Tag: disciples

Thoughts during Holy Week.  

What we know as Holy Week must have been a rollercoaster for the disciples. During the time they had spent following Jesus, they must have been both buoyed up by their belief that Jesus was the Messiah, cheered by the radical and positive things he said and did, but equally aware that Jesus wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that many opposed both his teachings and him as a person. And more, that there were some who wanted him dead and gone.

Then comes Passover, the greatest feast of the calendar when as many as can go up to Jerusalem, to celebrate God’s mercy and power as witnessed by the escape of God’s people from the powers of evil, from the hand of pharaoh, from the constraints of slavery and their release into a new era of freedom and prosperity. Each year, even if only with a small fraction of their minds, the worshippers must have been hoping that this would be the year for a repeat performance.  And if nothing else, this was always a time to celebrate their certainty that they were God’s chosen people, that they had a long history of a special relationship with God.

The disciples must have felt the joy and fervour and anticipation of this feast too – and in part of their minds must have thought this is when Jesus will reveal to everyone the special relationship he had with God, and that God would reciprocate with such acts of power and wonder that life would never be the same again! And then their they are, retrieving a donkey as part of some prepared plan, and following Jesus into Jerusalem at the head of such a throng of pilgrims, all waving branches, laying their cloaks on the road and shouting out loud that this – Jesus – is the Son of David – the Messiah! Not even the Pharisees could stop them.

But at the same time, there may also have been the sneaking fear in their minds that this could all go wrong. Jesus is turning over the tables in the Temple, challenging the long held sacramental practices of the Temple. He is openly challenging the religious authorities with his teachings and pronouncements. Is he poking the bees nest rather too rashly? 

Would the disciples have been questioning their own faith? Surely if their trust is in Jesus they must trust that these risks have to be taken?  And accept their share of the risk? But equally are they not Jesus’s chosen team? Their commitment to Jesus maybe teetering in a knife edge. Is this really going to work out well – or not? Is this really God’s plan?

The meal in the upper room, Jesus’s words about the bread as ‘My Body’, the wine as ‘My Blood’, must have sharpened these  tensions. The prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, the arrival of the soldiers, Jesus’s arrest. What will happen next? 

Will it be a dramatic dénouement of Jesus’s real identity and power? Or will it be crushing denouement of the vulnerability of the whole movement?

If the former, when will it happen? It doesn’t happen when Jesus is arrested. It doesn’t happen when he is brought before Herod – the so called King of the Jews – nor when he is brought before Pilate – the representative of the power of the ungodly empire? It doesn’t happen when Pilate offers the people a choice between Jesus and Barabbas. It doesn’t happen on the slopes of Golgotha. If not now, then when? 

As the disciples watched Jesus die, their hopes must have drained away, their blood chilled, their hearts crushed. Would they be next? Had they all been over optimistic, too ahead of themselves, too ready to believe that now was the time? Should they have tried to rescue Jesus before it as too late? Should they not have come to Jerusalem at all? Could they have dissuaded Jesus?

I don’t think anything Jesus could have said could have fully prepared them for this. And yet it is a place we often find ourselves today: looking at a world where everything seems to be going wrong, where all our hopes appear unfounded, when all our efforts seem fruitless. It can be all too easy to doubt, loose hope and give up.

I can understand the two disciples who choose to up sticks and return home (travelling via Emmaus). I can equally understand Mary Magdalene who wants to do the only do thing she can do – sit in the garden by the tomb, be as close to his remains as possible and simply be. 

For none of the disciples is it obvious that Jesus’s death is not the end. None of them is prepared for the resurrection and, even when it happens, they are still filled with doubts and fears. It takes time for them to get a grasp of what is happening, of what it means for Jesus to rise from the dead. And maybe that is where many of us are.

Jesus’s resurrection did not change the world. Life for most people continued on the Sunday just as it had on any previous day. The sun still rose and set. The Romans were still in power. The pilgrims were still celebrating Passover. Trade and daily life went on as usual. 

But for those who knew Jesus, those who were part of his community, those who met the risen Jesus, life did change. It may have taken a few days,  few weeks even, to embrace what had happened and later  – with the gift of the Holy Spirit – to be able to fully inhabit this new life. But since then the number and influence of those who have become part of the resurrection story has increased exponentially. 

So what is the message of the cross? That life is not straight forward, that it is a roller coaster as kindness comes up against callousness, as generosity of heart comes up against greed, as wisdom comes up against ignorance, as life enhancing actions compete with life diminishing actions, as ‘good’ comes up against ‘evil’. But nevertheless God’s love will prevail. That nevertheless empowered by God’s love, individuals and communities can make a difference; that the way of life that Jesus inhabited is one that we can live; that we will not live this life alone but with and in the living, lively presence of the risen Jesus. For as in baptism we are joined with Christ, so in the resurrection we are  imbued with Christ. We are part of the presence of Christ on earth. Like Jesus we live lives that can be like a roller coaster but they are, nevertheless, lives with a purpose and a direction. Lives that bring to life the kingdom of God here on earth. Lives that speak of change, of love and joy and mercy. There will be times when we feel bereft or defeated or inadequate. There will be times when we feel invigorated, overjoyed and elated. Through all we will always be held in the love of God

Third Sunday of Easter

4th May 2025

Reflection with readings below

What is our calling in the new age of the resurrection?

