Today we begin a midweek Lenten sermon series focusing on the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. Now, we have 5 midweek Wednesdays, and together with Holy Thursday, that gives us 6 weeks to cover the 12, two on each occasion. We will pair them up as naturally as possible, beginning with Peter and his brother Andrew this evening.
We will briefly touch on each disciple, but then move on to how the lives of the 12 draw us closer to Christ and his passion, his work for us, and especially his suffering and death.
So let’s get to it.
Even though Andrew holds the distinction of being the first of the apostles... we will come back to him.
Peter, the chief Apostle, is always mentioned first when they are listed by the Evangelists. And of course most of us probably know Peter the best, of all the 12. In fact, I had a hard time deciding which passage to read for tonight’s service to exemplify Peter. There are so many to choose from.
Peter denies Jesus, three times, but then is restored by the risen Jesus, and charged, “Feed my sheep.” Peter always seems the first to speak up, blurting out, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to also walk on the water” “Lord, if you wish, I can build 3 tents – one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” “Even if all these fall away, Lord, I will never fall away!”
He has his highs and lows. He walks on water, then sinks. He confesses Jesus as Christ, then tries to talk Jesus out of going to the cross and is told, “Get behind me Satan”.
He really comes into his own in the book of Acts, especially with his great Day of Pentecost sermon. Is instructed by God to leave behind Jewish Law (the vision of the sheet coming down with unclean animals) but later had to be corrected by St. Paul when he hypocritically withdrew from eating with Gentiles (Galatians 2:11- 14).
Peter shows us that even the “greatest” and “first” among Jesus’s apostles is a sinful man in need of periodic correction and restoration. He is first to speak, first to draw the sword and hack away, first to step out of the boat. His sometimes rash initiative and bold speech gets him into trouble, but God uses it for his own purposes and the blessing of many. Though Peter, with his denial, has a very shameful and embarrassing fall, Christ lovingly and gently restores him. And we can expect no less from our Lord.
Andrew, by contrast, seems overshadowed by his more prominent brother. He is even left out of the “big three” of Peter, James, and John, Andrew may seem to get short shrift. Why did he miss the Transfiguration, for instance? Surely even he must have wondered.
While he does bear the distinction as being the first to follow Jesus, and even faithfully followed John the Baptist before that, Andrew certainly appears as more of a follower than a leader. In an age (especially in the church) when “leadership” is all the rage, let Adrew stand for us a godly example that having one’s name in the headlines and being the first and loudest is not always necessary or proper.
One thing we will learn again from examining the 12 apostles, all from various walks of life, all with different personalities and concerns, is that God uses all sorts of people in his kingdom, even in the Holy Ministry. Not every pastor is a top notch preacher. Not every pastor is a scholar or professor. Not all are as likeable or gregarious. Some are extroverts, and some are introverts. But God has a place for many different skillsets and individuals in his kingdom. Not all have to be first and greatest and most well known. There is honor in the faithful, though less famous brother.
Perhaps it’s also worth mentioning that at least two sets of disciples (and maybe 3!) were brothers. We have Peter and Andrew, next week James and John. And then some suggest Jude and James the Son of Alphaeus were also brothers. Jesus certainly knew what he was doing, and had his reasons to call some sets of brothers as his apostles. It may lead us to reflect.
So often we share our faith in Christ with our family members, and this is a great blessing. For so many of us, it is our parents who first teach us the word of God. It is with our brothers and sisters that we sit in church, and kneel at the altar. It is in the crucible of the family that we practice our righteousness on a day to day basis, sharing house and home with our nearest neighbors.
And so, for many Christians, we attend church together with our families. And Messiah is no different. Thanks be to God for the families that have raised their children in our midst, and taught them by word and example, and by faithfully bringing them to Jesus, teaching them what is most important and needful in life.
But even if you are a family of one. If you never even had brothers or sisters. Note this. The bonds of faith also bring us into a family that transcends blood ties. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. This isn’t just a nice sentimental way of referring to fellow Christians. It confesses a deep reality about the unity we have in the Spirit, the closeness we have with our fellow believers. It’s like Jesus himself said, “who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
And finally, I want to try and steer away, in this series about the 12 apostles, from leaning too heavily on the traditions about them that have come down through the ages. Let’s rather stick close to what Scripture says about them, for in most cases there’s more than enough there to think about.
But in this case, we might dip just a bit into tradition, which suggest that Andrew was martyred by crucifixion on an x-shaped cross. It’s been used in much of Christian symbolism and heraldry, and famously on the flag of Scotland, as well as many other nations.
And then tradition also tells us that Peter died on a cross, though upside-down. John’s gospel hints at this, when Jesus mentions to Peter, “when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.)”
So we have it on some authority that both Peter and Andrew died as martyrs, each having their own cross. So the church remembers them also today. So they stand for us, also, as examples of faithfulness. So they show us the way of true Christians.
For they lived under the cross of Jesus. And they followed him, carrying their own crosses, and in the end, it seems, even literally so. To live is Christ and to die is gain, so also for these faithful brothers.
We too, are called to follow Jesus. We, too, are to take up our crosses. We, too, have our ups and downs, our moments in which faith shines, and those in which we falter. Some of us are better known, leaders, speakers. Others are followers, helpers, more behind the scenes. But what unites us, yes, and even makes us brothers, is faith in our dear Lord Jesus.
May we follow their examples of faith, even as we follow Jesus, who carried his cross for us, who calls us, and who makes us his brothers and sisters by faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment