christ is on. None of us is able to make the journey with him of for him, and that's the point.
This is Christ's journey, and only he can make it. That's what makes him our Savior. He walked the path for us, and when He was done he laid down his life for us and on the third day he rose again. And upon rising, he declared us his perfect disciples. Ultimately, the cost of discipleship is not what we pay. It’s what Christ has paid for us.
Once there was a man who was the member of a certain church. He’d been attending services regularly for quite some time, but recently he’d stopped going.
There was nothing wrong. No health issues. No family issues. He just didn’t feel like going anymore.
So after a few weeks, a member of the church council decided he’d
pay the man a visit. It was a chilly evening and when the council member arrived
at the man's home and he
found him sitting alone before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for the council member’s visit, the man welcomed
him in and
led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace. Then the
man sat in his chair by the fire and waited for the councilman to
speak.
But
there was only silence.
The councilman settled into his chair …
And made
himself comfortable …
But
he said nothing.
There was
only a grave silence –
The councilman contemplated the flames …
As they danced
around the burning logs –
Several minutes passed.
Then, the councilman took a pair of fire tongs …
And
carefully picked up a brightly burning ember …
And
placed it on one side of the hearth -- all alone.
And then
settled back into his chair.
The host watched in quiet fascination.
It wasn’t long before the one lone ember flickered …
And then
with a final momentary glow –
Its
flame went out …
And
it lay cold and dead on the hearth.
Still the councilman and the man said nothing –
They just
sat in silence-
Not a word had been spoken since their initial greeting.
Finally, the councilman was ready to leave –
Before standing up –
He took
hold of the tongs once again …
And
picked up the cold, dead ember …
And
placed it back in the middle of the fire.
Immediately, it began to glow with the light and warmth …
Of the
burning coals around it.
At the door, the host clasped the councilman’s hand –
And with
tears pouring down his cheeks, he said:
“Thank
you –
“Thank
you so much for your visit –
“And
especially for the fiery sermon!
“I will be back in church next Sunday.” +++++
And when they had finished breakfast –
Jesus said
to Simon Peter:
“Simon
son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter
replied:
“Yes,
Lord; you know that I love you.”
And Jesus
said to him:
“Feed
my sheep.”
Today's Gospel shows us that Jesus' followers …
Didn't know
what to do with the resurrection of Jesus –
Since that first Easter evening …
They’d been
having incredible experiences of the Risen Christ.
Jesus appeared to them in rooms with locked doors –
Along a
public road, and then disappeared from their sight –
But what were they supposed to do?
What was
supposed to happen next?
Well, eventually they decide it's time to go back …
To what
they’d been doing before Jesus called them into discipleship –
They go back to the sea of Galilee –
Also known
as the sea of Tiberias –
And
take up fishing again –
But Jesus has other plans for them –
Three times
he gives Peter the direction for their future –
He says to him:
“Feed my
lambs,
“Tend
my sheep,
“Feed
my sheep."
So why this emphasis on tending sheep?
What's
going on here?
Jesus is concerned about the future life of his followers.
He knows
they need tending –
And so he directs Peter –
And the rest
of the disciples –
To undertake the task of tending –
Feeding –
Nurturing
–
And
caring for Jesus' followers
And why did Jesus command this?
Because he knew that the impact of even the most incredible
experience …
Would
dissipate over time unless the person who experienced it …
Was
cared for –
Heck, as our gospel shows us –
Even the
impact of the resurrection –
Without
a doubt the most incredible experience of all time –
Even its
effect dissipated over time –
I mean, why else would the disciples have gone back to
fishing!?
Jesus knew that his followers needed to be cared for –
He knew
that our faith needed to be fed –
That’s why he sent Ananias to find Paul in our first lesson
this morning –
Jesus used
Ananias to strengthen Paul’s faith –
Just
like he wanted Peter to strengthen the other disciples’ faith –
Jesus knew that if the church was going to survive down
through the centuries …
The impact
of the resurrection …
And
the fire of faith …
Must
not be allowed to go out –
It must be
tended and stoked –
Just
like the ember in the story I told a moment ago –
As that story reminds us –
Without the
proper care …
Anyone's
spiritual life can fade away –
In fact, it’s not at all uncommon …
For someone
to have a deeply moving spiritual experience …
And then, in a matter of weeks –
Or perhaps months
–
Or
maybe even years –
The impact of that experience diminishes –
Till it
becomes just a distant memory –
The desire for God lessens –
And the fire
of faith goes out –
The un-tended Christian life …
Is bound
for extinction –
That’s why God sent Ananias to Paul in our second lesson
this morning –
And it’s
why Paul spent several days with the disciples …
After
his conversion –
God used
that time to strengthen his faith –
That's why Jesus tells Peter to:
“Feed my sheep.”
Because that’s how we remain strong in our faith as
Christians –
By
strengthening one another –
By
nurturing each other –
By tending
one another’s faith –
+++++
And so Jesus gives us the same directive today –
“Do you
love me?” he asks us –
Of
course we do, we tell him –
“Then feed
my sheep,” he says –
“Tend
the fire of faith in them –
“Nurture
their belief –
“Encourage
them to remain rooted in me.”
Is there someone you haven’t seen at church in a while?
Do you have
a friend or relative who needs their faith rekindled?
Then reach out to them …
As the
councilman reached out to the man in the story –
Go to them …
Just like
Ananias went to Paul in our second lesson this morning –
You can invite them to church –
But
sometimes that can be scary for them –
So maybe start by telling them how Jesus is working in your
life –
Or ask them
to tell you how Jesus has been active in their life –