Jesus after that first Easter morning, is the same but not the same. His physical appearance is the same or perhaps not; his physical abilities are the same but also not the same. And his relationship with his disciples is the same but not the same.

Last week we heard of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Jesus. She recognised who he was when he spoke her name. Thomas recognised the risen Jesus when he was shown Jesus’s wounds. And where as Thomas was invited to touch Jesus and feel his reality, Mary was told ‘Don’t touch, don’t cling to me.’ And whilst Mary has a unique personal encounter with the risen Jesus, Simon Peter and the beloved disciple don’t get to meet the risen Jesus until several hours later and then in the company of the whole group of the disciples. 

In today’s gospel reading, the disciples – certainly those whose trade was fishing – have gone back to Galilee and back to their old jobs. Although as chance would have it, without much success! Close to dawn, they see Jesus on the shore – but as with Mary Magdalene – not  recognising who he is. Then, whether it is because of his voice or because of the super abundant catch they make, the beloved disciple realises who it is. And Peter is overwhelmed and, in his desire to once more be with Jesus, jumps overboard the faster to get to the shore and Jesus. 

As Jesus gives them breakfast, sharing the bread and fish with them, all the disciples know for true, that this is the risen Jesus. Then Jesus asks Peter three times ‘Do you love me?’. And because Peter does, Jesus gives him a task that will take a life time to complete – to feed, to care, to ‘shepherd’ all those who are or will become Jesus’s followers. Peter and his fellow companions are not going to return to their previous fishing careers. These disciples who had journeyed with Jesus back and forth between Galilee and Jerusalem, who had witnessed the signs Jesus had performed, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, lubricating a wedding; who had listened to Jesus debate with the scribes and Pharisees and win the argument; who had seen Jesus befriend the outcast and the despised – these disciples were now being called take on this mantle that had been Jesus’s and to share the gospel far and wide.  This is their new calling in the new age of the resurrection. 

Our first reading from the Book of Acts, tells of the conversion experience of Saul (also known as Paul).   As dedicated but short-sighted Pharisee, Saul does what he thinks is right and with his trademark vigour, sets out to persecute any who have become followers of Jesus – followers of from Saul’s viewpoint, of a dead and gone renegade. But on the road to Damascus, Saul has a resurrection encounter with Jesus which transforms his vocation. Now, within the resurrection age into which he has, so as to speak, been born from above/ again, Saul (or Paul) becomes one of the most ardent missioners taking the gospel to many people and all the time deepening his relationship with the risen Jesus and expanding on the theological understanding of the church.

So for us in the 21st century when some people are still persecuted for holding onto the wrong faith, where some people are still despised and abused, when there is still hunger and suffering, when there is still greed and the abuse of power, when the natural world is being destroyed by the hour, what is our calling as people of the resurrection age? What is our relationship with the risen Jesus? 

Do we feed and tend the sheep? Do we share the gospel? Do we continue to explore and develop our relationships with Jesus and our theological understanding of our mission? 

Yes! And in particular I would suggest that one thing the world especially needs to hear is truth – the truth about the climate and ecological crisis; the truth about the widening gap between rich and poor; the truth about the injustices that many people face across the world; the truth about the failure of war as a means of establishing peace. And that that the message of truth should be backed up by actions. 

For example, the level of biodiversity in the UK makes us one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, yet a rich biodiversity is essential for pollinating crops, for keeping the soil fertile, for limiting the effects of flooding, for cleaning the air. Improving and maintaining biodiversity is a key part of Jesus’s  call that we should ‘feed my sheep’. Yet is this a truth widely spoken about or heard?

We should talk about the importance of nature, of biodiversity, of its importance for human flourishing. Both with friends and family, with local authorities and businesses, with government and corporations. 

And then there are many ways we can then act in response. By promoting wildlife in our gardens, church yards, etc. By eating a richer plant based diet. By supporting groups such as the RSPB, the Wild Life Trusts, the National Trust. By campaigning, pressing the government to properly fund the agricultural sector so that farmers can care for the land sustainably and to support rewilding. Indeed the UK government has signed an international treaty pledging to rewild 30% of the land and sea for for the benefit of nature by 2030. By campaigning for the Church of England to give a lead by rewilding 30% of the land in its care – including that held as an investment. And what better investment than securing a rich biodiverse environment!

Acts 9:1- 20

Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptised, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Psalm 30

1 I will exalt you, O Lord,
because you have lifted me up *
and have not let my enemies triumph over me.

2 O  Lord my God, I cried out to you, *
and you restored me to health.

3 You brought me up, O  Lord, from the dead; *
you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.

4 Sing to the  Lord, you servants of his; *
give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.

5 For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *
his favour for a lifetime.

6 Weeping may spend the night, *
but joy comes in the morning.

7 While I felt secure, I said,
“I shall never be disturbed. *
You,  Lord, with your favour, made me as strong as the mountains.”

8 Then you hid your face, *
and I was filled with fear.

9 I cried to you, O  Lord; *
I pleaded with the Lord, saying,

10 “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *
will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?

11 Hear, O  Lord, and have mercy upon me; *
O  Lord, be my helper.”

12 You have turned my wailing into dancing; *
you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.

13 Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; *
O  Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

Revelation 5:11-14

I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honour and glory and blessing!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

John 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”