Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
It’s important to keep saying that for a couple of reasons. First, it reminds us that Easter lasts fifty days. Celebrating Easter for seven weeks, all the way to the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (and ten days longer than Lent!) emphasizes that we are Easter people, empowered by God’s gift of new life. But this long and joyful Eastertide also provides us with the chance to more fully understand and reflect on what the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead means for us and the world. It gives our eyes the chance to adjust to seeing a world of possibility beyond the world we’ve come to expect.
Maybe you’ve had an occasion where your eyes have taken some time to adjust to a new condition? Like going to the eye doctor. If you’ve ever had your eyes dilated, you know why they give you those fashionable plastic sunglasses/face shields. Or maybe you’ve been to a class reunion and had an awkward conversation with someone you assumed was a total stranger until they shared a story that triggered a memory and enabled their true identity to come rapidly into focus.
The link between our eyes and our brains sometimes requires both time and assistance to get connected, particularly when reality is other than what we’re expecting. Today we hear how both Peter and Paul require an adjustment period for their eyes and brains to process the astonishing reality they experience. But with a little time and a lot of grace, they both come to see a new way of living in the bright light of the Resurrection.
Peter and Paul both have distorted vision, but for differing reasons. Paul is blinded by hatred and his burning desire to be right and in control. He views the followers of The Way as dangerous troublemakers who are not only disobeying customs and traditions, but they’re getting away with it and growing in number. Not on his watch! He requests permission to hunt them down. He comes to town breathing threats and murder. He’s intoxicated by his anger, drunk with newfound power, aroused by the prospect of restoring his version of law and order.
Imagine his surprise to discover that the followers of The Way—those early Christians—are telling the truth. Jesus has been raised. Death is not the final word. God does not need Paul’s protection. Instead, he (and we) need the Love of God lavished upon us: unmerited, undeserved, unearned. This grace and mercy flows even to Paul…and by God’s choosing, to flow through him. What a shocking new reality. No wonder Saul needs some time in the dark to adjust to this new way of seeing and being. No wonder Ananias of Damascus resists going straight to Straight Street to seek Saul the persecutor. But he does go, lays his hands on Saul, calls him “Brother,” causes the scales to fall and the waters of Baptism to flow, leading him to new a life that changes the world.
Peter likewise struggles to recognize the risen Christ and the new direction that entails for his life. John tells us that this is the third time Jesus has appeared to the disciples, yet Peter is back in Galilee resuming his fishing career. Our text doesn’t help us determine why Peter lost the vision, but it does provide clues on how, who and what help him regain sight of Resurrection life. Like Paul, it requires both time with Jesus and the assistance of others.
Peter also benefits from a little déjà vu. The scene that John describes—and the unique words he uses—connects today’s story to the feeding of the 5,000 in Chapter 6 of John’s gospel. Both take place in Tiberias, which is both a city and the name of a large body of water: the Sea of Tiberias = Sea of Galilee. There’s also the presence of fish in both stories, and John uses a particular Greek word for fish that only occurs here and in the feeding of the 5,000. Add to that the reminiscences of their initial calling to be disciples and Jesus’ first sign at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, including an echo of Mary’s words, “Do whatever he tells you to do.” This time, when they follow his instructions to lower their nets on the right side, instead of a bounty of wine, they catch an abundance of fish, prompting the beloved disciple to recognize Jesus and say to Peter, “It is the Lord!”
For both Peter and Paul, their eyes are opened by the presence of Jesus in words and actions, through meals and fellowship, and with the help of others. What helps restore our vision of the life-changing realities ushered in by the Resurrection? Who makes the scales fall from our eyes so that we can live as Easter people?
Mary Faulkner told a story this week, and with her permission, I’d like to share an experience that helped her see things differently. She had fostered several children when Child Protective Services asked if they could take in a baby. She says that after receiving the child, she and her daughter Katie took one look at him and both admitted, “Well, that answers that old question. Apparently, there is such a thing as an ugly baby.” Now to be clear, they were joking about this and fully committed to caring for the child! And that’s where the miracle happened.
The first thing the child needed was a bath. He had been sleeping under a trailer. He was not only filthy but covered with insect bites. They placed the pitiful child into the clean, warm water. They began gently washing him, carefully picking fleas and ticks from the baby’s creases and folds. They talked and soothed him. He coo’d and smiled at them. And at some point, they looked at each other and said, “Is this not the cutest baby you’ve ever seen!? He’s adorable! Is this the same baby? How could we have missed that before?”
Love opens our eyes to see more than what we’re accustomed to seeing. And in a world where there is so much cruelty; so many attacks on the weak and the vulnerable; so little compassion for the sick, the poor, and the elderly; so much fear of those who differ from us, we must take care, lest we become blinded by anger or lose sight of the Kingdom. Which is why, like Peter and Paul, we need the great fifty days of Easter, the company of faithful friends, and the words and actions of Jesus. This is why we promise to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers. This is how we keep our eyes open to the wonders and power of God’s love.
