John 1^st Person sermon  7-13-08  

            Enter an old Apostle John assisted by aid.  Sitting up front, closing eyes.  Maybe asleep?  Aid says, “Teacher, teach us.”  John responds, “Love one another.” and again closes his eyes.  “Teacher, teach us more.”  Without opening his eyes he replies, “That is enough.”  After several seconds, aid says. “Tells us about the day you met Jesus.”  John then comes to life. 

            I remember that day like it was just yesterday.  It was going to be a blistering hot day on the Sea of Galilee.  I was glad we were almost done.  I was working with my Dad Zeb and my little big brother James last night.  I call him that because he is older but I’m bigger.  We’re commercial fisherman.  Its fun working with James and Dad, we don’t get to do that much anymore as we have 3 boats now.  We usually each take a boat out with the hired help. Dad says everyone works harder if an owner or a family member is on board.  But for some reason a bunch of guys didn’t show up last night.  We had a good night though and I was looking forward to getting home a getting a good days sleep.  We were anchored about 30 feet offshore cleaning and fixing the nets.  The big fish like to hang out in the rocks and this is hard on the nets, so James and I are fixing the tears and washing the blood and weeds off so it wouldn’t dry on.  Dad is in the back counting all the fish. I think he is really counting all the money we made. Like I said we had a very good night.  Every once in a while he would actually gut a fish, but mostly he just counted. 

            We were almost done when this big crowd comes walking down the beach. I see 5 of our missing crew in the crowd. If I could get my hands on them I’d teach them to skip work.  They see us and smile and wave.  What in the world is going on here?  I see Andrew and Simon in the crowd too.  I know these guys, they are subsistence fishermen. Poor guys don’t have a boat just wade out in the water and throw their nets, hoping to catch something.  Most of the time it’s just little bait fish, but if you’re hungry it was fine, but I am sure glad we have a boat. 

            Then something really strange happened. This guy near the front of the crowd turned and looked directly at me and said, “Come follow me.” My brother heard it too and he must have thought he was talking to him because we both jumped off the boat at the same time.  I’m not kidding when I say I didn’t even think about it, it felt like I was being pulled by rope. I talked to some other guys and they said they felt the same way when he called them.  This guy who called us was named Jesus and was from a little town up north, Nazareth.  I don’t know where he went to school but he sure knew the scriptures, but he was not like the religious leaders in the synagogue.  They always had their noses in the air, like they were better than everyone else, walking around in their fancy robes with all the tassels, never having done a honest day’s work in their lives.  Something about Jesus was different though, when He explained the scripture it made sense. Anyway after we jump out of the boat and walk over to him he smiles and pats us on the back like we were old friends and he has been waiting for us.  He keeps teaching as we walk along and finally we come to the Synagogue and we go in.  We are so mesmerized by his teaching that no one realizes it has gotten dark and it is now the Sabbath.  That means we are not allowed to do anything that might be considered work.  Anyway, it’s dark now and this big guy comes in, I’ve seen him before, un-kept rough looking character even by my standards, and believe me I am used to some pretty rough looking characters being a fisherman and all, but this guy takes the cake.  He’s even got foam around his mouth, he’s got a wild look in his eyes, his hair and beard are all matted and he stinks horrible.  He starts ½ screaming ½ growling at Jesus. “What do you want with us Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are- the Holy one of God.”  I have chills just telling the story.  I used to say I wasn’t scared of nothing but my goose bumps had gooses bumps that night.  Jesus wasn’t afraid at all, he walks right over to him, tells him, “Be quiet, come out of him.” The guy starts shaking like he was a rag doll, his eyes roll back in his head, and he flops on the floor, convulsing, and something lets out the most awful scream.  I say something because it sounded like a wild animal that was being torn into, surly not a man.  The man lay limp on the floor, I thought he was dead until Jesus reached down and touched his hand and helped him up.  My jaw hit the floor.  I’ve seen some weird stuff but nothing like this.  It was dead quiet for a few seconds; I think everyone was in a state of shock, like me.  Then a hundred little conversations started all at once.  No one could believe what they had just witnessed.  The guy still looked rough, but I’ll never forget what he did.  He bowed as low as I have ever seen anyone bow and in a voice that was loud and clear and strong said, “Thank you Lord for setting me free.” If I didn’t know better I would have thought this guy was a prince or something.  Jesus hugged him and went out.  He told me to follow him earlier that day and he hasn’t told me to stop so I follow him now. 

