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Saint John,
Apostle and Evangelist.
[December 27.]
The Collect.
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ERCIFUL Lord, we beseech thee to
cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it, being illumined by the
doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John, may so walk in the
light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to life everlasting; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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HIS spake he, signifying by
what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto
him, Follow me. 20 Then Peter,
turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned
on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21 Peter seeing him
saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto
him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is
that to thee? follow thou me. 23 Then went this saying abroad among the
brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He
shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? 24 This is the
disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know
that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the
which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world
itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. (John 21:18-25)
Who is your favorite Apostle, and is it appropriate to claim a favorite among
the twelve? I believe it is both appropriate and a spiritually valid
approbation. Jesus held a special love for John, the Apostle; and so I believe
we can do so as well. After all, the name, John, means 'favored one of God.' If
you read carefully the four Gospels, we must admit that John has a greater
reference to love than all of the others, though all stress the love of God and
our fellows.
The historical record suggests that John was the only Apostle to be spared a
martyr's death having lived well into his nineties and written the final book
of the Bible from exile on Patmos Island in an advanced age. This will
introduce us to the biblical text provided in the lectionary for today - St.
John 21:19-25.
The Venue
The venue for the text is beside the blue waters of Galilee (Sea of Tiberius)
which held many fond memories for the Apostles - the fish with the golden coin
in its mouth (Matthew
17:27); the scene of the immoderate storm while Jesus slept (St. Matthew 823-27):
the same Sea upon which Jesus walked and bade Peter to walk also (St. Matthew 14:25-32);
the shores by which Jesus found Simon Peter and Andrew casting nets into the
sea; and many other happy occasions. God gives us happy memories to make our
hearts light and joyful on stormy and dark days. But the present occasion under
discussion is the most joyful of all.
The Occasion
It was an all-night fishing expedition which yielded not a single catch. With
their Lord being crucified, Peter decided it was time to return to his old
living as a fisherman - and, indeed, it was; but not of the smelly fish of the
sea, but rather the smelly fish of sinners. In past times, these men - Peter,
Thomas, Nathanael, and others, had lived upon the generous support of those who
followed Jesus. Now, in their mind, all of that was over, it was time to return
to their old ways. How many Christians come to know Christ, are changed
profoundly thereby, but later lapse into their old carnal selves after some
dramatic setback in life?
The Moment
Our Lord has just informed Peter, in this placid meeting and breakfast by the
Sea of Galilee (following the resurrection), what manner of death he would endure
as a martyr for Christ. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast
young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou
shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee,
and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. Before we came to know Christ, we, too,
did as we pleased. Our wills were in bondage to the devil; but when we come to
Christ, we forsake the old wine and walk a new life of love and sacrifice. The
weather will not always be fair and calm. Taking up our cross daily (St. Luke
9:23) to follow Christ means to follow him - not only TO the cross, but ON it
and beyond. We die to self, surrender our wills to Him so that His Will is now
OUR will; and dying to self by means of that cross we have taken up, we live
for Him in that resurrection unto eternal life emphatically demonstrated at the
Garden Tomb that beautiful Easter Morning. Thusly, our wills become FREE.
The Lesson
There are far more lessons than the brief length of the text would
suggest!
First The disciple of Christ is not to concern
himself with the calling of others - that is God's prerogative. We have enough
challenge on our hands in seeing to our own calling. The church organist is not
to concern himself (or herself) with the calling of the Lay Reader; and the Lay
Reader is not to concern himself with the nature of calling of the Altar Guild.
Whatever our own calling in Christ (and we are all called as surely as day
follows night), it is sufficient to occupy our souls and spirits in performing
that calling. After Jesus informed Peter of the manner of his martyrdom, He
told Peter, "Follow Me!"
In other words, do not follow John or any others besides me - only ME! That
will always be enough, for our Lord always leads in the right way, for He is
"the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
(St. John 14:6)
Second Do not harbor jealousy or envy for fellow
servants of our Lord. Instead, edify all of the Body of Christ. If you cannot
utter a word of encouragement to a fellow soul, at least do not utter a word of
discouragement. The world has already provided an abundance of discouragement.
The House of God is not a place to be discouraged, disparaged, or disappointed.
It is always possible to offer a word of kindness and love to the most obscure
(to us, but not to God) among us. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Third Two doctrinal points of the Gospel are
mentioned in the text. The first, that each Christian must follow Christ alone
as commanded. His Way is always the right way and untainted by petty
jealousies. Like Peter, Christ admonishes each of us to abide by this doctrine.
The second doctrine presented is that of perfect contentment with one's
calling. Jesus bore a special love for the apostle who lay his head on His
breast at the Last Supper. John presumes nothing - he only answers in echo to
that love of Christ. John does not ponder the plight of Peter. He only accepts
whatever the will of Christ may hold for himself. (see Philippians 4:11)
Fourth The Christian life not only follows Christ in
the manner of living, but also in the manner of death. We may bear a strong
testimony of Christ even in the manner of our death as will Peter. We live in
Christ and, if so, we shall also die in Christ (as Christ himself says, we will
fall asleep). "A coward dies a thousand times before
his death, but the valiant taste of death but once. It seems to me most strange
that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it
will come.” William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar. "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same
shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his
soul?" (Mark 8:34-37 )
Fifth Obey Christ in the instant without lingering
doubts. What is the first thing Peter does when Jesus commands him to "Follow me" in Verse 19? He immediately
takes his eyes off of Christ and looks upon John with envy. We all are guilty
of that human frailty. To deny this fact is to add guilt to guilt. We follow
Jesus Christ, which is the incarnate Word of God, implicitly! There are too
many today who look upon the ministers as the perfect role model while they
should be, instead, looking upon the Word which they teach (if you are
fortunate today to find one that preaches that Word). St. John the Apostle
would be first to counsel you to follow and imitate Christ, not himself! The
Saints of God did not die in our stead on the cross. They were men of carnal
minds and souls like unto our own until touched by the Holy Fire of God. The
light and fire they share or reveal is evidence of a Source for Fire and Light
- our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are all saints.
Sixth Stop looking back. If I look back on the
dreadful old self that I was before Christ, I may utterly despair that the Love
of Christ could ever forgive such a one as I. The past is full of our own
misdoings, but the future is full of the hope of Christ. Keep looking to Christ
else you, like Peter, may sink into the briny foam. As our dear Lord has
declared: "No man, having put his hand
to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
(Luke 9:62) When
the plowman looks back over his shoulder at the puny evidence of his own past
works, the rows in front will not be straight either. "Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in
thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting
strength." (Isaiah
26:3-4)
Question Is your mind, spirit, and soul
stayed upon Christ or are you distracted by the specters of the past and
present? Is your love governed by that effulgent Fountain of Life in
Christ? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
(Matt 22:37)
