Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles Day
Mark 8:27-35; I Corinthians 3:16-23; Ezekiel 34:11-16
The game is called “Choices”. It was part of the breakfast conversation
yesterday with the two oldest boys. Choices—The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenager)
or The Hulk. Immediate consensus was The Hulk. Choices—the Beatles or the
Rolling Stones—Without hesitation they answered the Beatles. “A bit
tougher,” I said. “Choices—Cherry Chocolate Chip or Cookie dough.”On
this they divided with definite prejudice. And then I said, “Choices—Peter
or Paul.” There was a long silence as they looked at each other—then
Tim said with a smile while looking at his mother, “Peter or Paul”
and he paused and then added “or Mary?” “Good choice,” his
mother said nodding.
There are some who think this Sunday might be best known as the Odd Couple Sunday—a curious linking of two of the greatest figures in the origin of the Christian faith on the special commemorative day of June 29—Saint Peter and Saint Paul Apostles Day. The two greatest apostles of the Christian faith who embraced the whole Jewish and Gentile world. The Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul is one of the oldest of the saint days. It is observed by the full range of the faith communities from Roman Catholic to Lutheran, from Episcopal to Eastern Orthodox. It can be historically noted that this day is chosen because it is believed that on June 29th in the year 258 the relics of the two saints were moved to the catacombs of Rome to protect them when the Roman emperor Valerian increased his persecution of Christians including the order to execute bishops, priests and deacons—which included the Pope of Rome. Some time would pass before the relics were restored—Saint Peter to the Vatican and Saint Paul to the Via Ostiensis. This feast day precedes the origin of all the main stream expressions of the Christian faith thus being the historical and traditional possession of all faiths but confessional and doctrinal property of no particular expression.
Every Christian community from the Serbian Orthodox to the Lutheran Central Diocese of South Africa is free to celebrate this day for two special apostles of the faith. It is tempting to look at these two early church leaders from the vantage point of historic church development—To see Peter as the founder of the Roman Catholic Church centered in Rome and Paul as the theological inspiration for the churches of the Reformation—To do so is to deny the significance and breadth of the proclamation these two apostles brought to the Christian faith. Their ministries pre-date by centuries the divisions of church and political constructs that simplified their lives and teachings into contrived choices between Western Christianity or Eastern Christianity—between Roman Catholic or Protestant—between celibate or married clergy. The choices the church often created have little to do with the core message Jesus gave them to proclaim. The divisions that we know are not grounded in these saints, nor are they based on the Lord they served—We need a day like this to remind us—as Paul wrote clearly—that “there is but one body and one Spirit—one Lord, one faith, one Baptism.” No one belongs to Paul or Peter—but to Christ alone. And Christ is God’s.” There is no way in the brief form of a Sunday sermon to fully examine the importance of Peter and Paul to the faith that we know and hold firm almost 2000 years later. But there is no denying that these two Apostles provide a reference point for our understanding of the Christ and the church.
It is fitting that every few years when June 29 falls on a Sunday that we give pause to consider what we do know about them and—more important—what their words and lives teach us about following Jesus. Simon bar Jonah or Simon the son of Jonah, was later called Cephas or Peter based on the Hebrew and Greek words for “rock”. He is believed to have been born in Bethsaida of Galilee. We are pretty confident that he was a fisherman, working in partnership with his brother, Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee, James and John. He was married, and his mother-in-law, whom Jesus cured of a fever, lived with he and his wife in Capernum at the north end of the Sea of Galilee. It seems that Peter took his wife on his missionary travels with him. It is likely that Peter and his brother Andrew (who first brought him to meet Jesus) were originally followers—along with the Apostle John— of John the Baptist before they joined Jesus. Peter has a special place among the apostles. In the gospels he is the challenging character who one minute seems to have figured out the full meaning of Jesus’ ministry and proclaims boldly that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah and then, in the next instant he seems to fail to understand everything that Jesus has said and done. He is the bold confident ego that steps out of a boat onto the water—the one who proclaims unquestioning allegiance to Jesus and then cracks under pressure slipping into the water and denying Jesus three times. Peter was part of the inner circle along with James and John who was present at critical moments in Christ’s ministry including the glorious mountain top transfiguration and the Christ’s painfully intense prayer struggle moments before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter was often the speaker for the Twelve as a whole and his name was inevitably put at the head of the lists of the Apostles.