            We went to the home of Andre and Simon.  Now Simon’s mother in law was real sick with a high fever, we probably shouldn’t have even been there, but Jesus goes in and touches her, next thing she is up and fine like nothing is wrong, fixing us dinner.   I hope this is ok being the Sabbath and all, but I was sure grateful for the meal.  I still have no idea who Jesus is, but he is sure powerful, and a good teacher. Nothing like this has ever happened before and I for one am going to stay right with him until he tells me to go. 

            We had a great next day, listening to him teach, and I have never seen anyone who cares about people the way Jesus does.  The Sabbath was over and people start moving around again.  They start showing up with all sorts of injuries and sickness, and he heals them all.  It would take the rest of the day to tell you about all of them, but I would like to tell you about a few. 

            There was this guy who had leprosy. He was a mess: his nose was gone; all his finger were partly gone all at least to the first join, many further; both ears were only stubs sticking out from his hair; he was a mass of festering sores.  When he saw Jesus he fell on his face and cried out, “Lord if you are will you can make me clean.”  Looking back I still can’t believe what Jesus did.  I know I wouldn’t have had the nerve to do it. He reached down and before we could stop him he touch the guy.  “I am willing, be clean,” he said.  Doesn’t he know that lepers are contagious, was this the first one he had ever come in contact with?  He lifted the leper to his feet and kissed him on both cheeks.  I couldn’t believe my eyes, it looked nothing like the same guy who had just fallen on his face before Jesus. He was clean shaven, not a mark on him, not a sore, all his nose was restored, all his fingers, and ears were normal, not even a scar.  I knew right then, what I had suspected earlier, Jesus was no mere man, He was God among us.  He told me to follow him and he hasn’t told me to stop so I kept right with him. 

            The crowd is huge by now and Jesus walks up on the mountainside a little ways and sits down.  That meant school was in session and he started to teach us.  There were 12 of us he has chosen to be his closest group, and I for one don’t know why he chose me.  I flunked out of the rabbi’s school for boys when I was 12.  I think it was for asking too many questions. But I’m sure glad I was here now, school was in session and I was ready to learn.  When he sat down to teach you could have heard a pin drop and he said, “Spiritually happy and prosperous are those who are spiritually destitute, happy are those who mourn, happy are the people who are meek, happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.  What kind of strange teaching is this? I’m not kidding the next  two and a half years were just a continuation of this lesson.   Everything I learned in the Rabbi’s school was just about all thrown out the window, and the things they taught in the synagogue every Sabbath felt like it was just a shadow of the truth. 

            I saw some incredible stuff over the next couple years, and I can’t believe how all of us disciples have changed.  The power of this gospel can change lives right on down to today.  I can hardly recognize the man I used to be.  I remember one time there was a town that didn’t want us to come in.  I was indignant and asked Jesus if we should call down fire from heaven to teach them a lesson.  James, my brother was right with me, yea, “Let’s roast ‘em.”   Jesus just laughed and gave us a new nickname.  Sons of thunder, he started calling us. He had a lot to teach us about love.   

            One time we went into town to get some food. Jesus stayed outside by the well to wait.  He did that sometimes, just hung out by himself, and prayed I guess. I think he got recharged by being alone, anyway we come back with the food and he is talking to a Samaritan woman.  He had even asked her for a drink out of her water jar. I couldn’t believe it. That would be like drinking out of a dog’s dish.  But he was like that, he was kind to everyone.  He treated everyone with respect and dignity, well that’s not completely true. 

            People who took advantage of other people got his wrath. I remember one time we went up to Jerusalem and in the court of the women at the temple they had setup a market.  People were buying sheep that were “guaranteed acceptable for sacrifice.”  They were horrible specimens really, and they were charging way too much, but they had to have this certain mark and these guys were the keeper of the mark.  There were others to who were exchanging money, so we could have the right kind of money for our offering.  They were charging way too much for this service too.  Jesus never said a thing just went over and sat down by the wall and started braiding some cords together. He seemed to be praying and he never really said so but we kind of got the idea he wanted to be left alone, so we let him.  After a couple hours he gets up and starts cracking this whip like he’s been driving oxen all his life.  I still don’t know where he learned to handle a whip like that but it was impressive. He drove all the vendors out of the temple and turned over the tables they were using. He kept saying, “it is written my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.”  He sure got upset when people took advantage of other people. We talked about it over dinner, and he had no resentment or ill feeling for the guys he drove out, it was more like pity. He felt sorry for them; said money and greed had kept them far from the kingdom of heaven.  He wished they would repent and turn back to God. He said they had a dismal future full of weeping and gnashing of teeth.  I think he had tears in his eyes. No one dared ask him what he meant.  

