What happened to Peter? Peter, my favorite disciple, went from being the one who always put his foot in his mouth to preaching an incredible sermon about Jesus in front of a huge crowd. What happened to Peter?
I know that Peter loved Jesus. We know that for so many reasons. He gave up his job fishing, left his nets and his boat and followed Jesus. For a fisherman, your nets and your boat were your ticket to life. Lose them and you lose your ability to eat. So when Peter and Andrew, the two brothers, left their nets, they left their lives.
Peter was married. How do we know this? Because he asks Jesus to come and heal his mother-in-law. So not only did Peter leave his nets, he left behind a family. We do not know if his wife accompanied him on his travels with Jesus nor do we know if he had any children.
Though Peter was the one who identified Jesus as the Messiah, the son of God, he was also the one who put his foot in his mouth on the Mountain of the Transfiguration and wanted to try to stage God and the prophets by building them little huts to dwell in. Peter was the guy who could not walk on water because he was afraid. Peter argued with Jesus about his crucifixion and it was hard for him to allow Jesus to wash is feet at the Last Supper. He is constantly arguing, complaining and generally getting things wrong. I think that is why I am so fond of him, because Peter is you and Peter is me. Peter represents all of us bumblers who always say the wrong thing when God enters our lives.
And of course, worst of all, Peter betrays Jesus. He tells a blatant lie, not once, but three times. He claims that he does not even know Jesus as Jesus is being interrogated and tortured. And when it comes to the cross, Peter is nowhere to be found.
He is a mess. He is a failure. But Peter does do one thing right, and it is the most important thing of all.
Peter allows God to forgive him.
After the crucifixion, Judas kills himself. Peter does not. Peter believes in the love that Jesus has for him, despite his betrayal, despite all his faults. Peter does not run away. Peter stays put.
And when Jesus appears in the Upper Room with Peter and all the disciples, except Judas, Jesus says some really important things.
The first thing that Jesus gives Peter and the others is peace. Jesus says Peace be with you.
Have you ever wondered why we say that in the liturgy, right before communion? We say it because Jesus said it to the disciples. It is a sign of the presence of the Risen Christ. It is a new way of being together, when we allow one another to make mistakes and we forgive.
And then Jesus says something else equally important. He says
As my Father has sent me, so I send you.
Jesus sends out the disciples to do God’s work. These are the same guys who just bailed on him, the same ones who always had questions and doubts and never seemed to know what was going on. Jesus sends out Matthew and James and John. Jesus sends out Peter.
And the next thing we know, Peter is preaching and healing and people are following him. THOUSANDS of people are following him.
What happened to Peter between the cross and the resurrection? Did he have a brain transplant? Did he simply become another, more confident human being? No, it is very important to note that Peter was the same guy. Only one thing changed about Peter, he was forgiven. And after he was forgiven, Peter just stopped being about himself. He truly gave his life to God.
When it comes to doing ministry, many people feel that they just don’t have it together. How can I teach when I don’t know everything? How can I counsel when I myself am such a mess? How can I feed people when I can’t always pay my bills? The answer is simple. Just let yourself be sent.
Jesus sent out the bumblers. He sent out the ones who did not have all the answers. He sends you and he sends me. He does not wait for us to get our acts together. If God waited for us to be perfect before we could serve, well, there would be very little ministry going on in the world.
Instead, God sent Mother Theresa, a little nun from Eastern Europe. And she ministered to the world, lifting AIDS patients from the gutters and giving them a place to be cared for, a place to die, and all the while she was wondering if God is even there. She never got her act together. She never stopped doubting. She was never sure. But she just did it anyway. She lifted up the world anyway. Why? Because God sent her.
And God sent us Abraham Lincoln, who suffered from such clinical depression that there were times that he could hardly function. But he led our country in one of our most desperate days, in a day when we were not sure if we could even be a united country. Lincoln never knew for certain if he was doing the right thing. He was never certain, but he served anyway. Why did he do all this? Because he was sent. Because he was there and the country needed him. Because God asked him.
God sends faulty, difficult, bumbling people. God sends people who doubt and people who despair.
Just as the Father sent me, so I send you, Jesus says, as he looks on their weary faces. I send you.
And we want to say, “Wait! Can’t you see that I am not ready? Can’t you see that I can hardly get my own life together? Can’t you see that my house is a mess and my marriage is a struggle? Can’t you see that I yell sometimes and blame others for my own mistakes? Can’t you see that my insecurities interfere with my life? Can’t you see that I am a mess? Can’t you see that, God?
But God sends us anyway, faults and all.
To be saved by God is not enough. To have faith is not enough, you must also serve. Once you believe in the resurrection, you have no choice but to follow. Once you believe, then Jesus is right there, smiling at you, sending you out into the world to do God’s work. The story does not end with your salvation, it ends with your service.
The Acts of the Apostles is the book that is always read during the season of Easter. It is the book that tells the story of what happened to the disciples after Jesus was risen and how they became the church. But the Acts of the Apostles is a book that is meant to go on forever. It does not end at the close of the first century, it goes on for over two thousand years as each one of us rises from a life of self-absorption to a life of service. The Acts of the Apostles is our story. It is the story of the church, that bumbling mess of idiots who won’t give up and keep on trying to serve Christ in the world.
Do not wait to get your life together before you begin to serve God. Do not think that ministry is reserved only for the most faithful, the most moral, the most perfect of people. Remember that God sent Peter. God sent that self-centered, cowardly idiot. And it was only after Peter completely failed at everything that he forgot about himself and began thinking of others. It was only when he let go of trying to be first that he became truly great, a true disciple, a founder of the church