After the resurrection, Peter was the first of the Twelve to see the risen Lord, and he clearly acts as the leader, taking the initiative in the selection of Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve disciples. And it was Peter who explained the events of Pentecost to the assembled crowd and Peter who preached the sermon that founded the church. Ultimately Peter turned increasingly to missionary work—chiefly among the Jews— and the leadership of the early church in Jerusalem passed to James the brother of Jesus. We don’t know a great deal about Peter’s later missionary travels with the scriptures silent about the latter part of his life. The weight of tradition makes it probable that Peter eventually went to Rome where he suffered martyrdom by being crucified face down around the year 64—six years before the first Gospel was written by Mark who traveled with Peter. Peter is credited with writing two epistles or letters containing 8 chapters in the New Testament. In Peter most of us find the struggle for faith that is common to many of us. At times it all seemed so clear to Peter—This is who Jesus is and what he means for my life—but then there come the trials of life—storms—struggles—doubts—and we find ourselves struggling like Peter to find a way to hold on to our faith. So we do the best we can—filled with moments of doubt we pray for guidance and wait for God’s grace to renew us. The more I read about Peter the more I am convinced that he was a seeker—someone who was looking for God but rarely sure when or where he found him. In contrast, the apostle Paul eventually wrote almost half of the New Testament, accounting for 14 epistles with 100 chapters of writing.
Like Peter, Paul also began life under a different name. Saul of Tarsus was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. He probably attended a local synagogue school and learned the trade of “tentmaker” which would later support him at various times on his missionary journeys. Most important, unlike the twelve disciples and other followers of Jesus who were Israelites, Saul was a Roman citizen with a cosmopolitan outlook. He was also a Pharisee and an ardent supporter of the Jewish law and way of life. He was part of the group that persecuted what he saw as a new, disruptive sect of Christians springing out of the traditional faith. Saul was present at the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Saul persecuted the Christians savagely, but was dramatically converted to the very One he had been persecuting after seeing Jesus in a vision while on the road to Damascus. From that time on, Saul became known as Paul, pouring the same energy with which he persecuted Christ’s followers into bringing the Gospel of Jesus to as many people as he could. Paul began his missionary work in Syria and continued it in Asia Minor, Cyprus, Greece, and Macedonia. On several occasions in his travels he visited Jerusalem and on his final visit there, perhaps about the year 55, he was arrested, tried before Felix the governor on the charge of provoking riots, and kept in prison for two years. As a Roman citizen, he appealed his case to the emperor and the book of Act in the New Testament ends with Paul in Rome waiting to appeal his case.
According to tradition, Paul was cleared of the charges by the emperor. He then made Rome his headquarters, traveling east again and possibly also west to Spain before being executed in 67 as part of the Christian persecutions of the Emperor Nero. For all the humanity and faith struggle we see in Peter—Paul represents the confidence of the converted believer. There is little doubt in Paul’s life or writings following his conversion. There is an unfailing confidence in God. Paul manifests the vision of God’s grace—removing us from the need to try to work out our salvation—all we need to do is believe—trust in God. While this sounds simple enough there are actually very few of us who do not yield to the temptation to try to create our own formula for salvation—to define for ourselves and those around us what makes for a true believer—a good Christian—a right relationship with God. Which brings me back to choices. Law or Gospel—Paul set forth the choice again and again. Law—the prescribed rules by which we are to live our lives—the measuring stick for God to determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. Gospel—the good news of God’s grace—the gift of faith—the easy way if only you believe that Jesus really is the way.
The choice seems so simple—but Paul also
knew how hard it is to believe—to trust—to get our busy lives and
our expectations and our preferences and priorities out of the way. Choices—Saint
or Sinner—the answer seems so obvious—but Martin Luther read Paul
carefully and discovered a Latin phrase—simil ustus et pecattor—at
the same time justified and sinner—As Paul wrote—“the good that
I would I do not do and that which I would not do I do”—but for grace,
there is no choice—the sinner wins.—But by grace the saint prevails.
So both choices are made one in Christ—for he is the center of all things—divine
and human—dead and alive—judgement and forgiveness—all is united
in Christ—Jew and Greek—Male and female—One in Christ. Choices—we
can still play the game and consider the possibilities—but in the end there
is only one choice—to accept the gift of grace revealed in Christ and proclaimed
by Peter and Paul.
Amen.