            He has taught me a lot about love over the course of the years. I consider myself somewhat of an expert in fact.   They call me the Apostle of love now, quite a bit different than my other nick name, son of thunder.  It took a long time to live that one down.  Jesus told us time and again that one of the greatest commandments was this, to love one another.  This has been my theme song every sense.   

It broke Jesus’ heart to have people reject his message. I even saw him cry as he looked at Jerusalem from the Mt of Olives.  He said he wanted to gather the people under his wing like a hen gathers her chicks, but they would not come. Instead they hurled insults at him and plotted to kill him.  They came and arrested him one night after he had washed our feet, said he came to be our servant and told us to do the same.  I followed, when they arrested him. I was the only one of the 12 who stayed by his side when they would let me, I even was with him at the cross.  After all he told me to follow him and he still has not told me to stop. 

            What a horrible day that was.  My heart was about to explode watching him hang there.  I tried to comfort Mary as best I could, but how can you comfort a mother as she is witnessing her first born baby boy being tortured to death.  We had no hope, for all our hope was in him.  He called out in a loud voice several times that day. First time he said, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”  How could he say that?  He even loved those Roman soldiers who had driven the nails into his flesh, and beat him and mocked him.  Even the Jewish leaders who plotted to have him there. I felt like he was even asking God to forgive me.  Part of me felt like he was hanging there because of me.   Then he looked right at me, just like he did on that morning we first met, and he told me to take care of Mary.  Here he was about to die and he was worrying about other people.  He was teaching me about love right up until he bowed his head and said, “It is finished.”  Perfect love; Love that keeps no record of wrongs; love that is always looking out for the welfare of others; love that never fails. 

Joseph a rich guy from the senate, the same one who came to him at night to listen to him teach, asked for his body and took and placed in his own brand new tomb that he had just had carved out. And we went home. 

            I don’t think I said a word to anyone that whole night and even the next day.  My eyes were out of tears.  On the morning after the Sabbath the women went to the tomb to place more spices on the body. They asked me if I wanted to go, but I couldn’t.  But then just as quick as they had left they were back with a tale that he was alive.  I dashed out of the house and ran to the tomb. All I could think was someone has stolen the body, but why hadn’t they desecrated him enough, were they going to hang it on the wall as a display now?  It was 2 miles but I was there in a flash. The stone was moved and there were His grave clothes but no body. Peter bust in past me. It was so weird; all the wrapping in a neat pile like the body had just evaporated out of them. We didn’t know what to think except for one thing, no one stole the body. They would never have left the linen strips lying there like they were.  Later that night we were together in the upper room where Jesus had washed our feet and we had celebrated Passover together.  We were all there except for Judas the betrayer, and Thomas. We were hiding for fear of what the Jewish leaders might do next and all of a sudden, there he was.  Jesus was there, not the bloody mess that was laid in the tomb but he was healed and beautiful and fully alive.  Now it was starting to make sense.  He was God, and he said he was going to lay down his life and in 3 days take it back up again.  He told us he was going away to prepare a place for us, but that he was coming back.   

He taught me a lot of things when he was here, and continues to teach right on up to today because he has sent the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, but that’s a whole other story. The thing that stays with me is the new commandment that he gave us, really it’s an old one but it’s been made alive for all of us who know him.  “I give you a new commandment (He said) that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. “Like I said, love one another, that is enough.  I’ll never forget when he looked at me those 50 years ago on that lake shore, and told me to follow him. And he still hasn’t told me to stop, so I never will. I will follow him all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Let’s pray: Lord I just thank you for all the lessons you have taught us. Lord grant us that we may love one another. Thank you for your precious word, may we hide it in our heart that we may live lives that are worthy in your sight.  Lord may we follow you all the days of our lives that we may dwell in your house forever. Thank you for loving us.  Amen 

1^st Person Sermon Notes  

Matt. 4:21 The calling of James and John 

Matt. 2:21 He shall be called a Nazarene 

Mark 1:21 Jesus drives out evil spirits 

Mark 1:29 Jesus visits the home of Simon and Andrew 

Mark 1:32 Jesus heals many 

Matt. 5 Sermon on the Mount 

Luke 9:53 James and John get a nickname 

John 4:9 Jesus talks with a Samaritan 

John 2:13 Jesus clears with the temple 

Matt. 23:37 Jesus wept over his people 

Luke 23:34 Jesus prays for his Tormentors (all of us really) 

John 19:26 Jesus tells John to take care of Mary 

John 19:38 The burial of Jesus 

Matt. 16:21 Jesus tells of his death and Resurrection 

John 13:34 Jesus gives us a new commandment