“Unfinished Business”
A Sermon Preached by the
Rev. Jean Niven Lenk
April 29, 2012
First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United
Church of Christ
Text: John 21:1-19
A few weeks ago, we celebrated a glorious Easter in this sanctuary. And then I went on vacation. Because, as one of my colleagues irreverently put it, “Jesus arose, and we pastors finally got to lie down.”
My thanks to Lance and Dana and Lindsay for leading worship the two Sundays I was away. And now, three weeks after Easter Sunday, the universal Christian church is still celebrating Easter, because Easter is not a day but a whole season. And during these weeks of Eastertide following Easter Sunday, our scripture lessons focus on Christ’s post-resurrection appearances to his followers. Several of these occur in the 20th chapter of the Gospel of John, which concludes with these words:
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”
This sounds like it would be an ideal ending to John’s account of Christ’s life. But John decides to add one more chapter to his Gospel because there is still some unfinished business to address.
We’re not sure just how long
after the first Easter the scene in this morning’s lesson from the 21st
chapter takes place. But it’s long enough for the disciples to
have decided that they must now get on with their lives without their friend and
teacher. Yes, they have seen the Risen
Christ, but clearly, things have changed since the day Peter dropped his
fishing nets by the shores of Galilee to follow Jesus. And so, he now returns to Galilee, the place
his relationship with Jesus first began, back to his roots, back to his old
profession.
Some other disciples join him for a night of
fishing, but their nets comes up empty.
Then, just as dawn is breaking, the Risen Christ appears to them on the
shore and, after helping them catch some fish, he invites them to breakfast
around a charcoal fire on the beach. That
fire no doubt reminds Peter of the charcoal fire he stood beside after sharing
a Last Supper with Jesus; the charcoal fire he stood beside as he denied Jesus
three times, just as Jesus had foretold.
There had been no chance for Peter to reconcile with before his beloved
friend was executed; no chance for explanations, apologies, forgiveness,
absolution. And so after their meal
beside this charcoal fire, Jesus speaks with Peter to take care of their
unfinished business.
To fully appreciate the nuances of their
conversation, it is first necessary to learn a little Greek, the language in
which the New Testament was originally written.
There are several different words for “love” in Greek, and two of them
appear in the original Greek of this passage.
One is phileo, which is a conditional,
quid-pro-quo kind of love; if you love me and are nice to me, then I will love
you and be nice to you back. Our word
philanthropy, literally meaning “love for humanity,” is derived from this Greek
root, as is Philadelphia, meaning "city of brotherly love."
But there is a
higher form of love – an unqualified love, a love without strings. The Greek word for this kind of love is agape.
Agape loves without conditions
and expects nothing in return. Agape love is self-sacrificing, freely
given, all encompassing, and devoted to the well-being of the other. Agape
has its perfect expression in Jesus Christ, and it is the kind of love that God
wants us to have for each other.
So there by the Sea
of Galilee, after breakfast, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me; do you love me
more than these other disciples?” What
Jesus is saying between the lines is, “Peter, there was a time when you said you
loved me more than the other disciples loved me. You said once that you would even die for me
[Mt 26:35], but you were the only one who denied me when the going got
tough. And so, do you love me with your
whole heart? Are you devoted to me? Do you agape
me?”
And in his answer, Peter says, “Lord, I phileo you.” Peter knows that implicit in the word agape is the willingness to lay down
one’s life for another, and when he denied Jesus, Peter showed his reluctance
to put his life on the line for Jesus.
Despite his failures of the past and his
less-than-wholehearted response now, Jesus still has a place for Peter: “Feed
my lambs.”
But Jesus does not stop there. A
second time, he asks Peter, “Do you agape
me?” And a second time, Peter responds,
“I phileo you.” And
Jesus again has something for Peter to do, “Tend my sheep."
And then, one more time, Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?” But this time, Jesus uses the Greek word phileo that Peter has been using. “Peter, do you phileo me? If you aren’t
willing to lay down your life for me, do you at least love me conditionally?”
We can imagine Peter being humbled by Jesus' choice of words, but also
encouraged that Jesus still wants him to carry on his ministry: “Feed my
sheep.”
No assigning
blame. No demanding explanations. No rehashing events. Instead, because Peter had denied Christ
three times, Jesus gives him three opportunities to affirm his love. Jesus takes care of unfinished business by
bestowing Peter with forgiveness, mercy, and grace, giving him the opportunity
to move beyond his failures to have a place in carrying on Christ’s ministry,
and Peter will become the rock upon which Christ’s church will be built.
But there is still
unfinished business.
The story continues now through you and me,
because Jesus asks each one of us the same question he asked of Peter: Do you
love me?
Each of us must look deep into our hearts and
answer truly, honestly, deeply for ourselves – do I love Jesus? Maybe we love Jesus wholeheartedly,
unconditionally, with agape
love. Or maybe we love Jesus reservedly,
hesitantly, cautiously, with phileo
love.
But you know what – if we say we love Jesus –
whether it’s with agape love or with phileo love -- no matter what kind of
love it is, Jesus is calling each one of us to carry on his ministry. There is a place for each one of us in
Christ’s church – the church Jesus commissioned the very flawed – and also
forgiven – Peter to establish.
There is unfinished business. And that unfinished business is the question
of how we will serve. Because it is not
enough to say the words, “I love Jesus.”
Christ commissions us, expects us, commands us to actually DO something to
show that love for him. Christ calls us
to feed his lambs, tend his sheep, and take care of his church.
I may be the pastor, but all of you are ministers, and the ministry of
the laity is a fundamental element of our faith. Jesus wasn’t a member of the priestly class;
nor was he a Pharisee or scribe; he was a lay person; and yet, he became the
most important and influential religious leader of all time.
Most of the ministries of this church are, in fact, carried out by lay
people. The word laity comes from the
Greek word laos, which originally meant the whole people of God. “Minister” is another word for servant,
particularly a servant of God. Thus, the
ministry of the laity literally means the whole people of God serving. This means everyone – not just the ordained
clergy, but all of you as well. Some
people think that it is the laity who go to church and the clergy are the
church. But the fact of the matter is
without you, the church would not exist because you ARE the church.
This is the season we ask you to consider what gifts and talents and
areas of interest you have and how you might offer them to Christ’s
church. The ministry opportunities we
have are many and varied. If you are
approached by Paul Christensen or Janet Clough or Adam Isbitsky or anyone else
seeking your participation, I hope you will consider saying “yes.” But please don’t wait to be asked. Please consider how you might like to serve –
whether it’s leading a small group, teaching a class of children or adults,
serving on a board or committee, or reaching out to the greater community. And then let us know!
Jesus asks each one of us: “Do you love me?”
And if you do love Jesus – even a little –
there is a place for you, there is unfinished business each one of us needs to
take care of, for the good of the Church and for the love of Christ.
Amen.
