1. There is this subtleness of Post-resurrection as if nothing happened. St John reports to us that Jesus after his resurrection shows up three times to the disciples. This is half correct. Let’s not forget he first appears to Mary Magdalene. Counting his very first encounter with Mary, this is the fourth time that he reveals himself to the disciples.
Regardless of his counting mistake, there’s something that comes up again and again in St John’s post-resurrection story since last Sunday: that is, even after Jesus is resurrected, the disciples don’t seem to change much. Last Sunday, we saw the disciples locked themselves behind the doors. Today, we see the disciples going back to what they used to do for living. Peter always takes the lead. “I’m going fishing.” And others follow him, “We’re going with you.” This attitude and behavior of the disciples is quite puzzling when we have such high expectation that those who have seen the risen Lord would be completely changed and transformed. One thing for sure is that it really didn’t happen as we expect. It is not so dramatic as it used to be when Jesus healed the sick and cast demons out of people. We too forget about this whole resurrection like the disciples, and live our life as if Jesus never even died! So, the disciples even after Jesus’ resurrection goes back to their normal life. This whole thing about the Jesus movement was nothing but probably a dream and wishful thinking. The disciples following Jesus and living with him for three years dreamt and prayed for the revolution that the kingdom of God was on the way. Christ is risen, and the Lord is risen indeed. Yet in the eyes of the disciples the world is still the same. I imagine them feeling like defeated soldiers who came back home and whatever effort they put in it didn’t matter much. This doesn’t sound encouraging. It’s actually quite depressing and disappointing. 2. Yet, in that midst of disappointment, perhaps fear and anxiety, and seemingly unchanged reality, Jesus comes. At first, it seems quite strange that the disciples don’t recognize Jesus right away. At the same time, Jesus doesn’t expect them to do so. It’s what happened to Mary Magdalene. She doesn’t recognize Jesus right away. The disciples in the house don’t either. In today’s gospel story, they also don’t recognize Jesus. Only until they have a personal encounter with Jesus, they are able to see him as who he is. With Mary Magdalene, Jesus calls her name. With the disciples in the house, he shows his wounds to them. And in our gospel reading, they recognize him after catching so many fish. The crucified and risen Christ comes to us at the most intimate and personal level. He comes to us wherever we are right now. In our gospel reading today, Jesus comes to the reality of the disciples who fail to catch a single fish. He tells the disciples where they can catch fish. And he even cooks breakfast for them. In the example of Peter, Jesus comes and pierces his heart. Having denied Jesus three times, Peter is asked three times, “Do you love me?” By asking the same question, Jesus seems to give Peter a chance to undo his three denials. As Peter responds to him, “I love you,” his denial of “I do not know the man” vanishes. The deepest wound that Peter carries is healed. 3. Jesus comes to all of us in that intimate and personal way as he does to the disciples and Peter. He is ever forgiving, ever embracing, and ever loving his flock and the entire humanity. So here’s a question that asks all of us at the most personal level. How do you encounter the crucified and risen Christ in your life? In what kind of personal ways do you see him? It all varies. Sometimes we see the face of Jesus in the face of a stranger who shows unexpected kindness to us. Sometimes we find Jesus in our relationships with family and friends. We all have our very personal memories and experiences of that embracing compassion of Jesus in our relationship with others. People meet God in people. At this very moment that we are gathered here, where do you see him? Of course, we cannot physically see his historical, physical, risen body. But we see the face of Jesus in each other’s face when we are gathered as church. St Paul’s conversion experience in the Book of Acts makes it clear. Jesus shows up to St Paul who has been persecuting the church, “Why do you persecute me?” Jesus identifies himself with the church. The collect for today prays, “O God whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of the bread...” The collect tells us that taking the Eucharist is the church’s way of encountering Christ at the deepest level. Literally and physically, eating the Body and Blood of Christ, in which Christ comes in us, abides in us, so that we become part of him… that we become his Body. As the baptized in the breaking of the bread with one another, we become part of him, we become part of each other in the name of the risen Christ. This means your face becomes the face of Jesus for me. And my face becomes the face of Jesus for you. We become his Body and Blood for one another. We as church are the risen Body of Christ for the world that is full of violence, terror, despair, injustice, and evil. Let’s not forget that through the Cross and Resurrection of Christ the whole world is reconciled with God, not just the church… We as the risen Body proclaim that love, compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation of God in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. May God open our eyes to see the face of Jesus in our deepest wounds so that we are healed. May God strengthen us the church to ever become the risen Body for each other, those in need, and the world in the breaking of the bread. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
|