Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter Years 1 and 2 2024

Title

Following Jesus is Following His Will

Outline

We often make Jesus’ will to be our will

That is, we think we know what Jesus wants and plan to work it out and ask his blessing on these plans, but we do not first ask his will and then and only then make our plans. Today we have three examples of that will.

First, Paul

Once called as an apostle, Paul had always evangelized wherever he was and when circumstances or divine direction sent him elsewhere, he worked in a logical fashion. But he was responsive whenever God changed his plans.

He had gone to Jerusalem “bound in the Spirit” and was essentially working on calming Jewish Christian concerns about his mission to the Gentiles, not evangelizing at all, when he was almost lynched and ended up in prison, tried, and had to appeal to Rome. The journey had shown that God very much wanted him in Rome.

He barely arrives when he called a meeting of the leaders of the Jews, narrates how he had ended up in Rome, noting that he had no accusation to make against “my own nation,” and lays out his message to those leaders. “it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear these chains.” Paul does not try to “lay low” or change his message to influence folk. He does exactly what God had had him doing for decades.

As usual, the group split into one against Paul and another interested in his message, and, as his modus operandi was, Paul turned to the Gentiles. For two years “he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” Then Acts ends. Tradition has it that Paul was executed.

God’s plan, not Paul’s plan, even if he wanted to move in a systematic manner towards Rome.

Then, Peter

In the passage before our Jesus tells Peter to “feed my sheep” and then announces that one he was old (in Jewish literature that would be after age 50 with one being ready for death at age 70 or in unusual circumstances, 80) he would not be in control of his manner of death - others would “dress him” and take him. The number one apostle would be executed, tradition indicating that it was by execution.

Finally, the Beloved Disciples

John is anonymous, but it clearly indicates its source as a disciple who refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (not more than other disciples, but who was overcome by Jesus’ love), a man who knows Jerusalem well but Galilee less well. Tradition identifies him as John son of Zebedee, but I prefer to refer to him by his own designation.

Well, if Peter was to die and if (unknown to the Beloved Disciple) Paul was to die, it was natural for Peter to ease his discomfort about himself with, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus replies, “What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” Your business is following me; the Beloved Disciple is not your business.

Because Jesus also said, “What if I want him to remain until I come?” (In contrast to what he had said to Peter about his death) “the brothers”, poking their nose into someone else’s business, thought he would not die before Jesus returned. The Beloved Disciple or his amanuensis has to correct them. It may not have seemed logical, for seemingly more important disciples did die, it might have seemed cryptic, but in fact it was none of anyone else’s business. In fact, the Beloved Disciple himself or his amanuensis say nothing about his death. They apparently did not think that it was their business - following Jesus was their business.

Well, Sisters, that is our way as well

Jesus gives us a vocation and we make appropriate plans to live it out. But we always have to have our ears open for our plans may be rational and obedient, but Jesus has other plans and it is he, not we, who knows all. He is Lord and not we. Our job is to obey and change whatever in our detailed plans needs changing. Our future is his business, not our business. Perhaps we will get to look back and see how wise his plan was or perhaps not. Our real satisfaction is in knowing we followed his direction.

And it is his direction for each of us that should be important to each of us. As for others, it is none of our business, although it is appropriate to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn, knowing that the rejoicing will be relativized and the tears wiped away by the Lord himself in the end.