Faithfulness over Familiarity
This sermon was preached by Pastor Ted Carnahan for the Third Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2025.
Grace, mercy, and peace be with all of you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Before diving into today's sermon, I want to highlight something important. As Lutheran Christians, we sing the liturgy on a regular basis. During the season of Easter, we sing "This is the Feast," with lines such as "Might be to God and the Lamb forever, Amen." It's beautiful poetry, but it's also Scripture. One reason we sing the liturgy and keep the traditions of the ancient church is that we are literally taking words straight out of the Bible and applying them to ourselves.
This connects directly to our second reading from Revelation chapter 5, which describes the gathering of the saints of God around the throne of the Lamb, singing praises. We use these beautiful words from Scripture in our worship regularly.
Focus on Today's Readings
Today, I want to focus on two of the readings we spent time with this morning. While there is much to explore in the Gospel reading, our time is limited. Instead, I will center on the beautiful encounter between Peter and Jesus in the Gospel of John.
Peter's Denial and Reconciliation
Recall that the last recorded conversation between Peter and Jesus before this moment occurs on Maundy Thursday, the night Jesus was betrayed. Peter follows the police, chief priests, and scribes to Caiaphas' house. There in the courtyard, alongside John, he is questioned. Jesus had predicted this, saying, "Before the rooster crows three times, you will deny me." Sure enough, Peter is asked three times, "You're one of his disciples, aren't you?" Each time, he denies it, saying, "I am not."
Now, at the end of John's Gospel, Jesus and Peter are reconciling. It's a profound moment. Jesus says to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" The grammar isn't entirely clear about what "these" refers to, but I believe it points to the fish. Remember, Simon Peter was a fisherman. After Jesus' death and resurrection, unsure of what to do next, Peter returns to something familiar and comfortable—fishing.
He doesn't know what to do with the belief that Jesus rose from the dead, even though he's seen it with his own eyes. So, he goes fishing, and his friends, also fishermen by trade, join him. This isn't a hobby for them; it's their livelihood, the only thing they really know besides following Jesus.
The Miraculous Catch and Peter's Response
They encounter the risen Jesus Christ on the shore, and He gives them a miraculous catch of fish. Then Jesus asks Simon Peter, "Do you love me more than these?" He's asking if Peter cares more about Him, His message, and what He's done for and through him than the comfortable reality Peter once knew. Peter responds, "Yes, Lord."
Jesus asks him three times, "Do you love me more than these? Do you love me? Do you love me?" Each time, Peter affirms, "Yes." By the third time, he's offended, saying, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." Why three times? Because Peter denied Jesus three times. Now, Jesus reverses that curse. The one who once said, "No, I don't know him. No, I'm not one of his followers. No, he means nothing to me," now publicly declares, "Yes, Lord. Yes. Yes. I do love you."
Called Out of Comfort
However, this reconciliation doesn't mean things will be easy. The solution to Peter's aimlessness isn't to return to fishing or his familiar way of life but to carry the Word of God into the world, transformed by the reality that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
Jesus tells him, "When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." This is a prophecy of Peter's eventual martyrdom in Rome. Church tradition holds that Peter was crucified upside down for his Christian faith because he counted himself unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord Jesus.
As a brief aside, during discussions of papal conclaves—though as Lutherans we don't have a direct stake in this—blessings to our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic Church. You may see imagery of upside-down crosses in Catholic contexts. This isn't a satanic symbol; it's called the Petrine Cross, symbolizing the faithfulness of St. Peter who endured persecution to the end.
Saul's Transformation on the Damascus Road
This call out of comfort into God's purpose isn't just true for St. Peter; it's true for you and me. If you've ever thought, "Okay, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, but so what?" there's much to answer that question. One answer comes from John's Gospel: it calls us out of our comfort zone to do things that aren't safe or comfortable.
We see this early in the church with the story of Ananias and Saul. Saul, who we will later know as St. Paul, is initially a zealous persecutor of Christians. A well-educated man from Tarsus, a lieutenant for the Sanhedrin, he presides over their persecution and even martyrdoms like that of Stephen, the first deacon martyred for his faith.
Saul carries letters of introduction to Damascus, intending to arrest Christians there with authority from Jerusalem's chief priests. On the road, Jesus appears to him in a flash of light. Saul drops to his knees and hears a voice say, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
It's striking that Jesus doesn't ask why Saul persecutes Christians but why he persecutes Him personally. Jesus identifies so closely with His followers—the body of Christ—that harming them is harming Him. From his knees, Saul asks, "Who are you, Lord?" Already, he's compelled to confess Jesus as Lord, even if reluctantly.
Jesus responds, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Get up and go into the city, and I'll tell you what to do." Struck blind by Christ, this once-strong man leading others to arrest Christians is now led by the arm into Damascus, where he fasts and prays in darkness for three days.
Ananias' Faithful Obedience
Enter Ananias, a follower of Jesus in Damascus. News travels fast in a relatively small city like Damascus 2,000 years ago. Ananias already knows Saul is in town and what happened to him on the road.
When Jesus appears to Ananias and instructs him, "Get up and go to Straight Street. Look for a guy named Judas' house. There you'll find a man from Tarsus named Saul. Pray for him to regain his sight," Ananias hesitates. He knows Saul's reputation and purpose—to arrest people like him and lead them to Jerusalem for persecution or death.
He protests, "Lord, I know who this guy is. I don't want to go there. He came here to arrest people just like me. I've heard from many about how much evil he's done." Yet Jesus insists, "Go anyway. He is the instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel."
Ananias obeys. What he does next is astonishing. Approaching this man who came with murder and torture on his mind—not just for anyone but for him personally—Ananias addresses him with these first words: "Brother Saul."
Did you catch that? "Brother Saul." Jesus had said Saul is His chosen instrument who will become one of us. Ananias believes it. He enters the room where Saul is blind and praying and says, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way here has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately, scales fall from Saul's eyes—his spiritual and literal darkness cured. He believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, is baptized into Christ, and begins proclaiming in Damascus' synagogues something unimaginable from Saul of Tarsus: "Jesus is the Son of God."
Living Out Faithfulness
Sometimes we imagine being a Christian means comfort, happiness, and everything going our way. That is not always the case. Jesus doesn't intend for us to have a consistently comfortable life. Sometimes He grants it; sometimes He doesn't.
Faithfulness is key. At times, we will be placed in situations where a belt is fastened around our waist, leading us where we do not want to go. Our reaction should mirror Peter's and Ananias'. Not to say, "Lord, I won't go. I'm willing to follow you but not that far," but to declare, "My Lord, my God, I believe the word you have spoken, and now I will do it."
May you trust that the Lord Jesus cares about you but will send you where your faithfulness will be most productive. May you take risks for the kingdom of God in loving and forgiving those around you—even those who don't seem to deserve it. May you offer forgiveness and grace so others might see the goodness of God in Jesus. Amen.
