Only Love Can Overcome
Grace and peace to you from Christ Jesus, the Risen One.
Paul’s conversion is important—it is recounted three times in Acts.
There are many reasons for this.
One is that it is another post-resurrection appearance of Jesus.
It is a validation that people continued to experience Jesus after his death.
In the language of Marcus Borg, it is an affirmation of the post-Easter Jesus.
Another reason is that it is a prime example of the transformative power of Jesus.
Saul was a persecutor of Jesus followers.
He approved the stoning of Stephen.
He was present and witnessed it.
He sought and received authorization from the high priest to arrest Christians and transport them from Damascus to Jerusalem.
He was a true believer in ridding Judaism of these rebels who followed the Way of Christ.
And yet, his experience of Jesus transformed him into a proclaimer of Jesus’ message.
And Saul wasn’t the only one transformed in this story.
Ananias was also a true believer—but he was a true believer in the Way.
He knew about Saul and how he was ruthlessly persecuting Ananias’ siblings in Christ.
Ananias was afraid of Saul—saw him as an enemy.
And yet, his experience of the risen Christ transformed him.
He was forced to rethink his view of Saul—to cease seeing him as an enemy and to embrace him as a sibling in Christ.
I said last week that I hoped that the texts from Acts during the Easter season would be illuminating.
That remains my hope.
And, if you forgive me for hijacking the text, I’d like to offer a rephrasing that I hope will be food for thought.
“Meanwhile the government continued to breathe murderous threats against immigrants and transgender people. They asked for executive orders that would authorize them to arrest and persecute immigrants and transgender people: women, children, and men alike.”
There are people in our government doing truly abhorrent things.
And there are fellow citizens who knowingly voted for them to do exactly what they are doing.
While I leave room for some with purely evil intent, I believe—I HAVE to believe—that most are people with good intentions.
Like Saul, they truly believe they are doing the right thing.
The right thing to protect themselves and their families.
The right thing for the country.
Maybe even the right thing for their faith.
But WE know better.
They are NOT doing the right thing.
In the metaphorical separating of the sheep from the goats in Matthew 25, Jesus says, “The truth is, as often as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”
We know what Jesus is admonishing the goats for.
Failing to feed those who are hungry.
Failing to give water to those who are thirsty.
Failing to clothe the naked.
Failing to welcome the stranger.
Failing to care for the sick.
Failing to visit those in prison or detention.
In short, failing to love one another as Jesus loves us.
Today’s gospel dovetails well with the lesson from Acts.
In the first part of today’s gospel, we are treated to a fishing story that is very similar to the fishing stories in the beginning of the synoptics: Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
In those three stories, as well as today’s story in John, fishing is a metaphor for evangelism or perhaps even discipleship in general.
In the early stories—at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry—Jesus is in the boat with the fishermen.
In today’s story from John, Jesus is on the shore.
In the beginning, Jesus was physically present with the disciples.
Jesus participated in ministry with them—or to be more accurate, the disciples participated in ministry with Jesus.
But Jesus has died and is resurrected in John’s version.
He’s no longer in the boat—with them physically.
It’s the disciples’ responsibility to carry on the work of evangelism—of discipleship—without Jesus.
And now, that responsibility has passed to us.
It is our time.
WE are Jesus’ followers now.
We must carry on the work of evangelism and discipleship.
One of the tasks set before us—like Ananias—is to change the way we think about those we perceive as our enemies.
We cannot change their hearts by hating them.
Only love can do that.
Only love can keep their hearts and minds open so the Spirit can do her work.
Hearts and minds must be open so they can be transformed—transformed by the love of Jesus.
Transformed by the knowledge that Jesus loves not only them, but also every one of their human siblings.
Citizen or immigrant.
Gay or straight.
Cis or trans.
Black or white.
Jesus loves ALL of us.
Calls each of us by name.
And claims each of us as his own.
In the second part of today’s gospel, there is an exchange between Jesus and Peter.
In it, Jesus transfers the mantle of the Good Shepherd to Peter.
Although people continue to experience Jesus, his physical presence is gone from the world.
So, Jesus charges Peter with caring for his community.
Jesus doesn’t ask Peter if he believes in him.
He asks, “Do you love me?”
Because love is a call to action.
Jesus says, “If you love me, feed my community.”
Feed them physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Without exception.
The message for us today is that the time has come for us to transform and BE transformed.
There are people persecuting immigrants, transgender people, and pro-Palestinian activists.
There are people opposing social safety net programs like SNAP and Medicare and housing vouchers.
As hard as it may be for us to accept, the majority of those people are not evil.
Yes, they are doing evil things, and the results of their actions are reprehensible.
BUT—like Saul, they think they are doing the right thing.
Our job is not to hate them.
That only serves to increase the divisions in this country.
Our job is to continue to redirect them to Jesus.
There are, undoubtedly, some who are acting with evil intent.
And there are probably others who cannot be swayed from their chosen path.
But the ones who are misguided—who simply have lost their way—those are the ones that we must gently and persistently point to the gospel.
Our job is to love them as Jesus loves us.
Our job is to help keep their hearts and minds open to the work of the Spirit.
So that, like Saul, they can experience the risen Christ—and be transformed.
Transformed from persecutors of the least of these to proclaimers of the gospel.
These are trying times my friends and, God knows, there is no shortage of hateful language and hateful actions out there.
Being a follower of Jesus isn't easy.
The Way is advanced faith practice.
You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight.
It's gonna say, "You want to be a faithful follower of Jesus? Let's see you love a person whose actions make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of their lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."
We have to love them because that is the only path that leaves room for a Saul-like conversion.
Our hope is in the transformative power of Jesus.
And in the knowledge that Jesus is always with us.
And not only with us, but also with the persecuted.
We shall overcome.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe we shall overcome, some day.
Dear God, may some day be soon.
May this meditation on God’s word keep our hearts and minds on Christ Jesus. Amen.