Tired
Peter was tired.
Now, that sentence needs some explaining. First, I call him “Peter,” even though the scripture calls him “Simon.” That’s because Jesus eventually gave him that nickname “Peter,” which means “rock.” And “Peter” is the name we usually use for him, even though in today’s scripture, he hasn’t yet received that nickname.
Second, how do I know Peter was tired? Later in the story, we find out that he and his companions had been out fishing all night. Now it was morning; they had caught nothing, despite their night’s work, and were now cleaning their nets on the shore.
It’s tiring work, fishing. And it’s tiring tiring work to clean fishing nets. But it needed to be done.
Peter was probably already imagining how good it would feel to crawl into bed and go to sleep. He could already picture his home in Capernaum, and his bed, calling to him, when - all of a sudden - what’s this? - a man steps into his boat uninvited.
Peter knows this man. It’s Jesus. Jesus has been to Peter’s house. When he was there, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, who had been suffering from a high fever.
And here he is again, standing in Peter’s boat.
Jesus tells Peter to get in the boat and take it just a little way out, not far from shore, so that Jesus can speak to a group of people who were there, and be seen and heard.
If it was anyone else, Peter probably would have yelled at them to get out of his boat; but he was so grateful for what Jesus had done for his mother-in-law; so he acquiesced, even though he was so very tired.
However, once Jesus started speaking, I wouldn’t be surprised if Peter’s eyelids started to droop, and his head started to nod. And maybe his body would jerk as he struggled to keep himself awake. Or, perhaps he did eventually drift off to sleep… but if so, Jesus calling his name would have woken him up.
“Simon!”
“Yes-I’m-awake!”
“Simon, take us out into the deep water, and let the nets down for a catch.”
“Seriously? Master, we’ve worked all night. All night! And we’ve caught nothing.
Yes, Peter was tired. Exhausted. I’ve been there. You’ve been there. We’ve all been there.
But guess what? The gospel is for people who are tired.
Weary
But it wasn’t just physical exhaustion that made Peter tired. He was tired of giving in to the demeaning, dehumanizing, burdensome way of life that was forced upon him and upon so many others by the Roman Empire.
He was weary.
I’m reminded of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat on the bus when asked to move back. We imagine that she was just tired, and decided on the spot to stay put.
But that’s not true. Rosa Parks was a community activist, a member of the NAACP, and had been trained in nonviolent resistance. She later explained that “the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” That’s a different kind of tired. It’s a weariness that stays with you, even if you get a good night’s sleep.
For Peter, even if he were to have a successful night fishing, Rome would claim a large portion of his proceeds. Rome doesn’t want anyone to become rich or powerful. Rome only wants the people to have enough hope that they keep working, keep producing for Rome, keep adding to Rome’s wealth and power.
And, just like today, in our own time, some in the religious hierarchy helped reinforce the government’s lack of regard for the people. The most powerful and influential priests helped keep the people in line, docile, submissive - and, in return, Rome allowed those few religious leaders a measure of wealth and power that was denied to everyone else.
Many of us are also acquainted with this kind of tired, this weariness - some of us, to a greater or lesser degree than others. Some of us - some in our congregation - know first hand the weariness that one gets because of racism, homophobia, and the like. Some know the weariness that comes from working harder and harder and never feeling like they’re getting ahead.
It’s a weariness that doesn’t go away.
But guess what? The gospel is for people who are weary.
Doubtful.
Peter did all that he was supposed to do. He worked hard. He paid his taxes. He followed the teachings of the religious leaders. He did all this, because it was the right thing to do… even though all he had to show for it was crumbs. Just crumbs.
At times, he must have wondered: what’s the point? What’s the point of working hard, if Rome was going to claim every achievement and every success?
And what’s the point of following all the religious teachings? What did get him? How did that help?
And Jesus…
Yes, Jesus had healed Peter’s mother-in-law, and that certainly got Peter’s attention, but, let’s be honest: that was a one-time event. She needed more than a one-time healing. She needed an ongoing healing. She needed food. Every day. She needed to be cared for.
And not just her; the whole family needed to be cared for. The whole community - people needed so much, and they were getting so little.
This wasn’t living. It was surviving.
Nothing Peter had seen - not even Jesus - made Peter think anything was ever going to change.
So when Jesus told Peter to let down his nets, Peter was skeptical. Peter doubted that anything would come of it.
But guess what: the gospel is for people who doubt.
Afraid.
So, despite his doubts, despite his skepticism, Peter let down his nets, expecting nothing. But then, they caught so many fish! The biggest catch anyone had ever seen!
And Peter! Peter became afraid. This was not normal. And why was he the beneficiary of this miracle? Two miracles now!
Though he went through the motions, his heart wasn’t always in it, and he didn’t follow the religious teachings perfectly. Sometimes he skipped out on his obligations. Sometimes he was too discouraged.
Been there? Done that?
And Peter said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinner!”
But Jesus just said, “Do not be afraid.”
Because the gospel is for people who are afraid.
The gospel is for people who are tired. The gospel is for people who are weary. The gospel is for people who doubt. The gospel is for people who are afraid.
For them, the gospel is, literally, good news. They will be blessed. They will find their strength renewed. They will find their faith renewed. They will find that their fear and their doubts will give way to joy and to laughter.
“Do not be afraid,” Jesus said. “This is good news, and it is for you. And now, I call upon you, to help me spread comfort, healing, and hope to ALL those who are tired, discouraged, and afraid.
“Instead of catching fish, you will be catching people.”
Renewed, strengthened, loved, affirmed, made whole
And, despite everything, Peter followed. And so did James and John.
And, I suspect, there were some back home, back in their communities, and perhaps even in their families, who didn’t understand their decision.
“You’re going to leave everything, and follow some religious teacher? Even though you’re always complaining about how religious teachers are more aligned with Rome than with God? Even though too many religious leaders add to our burdens rather than help us?... Why on earth would you leave everything, and follow him?”
Those are familiar questions, to be honest.
Why haven’t you given up on religion? Why are you still a Christian? After all the church has done throughout the centuries - wars, crusades…; and after all the church continues to do today - condemning the LGBT community, supporting white supremacy, being anti-science - after all the spiritual abuse and other forms of abuse that religious leaders have inflicted on people, you still believe? You still follow?
Why?
Some of the authors whose books I read address this question. Rachel Held Evans (before her death) addressed this question, and Nadia Bolz-Weber addressed this question, and they’ve done it exceptionally well.
If you are ever looking for a book to read on Christian religion or spirituality, I highly recommend any of the books by these two: Rachel Held Evans and Nadia Bolz-Weber.
They even held a conference together, and the title of their conference was, “Why Christian?”
Why did Peter follow Jesus? Why do we follow Jesus? Why does anyone follow Jesus? Why does anyone still choose to be a Christian?
It’s impossible to give a complete answer in the time I have left, but I think a big part of the reason is that Jesus takes away people’s burdens. Jesus gives people strength when they are tired. Jesus lifts them up when they are weary. Jesus tells them “do not fear” when they are afraid. And Jesus lets all people know that they are worthy of love and worthy of a place at the table just as they are - with all their doubts, all their weakness, all their regrets.
Religious leaders don’t always get this right. Not in Peter’s time, and not in our own time. But read the gospels, and you’ll see that it’s true.
Jesus is about healing. Jesus is about wholeness. And most of all, Jesus is about love. Real, genuine, love.
That’s why Peter, James, and John followed.
That’s why we follow today.
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