Third Sunday of Easter Yr C 2025

Title

The Vision behind the Obedience

Outline

What is it the gave Peter and his colleagues the courage to say, “We must obey God rather than men?”

It is clear that the risk of such an answer, especially as Peter amplifies it, was great, as the flogging and even more the 8 verses left out show. But they answered this way despite the risks.

We could easily say, “the Holy Spirit,” which while a part of the answer is a part that Peter classifies with “witnesses.” And surely the Spirit helped them recall what they had witnessed but I suggest that he also turned their vision to two other places.

The first is a vision of God as we see in Revelation

While Peter did not have Revelation, I suggest that in his meditation or even in a spiritual experience he did have Isaiah ch 6 and Jesus’ commentary on such experiences. Once one catches the vision of God, the grandeur of the heavenly court, the response of all creation, one is hardly afraid of the pipsqueaks like Herod, Pilate, and the Sanhedrin or even the Roman Emperor. Then in the midst of this are the repeated references to “the Lamb,” “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.” The earthly authorities killed him and he did not resist, but there he is, still bearing the wounds, in closest proximity to God himself. Death exalted him, and so my death with Christ will be for my good. What do I fear?

The second experience is their experience of the risen Christ, especially that in our Gospel, John ch 21.

Peter, along with 6 other disciples has gone fishing while waiting for Jesus; it was a useful thing to do. Jesus poses in the morning as a fish buyer, but his giving them an instruction both turns their fruitless night into overwhelming fruit and makes the beloved disciple remember another event on the lake: “It is the Lord.” This time as at that earlier time Peter immediately forsakes his net to get close to Jesus. But Jesus knows their needs and already has a fire with fish and break baking. But while he can provide, he asks them to add to the meal. There is warmth, relationship, and inclusion in the experience.

But Jesus goes farther, asking Peter by his given name, not Jesus’ nickname for him, “Do you love me more than these?” I suspect this brings Peter back to his protestations of loyalty in the upper room, so the these are the other disciples. Three times this is repeated, with variations on the term for love, which was good Greek style, three times Peter professes his love, and three times Jesus gives him a shepherd’s ministry, “Feed my sheep” or “Feed my lambs,” again with variety in wording. Not a word of rebuke, not a direct reference to his betrayal, just restoration to being his apostolos. He climaxes with predicting that Peter would do what he had said he would do in the upper room, die for Jesus, and that he would do it in the same way Jesus did. The summary is simply, “Follow me.”

I suggest that these are what we need in our lives, especially the second

We need to spend time in meditation and adoration so that God can burn into our hearts a picture of who he is and Jesus’ role within it, for that is our telos, our hope.

But even more than that in our meditation and adoration we need to hear the gentle voice of Jesus, taking us were we are at, providing for our needs, including us in his action, and restoring us where we need restoring so that we know we are called and sent and yet he is always there encouraging us onward.

I have said enough, although there is much more to say. The important thing for us is to take this into our time with the Lord and let him imprint these two truths on our hearts in his way and in his time.