Scripture Lessons: John 21:1-19 and Acts 5:27-32 Sermon: Do You Love Me?
Date: May 4, 2025
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells
I don’t know about you, but I do not like being asked the same question three times in a row. Peter, do you love me? Yes, I know the three fold questioning has to do with the three fold denial of Jesus by Peter before the crucifixion. And this is the scene that sets that straight. But even so, it would be hard to be asked the same thing three times in a row. And you can see Peter struggling. He doesn’t want to confront the risen Jesus the way he did the earthly Jesus. So, he turns the corner. “You know everything.” Done. No more defending himself, or trying to correct Jesus, or attempting to disabuse Jesus of his extremes intentions. Peter relents. He surrenders. Gives it to the shepherd. Who has laid down his life for the sheep.
And Peter and the disciples take up feeding the sheep. Caring for the flock. They preach and teach and heal in the temple precincts in Jerusalem, trying to spread the good news of Jesus Christ far and wide. Trying to spread the healing love. The compassion. And who is turning up? Yes, the sick. The outcast. And, of course, the poor. And the crowds are growing. And the religious leaders who supposedly run the show at the temple are not happy.
Let’s make sure we understand something here. This conflict that is played out in the story of the disciples appearing in front of the religious authorities, this is not a showdown between two different religions. Like the Muslims and the Jews today. Or the Buddhists and the Muslims. Or the Christians and the Jews. No. This is an issue between people in the same religious family. All Jews. We have the Jewish leaders who preside over the worship and observance at the temple in Jerusalem. They are in charge. And we have the disciples, with no official authority in the religious community, who feel instructed by God to tell people about Jesus as the long awaited Jewish messiah who has come to redeem the Jewish people and set things to rights. These are two expressions of the same religion. And as we know, sometimes it is the conflicts among family that are the most destructive.
We are living in a time in which our religion, Christianity, is fractured in this country. Divided. Now there has always been diversity of Christian expression in America. Different churches and sects and denominations. We know about that. And through most of it, there was an underlying sense, a foundation, of respect, even if there was not agreement. Maybe some of our common ground came from the fact that we had all pretty much abandoned the radical, subversive teachings of Jesus. And settled for compromises of one kind or another. But today, some of the things I am seeing from so- called Christians are things that I just cannot see justified given the witness we have to Jesus’ life and teachings. We have people who claim to be Christians who use imagery of Jesus dressed in a US army uniform and toting a machine gun. I’m sorry, but that Jesus is not in the Bible. We have people who claim Jesus was white and who use that to justify and promote whiteness as a class, a condition, that implies superiority. That is not the Jesus of the Bible. We have people who claim Christ and who are addressing themselves to serving the interests of not just the millionaire class but the billionaire class in this country. What about the Jesus who did not own a home? And had one tunic? We have people who use Jesus to perpetuate the subjugation of women and the restriction of their rights. And, friends, that is not Christlike. Jesus was an out and out feminist. He challenged the mores and values of his time that carefully circumscribed the role of women and their power. Jesus time and again defied the misogyny of his culture. It was even shocking to the disciples, we’re told. What’s he doing talking to her? He let her touch him!!! Why is he helping her??? Why is he letting her help him with his ministry? And in the US today we have people using Jesus to target those who are identified as sexual minorities and denying them their full humanity. That is simply not consistent with the Jesus of the New Testament who said nothing, I repeat, nothing, about same sex relationships, or abortion for that matter. Now, when Jesus is used as the figure head, as the leader, of such interests, we are faced with a conflict within our own religion.
So, first we listen to the words of Peter. We obey God rather than human authority. And how do we know it is of God? Well, it will be consistent with the teachings of Jesus. And we have from Jesus, Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. That reflects Jesus’ ministry and the ministry of the disciples. Helping those who are sidelined and maligned.
Reaching out to those who need food and healthcare. Welcoming those who are outcast and forgotten. That is the agenda of the God of the Bible and of the Jesus of the gospels.
We have a strong expression of Christianity in this country today whose values are antithetical to that New Testament witness. And they proudly support politicians who are taking away money, resources, safety, and lifelines from the most vulnerable among us. Friends, that is not Christlike. That is not “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.” And that is how we assess the spirit of Christ within us and among us.
Now, normally I don’t say much directly political in my sermons. I feel it is my role to give you a Biblical and theological framework from which to form your own convictions about current circumstances, but this week, while reading about the lambs and the sheep, I found myself aghast at what I was reading in the news. One email stated: “As head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Trump, Musk is exposing just how bad things are: Runaway government spending has pushed national debt to unsustainable levels.” Yes, the US is in debt $36 trillion dollars. Yes, this is a concern. Then I read about a statement made by Elon Musk to the investors of his car company, Tesla. The article said, “Musk told investors the blowback against Tesla – stemmed from his work with DOGE. Musk said, ‘The real reason for the protests [against Tesla], the actual reason, is that those receiving the waste and fraud wish to continue receiving it. That is the real thing that is going on here, obviously.” His conviction is that the debt is due to people milking the system and taking advantage of the government creating waste and a fraud. Well, he is right and he is wrong. Yes, people are taking advantage of the government and that is significantly contributing to the national debt. But he thinks those people are disadvantaged people who are cheating the government. The poor taking advantage of the government and significantly contributing to the national debt. That is where he is mistaken. It is the millionaires and billionaires who inflate and pad government contracts that are handed out for political gain, and the 1% who find every which way to avoid paying taxes and who are aided again by politicians who benefit from the largess of the 1%, who are ticking up the national debt to such exorbitant levels. Yes, people are taking advantage and it is contributing to the national debt, but the greatest effect is from those at the top of the economic scale, not those at the bottom. Musk needs to be pointing the finger at himself.
And if he is concerned about the national debt, he should write out a big fat check to the IRS.
So, there are many Christians today who agree with Musk’s assessment of things in our country. And we go back to: Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.
Here it must be said that expressions of Christianity like ours may not support the current attack on the poor and vulnerable, but we have not been outspoken in our preaching and teaching about the gospel. We have backpedalled and down played the parts that we think are hard or unpopular. Like love your enemy. Turn the other cheek. Forgive 70 times 7. We have not taken the risks that Peter and the early disciples took that attracted those most in need and jeopardized the very lives of the disciples. They took risks. Their agenda was not political power but good news for the poor and those who were discredited and downgraded by society. We have been very deft at softening the gospel. Making it easy to swallow. More palatable. Less risky or uncomfortable. We have blended it into our upper middle class, consumer capitalist, racist reality.
In this season of Easter, when we celebrate Jesus coming back from the dead, it’s a time to see things a little more clearly and realize the power for good that we are dealing with. And often ignoring.
This is a time to take Jesus seriously. Jesus loving us, we accept that. We sing, “Jesus Loves Me.” And we should. But do we love him? Do we listen to him? The one who gives us life. Sustains us. Offers not only food but healing and hope. Who wants us to know abundance and joy. Are we taking him at his word?
Peter was crucified. Upside down. He gave his life. A shepherd. Laying down his life for the sheep. Like Jesus. He didn’t regret it. He lived a life of joy and community, intimacy and mutuality. All gifts of the gospel. None of these things are tools of empire. Or authoritarianism.
Do you love me? Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. If we follow and are called to lay down our lives, then we know we had something to live for. Followers of Jesus don’t look at life and ask, What am I getting? They look at life and ask, What can I give. To those who need it most. Amen.
A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.
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