Loving God, you promise us that where you guide, you will, indeed, provide. Help us to take courage from the example of Peter and Paul, placing our trust in you by the power of the Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

When most people think about Peter and Paul, they tend to assume that these men are different from the rest of us. After all, they are saints, right? They preached great sermons, performed miracles and saw visions. Really, aren’t they in a whole different league from the rest of us?

It might be easy to think so, yet the Scriptures give us sufficient information to discover that these were quite ordinary people whom God used to do extraordinary things. Take Peter, for example. Who among the apostles exhibits more frailties and failings than he does? When Jesus comes walking on the water toward the disciples in the boat, it is Peter who wants to jump out of the boat in order to prove that it really is Jesus. However, it only takes a few moments on the water before Peter is filled with fear and begins to sink (Mt. 14:28-31). Wouldn’t many of us be sinking, too?

At the same time, have you ever noticed who among the disciples gets scolded the most often by Jesus? Surely it has to be Peter! Peter is the one who speaks first and thinks later. He’s also the one who acts first and thinks later (Jn. 18:10-11). At times, Peter blurts out really good things – like the recognition that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (Mt. 16:16). At other times, Peter speaks and Jesus responds, “Get behind me, Satan!” (Mt. 16:23). Aren’t there some of us who might have similar tendencies?

And how about talking big and then withering in the end? Peter is the one who swears that he would never deny Jesus. Peter is the one who says that he is willing to go to prison with Jesus and even to die with him. Peter is also the one who denies three times that he even knows Jesus, and who runs away with all of the other disciples once Jesus has been arrested (Mt. 26:56). Would any of us do the same?

Peter, the uneducated fisherman, becomes a powerful preacher who can speak and quote the Hebrew Scriptures. Peter, so often misguided and fearful, is suddenly able not only to heal people but to see right through them. Peter, who once ran away in fear is, eventually, thrown into prison, and is put to death because of his faith in Jesus some time around 64 AD in Rome. How is such a change possible?

There seem to be two things that give Peter these abilities that he never had before. First, Peter encounters the risen Jesus and knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth. Second, the Holy Spirit is poured out on Peter and gives him all of the gifts that he will need for ministry. Can’t the same things happen to us?

Now, even if you can’t find anything to relate to in Peter’s life, perhaps you might be able to see yourself in Paul. Paul, unlike Peter, was a man with social influence and connections. He was known as Saul among Jewish people and as Paul among Gentile people. He received a strict religious education -- a Pharisee, educated by Pharisees (Acts 22:3; 23:6). As such, he believed in following every single precept that is found in the Jewish Law. Did any of us receive a strict religious upbringing? Do any of us have social influence and connections?

Now Paul, of course, was extremely zealous in his belief. He stood by, watching and approving, as Stephen was stoned to death for his faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 7:54-8:1). At this time, Paul was still a young man, yet already held a position on the council (cf. Acts 26:10). As such, he zealously persecuted Christians, going from house to house, dragging out both men and women who believed in Jesus and putting them in prison (Acts 8:3). In fact, Paul had such hatred for Christians that he wanted to see them put to death for their faith (Acts 9:1-2). Do any of us ever have hatred like this for certain people or beliefs? Eventually, though, Paul has a dramatic experience on the road to Damascus and ends up believing in Jesus Christ. Have any of us had dramatic, faith-inducing experiences?

So -- what else do we know about Paul? We know that he was a tentmaker by trade – he worked with his hands. We know that he was blind for a time (Acts 9:9). We know that he had some sort of “thorn in the flesh” that plagued him – possibly some physical ailment or even some problem with his eyes (2 Cor. 12:7; Gal. 4:13-15). Whatever this ailment was, it seems that Paul was not particularly pleasant to look at. Can we relate to any of this?

At the same time, it seems that Paul managed to make enemies wherever he went. He could speak to a crowd and manage to start a riot. He had people who hated him so much that they had made a pact with one another not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul (Acts 23:12). Do any of you ever have this effect on people?

Yet, God still manages to use Paul for good. We get the impression that Paul isn’t a very good speaker, and yet God still speaks through him in order to tell people the good news about Jesus (1 Cor. 2:1-5; 2 Cor. 10:10). Paul prays several times for God to remove the thorn in the flesh that plagues him. Yet, God’s answer is this: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9, RSV). God works through Paul in spite of his “thorn in the flesh.”

From Paul, we discover the following: You can have a physical ailment. You can have trouble with your eyes. You can be nothing much to look at and not a particularly good speaker. You can have enemies wherever you go, and God can still work through you. Like Peter, Paul encounters the risen Jesus and knows beyond a doubt that he is, indeed, the Son of God and Lord of heaven and earth (Acts 9). Like Peter, Paul receives the Holy Spirit and is given the gifts that he will need for ministry. Can’t the same things happen to us?

We have in Peter and Paul two people who represent the fulness of God’s mission in the world. Although both of them share their faith with both Jews and Gentiles, Peter ends up ministering primarily to the Jews, and Paul travels around sharing God’s Word with the Gentiles (Gal. 2:7-10). Peter has relatively little education (Acts 4:13), and Paul is well-educated as a Pharisee. Peter is an “acknowledged pillar” among the apostles (Gal. 2:9), whereas Paul refers to himself as “the least of the apostles” (1 Cor. 15:9). Peter has a wife and most likely has children (1 Cor. 9:5; Mk. 1:30), whereas it is implied that Paul probably has no wife (1 Cor. 7). In God’s mission, God uses all types of people and God wants to reach all types of people, and that includes us.

Ultimately, Peter and Paul are both ordinary human beings with their frailties and failings just like the rest of us. However, because of their faith in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit at work through them, God was able to use them to do extraordinary things. That same Holy Spirit is given to us at our baptism and at our confirmation, and continues to come to us through Word and Sacrament. Will we allow God to do extraordinary things through us? Amen.

Peter and Paul, Apostles   Acts 12:1-11
June 29, 2008   2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church    John 21:15-19
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore

© 2008 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved