Loving God, you reveal yourself to us in so many different ways, and yet we meet you most fully in your Son, Jesus.  Teach us to know him so well that we would recognize him anywhere, and fill us with your Spirit of love; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Would you recognize Jesus if he showed up here today for worship?  Would you recognize him if he came, and he didn’t look like all of those paintings that you’ve seen?  If somebody came and said, “Hi, I’m Jesus,” how would you know if it was really him or not?  Or, if somebody says that they speak for Jesus and are doing his work, how would you know if they are telling the truth or not?  Do you know how to recognize Jesus?

    This question comes up right now because, once Jesus had risen from the dead, people often had trouble recognizing him – even his closest followers.  When Mary Magdalene encounters Jesus in the garden after his resurrection, at first she thinks that maybe he’s the gardener.  Then there are those other disciples who walk all the way from Jerusalem to Emmaus with Jesus before they finally recognize him in the breaking of the bread.  And then, today, we hear about the disciples who have gone fishing, and have caught nothing all night, and who suddenly see Jesus standing on the beach.  Yet, they, too, do not know at first that it is Jesus.

    In each of these stories in the gospels, there is some key thing that happens that results in a flash of recognition.  In Mary’s case, as soon as Jesus speaks her name, she recognizes him (Jn. 20:16).  She knew his voice, and he knew her by name.  I can’t help but think of the words of Isaiah 43: “I have called you by name, you are mine” (43:1).  Were any of us to encounter Jesus, he would know us by name, too.  And not only would he know our names, he would know us through and through, and he would love us.

    Of course, when it comes to the disciples walking the road to Emmaus, it is not Jesus’ voice that they recognize but his actions.  They sit down at the table with Jesus, and Jesus takes the bread and blesses it and breaks it and gives it to them.  These same disciples would have seen Jesus do this before – at the last supper and at the feeding of the 5000.  And in that moment, in the breaking of the bread, their eyes are opened, and they recognize Jesus (Lk. 24:30-32).  It is only then that they realize why their hearts were burning within them as Jesus spoke to them about the scriptures on the road.  And so, if our hearts are burning with excitement over the Scriptures, we can bet that Jesus is involved!

    As to the disciples in today’s gospel, they recognize Jesus’ power rather than his voice or his actions.  As Jesus stands there on the beach and asks them about their night of fishing and tells them what to try, they don’t recognize him.  However, as soon as they experience a full net of fish where there hadn’t been any all night, they know that this man on the beach is Jesus (Jn. 21:6-7).  Of course, then they also see the same actions as those disciples in Emmaus did - Jesus taking the bread and giving it to them and doing the same with the fish.

    Where there is abundance in the face of scarcity, you can bet that Jesus is involved.  Where the truly miraculous is happening, you can bet that Jesus is involved.  And above all, where people exhibit the love of God in all that they say and do, we know for a fact that Jesus is there.

    This last sign of Jesus’ presence - the presence of love - actually comes from the whole Gospel of John.  The single, most important command that Jesus gives to his followers is this: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12).  This is how people will recognize those who follow Jesus - by their love.  And this is important for us to know because, when Jesus shows up among us, most often it is through one of his followers.

    You might not have caught it right away, but when Jesus appears to Saul in our first reading for today, he says, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4).  Once again, Jesus knows Saul by name, and Jesus confirms that he is in his followers.  Saul had been persecuting those who follow Jesus, and yet Jesus says, “why do you persecute me?”  When we treat Jesus’ followers badly, we do the same to Jesus.  When we love and serve one another, we do the same to Jesus.  When we ignore the cold and the hungry and the stranger, we do the same to Jesus.

    Just as Jesus is present in those other people that we meet, Jesus is also present in us.  Sometimes people seem to have a hard time believing that God could ever work through them or use them as his witnesses in the world.  Some say that they simply don’t have the right gifts.  Others assume that God will only use others who are far more gifted than they are.  And still others are simply afraid.

    Yet, look at the people that God uses in the Scriptures!  Peter, while seeming to be faithful at times, often failed miserably.  He is bold at first but then he is afraid.  He denies three times that he even knows Jesus, and then runs away as Jesus is crucified.  He seems like the last person who would ever be a great preacher or healer.  Yet, his three-fold denial becomes his three-fold declaration of love in today’s gospel.  His fear is replaced by bold action and eloquent preaching.  Peter becomes one of the strongest witnesses of God’s love through Jesus Christ.

    The same, of course, could be said for Saul, who becomes known as Paul.  Even he later calls himself “the least of the apostles,” for he spent many days arresting and condemning to death those who followed Jesus.  From what we can gather he had some sort of physical deformity or health problem, too, and yet, God works through him.  Paul, too, becomes one of the most powerful witnesses of God’s love through Jesus Christ.

    In each case, this happens because of the power of the Holy Spirit.  Peter doesn’t magically become a preacher all by himself.  The Holy Spirit gives him the words.  And Paul, too, doesn’t bring people to faith all by himself.  The Holy Spirit works within him and through him and in the hearts of the people who listen to him.

    The same thing is true when Jesus calls us to be his witnesses.  We simply cannot do it on our own.  The Holy Spirit has to work through us.  God does not call the equipped.  Instead, God equips the called.  God gives us the gifts that are needed in order to do what God is calling us to do.  And if God can use people like Peter and Paul and the other disciples, then surely God can use any one of us, too.

    So – would we recognize Jesus if he showed up here today?  Or maybe I should say, do we recognize Jesus here among us today?  After all, Jesus promises, “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Mt. 18:20).  Can you hear Jesus, calling you by name?  Can you see Jesus in the breaking of the bread?  Can you see Jesus’ power at work, bringing healing and new life and forgiveness?

    Above all, can you see the love of Jesus here among God’s people?  Are there people here whom you can recognize as followers of Jesus because of the love of God that flows through them?  And in the same way, can other people see Jesus in you?  Remember, it is the Holy Spirit who makes this possible, and who is ready to fill our hearts and our minds with the love of Christ.  May it be so among us today.  Amen.

Easter 3(C)                                    John 21:1-19
April 18, 2010                                Acts 9:1-20
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2010 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved