blind

More Than Fish

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More Than Fish

(Second Sunday after Easter)

May 04, 2025*

By Pastor John Partridge

John 21:1-19              Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)                              

Have you ever visited any of the Civil War battlefields in the United States?

Do you remember studying the American Civil War in school?

If so, here’s a one question quiz: What was the American Civil War about?

If you stood on a busy street and asked that question, you would likely get one of two answers. Either people will say that the American Civil War was about slavery, or they will say that it was about states’ rights. And while those are both partially correct answers, when we begin to dig even a little bit deeper, we find that yes, it was about slavery, and yes, it was about states’ right, but it was also about property rights, human rights, family law, interstate commerce, the role of the federal government, the authority of the federal government, and a whole bunch of other things. The same is true about most other wars and conflicts in which our nation has been involved throughout its history. Every conflict has a great many more root causes than one or two presenting issues that often appear on the surface. It’s easy to say that World War One was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, but it’s harder to explain, or understand, all the political and personal intrigue that led to that triggering event. And that concept is true of everything from high school bullying to divorce and all kinds of other things that we encounter and experience throughout our lives. And much like the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, sometimes, the trigger or presenting issue that everyone talks about isn’t even the main issue.

And that is what we find as we read the story of Jesus’ third appearance to the disciples following his resurrection that we discover in John 21:1-19 where it says:

21:1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So, they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

There are a lot of things happening here, many of which I am sure that you have discussed in your Sunday school classes and heard your pastors preach about. There are the miracles of catching fish when professional fishermen had failed to do so all night long, as well as catching so many at one time, and also that although the fishermen were in the habit of mending tears in their nets every single day even from ordinary wear and tear, after an entire night of fishing, and after such a large catch, the net was not torn. There’s a lot there. But after the miracles that involve fish, Jesus looks at Peter, who had left Jerusalem, left off from following Jesus, and had returned to his profession of fishing, and asks him, do you love me more than these? Peter, do you love me more than fish? And Peter answers, “You know that I love you.”

But we all know that Jesus wasn’t really asking about fish, don’t we? Jesus may have met the disciples while they were fishing, he may have performed several miracles that involved fish and fishing nets, but his meeting with Peter and the disciples, and his question about fish, wasn’t ever about fish. Jesus tells Peter that if he loves him, then he should feed his lambs, and then asks the same question and answers himself saying “take care of my sheep” which, incidentally, has nothing to do with lambs or sheep but Jesus’ human flock. What Jesus is asking Peter isn’t about fish, or lambs, or sheep, it’s about more than fishing, or employment, or work, it about more than boats, more than vocation, or the camaraderie, beauty, or solitude of being out on the water. Jesus tells Peter that following him means that Peter will have to follow, even when he is led to places that he doesn’t want to go, just as an elderly person is dressed by someone else and led by the hand.

Keep that in mind because we hear echoes of that as we read the story of God’s call to Saul the persecutor, who will soon become Paul the apostle in Acts 9:1-20:

9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So, they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

Although the influence of the temple leaders ebbed and flowed as their relationship with their Roman overseers shifted from generation to generation, we can see that at this moment, Jewish leadership in Jerusalem had been given significant latitude to the degree that they could write an arrest warrant for other Jews even when they were in an entirely different administrative district in another country. Typically, entirely different Roman rulers oversaw the provinces of Judea and Syria, so this is an interesting, and important, detail. In any case, as Saul is traveling north along the road from Jerusalem to Damascus, he is met my Jesus himself, knocked to the ground, struck blind, and sent into the city to wait for further instructions. And then, because of his blindness, he is led by the hand just as Jesus had described to Peter.

But there is one more character in this story that we need to consider, Ananias. Jesus comes to Ananias in a vision and sends him to the home where Saul is staying. At the same time, Saul received a similar vision and was told to expect the arrival of Ananias. But… and this is important, Ananias knew who Saul was. They hadn’t met, but Saul had a reputation for violence, and those who believed in Jesus had heard of how Saul had been arresting, torturing, imprisoning, and otherwise bringing harm to Jews who had chosen to follow Jesus. Ananias knew who Saul was and what he had done and, not surprisingly, didn’t want to do what Jesus was asking him to do. But Jesus emphatically orders Ananias to go… and he does, Saul is healed of his blindness, is baptized, spends several days learning from the disciples of Jesus in Damascus, and immediately begins to follow Jesus and preach in the synagogues about him.

Every disciple and every follower of Jesus from that time until now has been asked the same question, and it is important that we understand the question the way that Peter, Saul, and Ananias did. When Jesus asks us, “Do you love me?” he is not just asking us to love him. Jesus made it clear to the people in our scriptures this morning, as he essentially said, “If you love me, then you must follow me… even when I lead you to places that you don’t want to go, and even when I call you to do things that you don’t want to do.”

You can hear Jesus asking the question that has echoed down through the ages…

“Do you love me?”

How will you answer?

*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Blind Opinion

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Blind Opinion

March 19, 2023*

(4th Sunday of Lent)

By Pastor John Partridge

John 9:1-41

There is a way of misinterpreting scripture that may have grown out of the primitive worship of gods and idols that existed long before God revealed himself to Abraham.  For primitive people, if you prayed for rain, and it rained, then it was clear that the gods loved you.  But if there was a drought, then it must be because the gods were angry with you.  Despite testimony to the contrary that we find in the story of Job, that frame of mind shows up with some regularity in the Old Testament, where we find people claiming that they were wealthy because God loved them but that if you were poor, it much be because you sinned or did something wrong.  If we pay attention, we will notice that there are plenty of times in scripture where bad things happen to faithful, and good, even beloved, followers of God. 

This attitude toward the poor, the unfortunate, the victims of accidents, the sick, the infirm, the crippled, those with birth defects, and many others, continues into the time of the New Testament and, if we’re honest, still rears its ugly head in the words we hear from some televangelists and others who are selling some variation of what is now referred to as the prosperity gospel.  Jesus specifically preached against this attitude and understanding on multiple occasions, but one of the clearest of these is found in the story of his healing of the man who was born blind. (John 9:1-41)

9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

So common was this method of interpretation, that Jesus’ own disciples assumed that this man’s blindness simply must have been the result of someone’s sin.  For the disciples asking this question, that part of the equation wasn’t even in doubt.  The puzzle for them wasn’t if someone sinned, but who it was who had sinned.  Sin and punishment was assumed to be a part of this man’s infirmity and so the question that the disciples ask Jesus is “who sinned?”  They likely wonder how the blind man might have sinned even before he was born, or if God was somehow punishing the sin of his parents by making him to be born blind, which certainly seems unfair.  But Jesus replies that both options are wrong.

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus explains that sin isn’t the only reason that bad things happen.  But it’s also important to note that neither does Jesus say that God intentionally caused the man to be blind.  He doesn’t say that God made the man blind. But he does say that God intends to use the man’s blindness for a higher purpose.  In this particular instance, God has chosen to use this man’s blindness to reveal a little bit of Jesus’ light to the world.

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

It’s worth stopping again here to point out that some of the man’s neighbors didn’t even consider the possibility of blindness being cured.  Even though they saw this guy every single day, they assumed that if the man in front of them wasn’t blind, then it simply had to be someone else.

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

The man insistently tells his neighbors “No, REALLY, it MEEEE!

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So, I went and washed, and then I could see.”

12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

And here we gain some additional insight into the minds of the blind man’s neighbors, and maybe into the entire culture of that time.  As soon as they determine that their neighbor is no longer blind, their first reaction isn’t to throw a party, or to congratulate him, or to celebrate with him, their first response is to drag him into court.  To be fair, maybe this is because whenever a leper was cured of leprosy (which could have been any one of a dozen or more different skin diseases such as psoriasis), the cured person had to be brought into the temple, inspected by a priest, and “legally” or “officially” declared to be clean.  In that case, what we see here is that his neighbors bring the man into the courts of the temple so that he can be declared to be cleansed from the “sin” that had presented itself as blindness and therefore welcomed back into worship.

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

It is obvious that the man is no longer blind.  And so, now the argument shifts from his blindness to Jesus.  They don’t like Jesus and they don’t want to admit that Jesus could have been the agent who performed the healing of the blind man.  But the only way to deny that Jesus healed the blind man, is to discredit him and insist that because Jesus is a sinner, that the blind man was somehow healed some other way.  And, as we will see, this turns into an almost laughably funny circular argument.

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So, they were divided.

17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

The blind man’s parents are dragged in front of these powerful leaders and even before they are summoned, they already know that these powerful men do not like Jesus and have threatened to excommunicate anyone who claims that Jesus is the Messiah.  And so, being good and faithful Jews, but also parents who love their son, they do the best that they can to stay out of whatever trouble he is in, and not get caught between Jesus and these angry and powerful leaders.  They want to support their son, but they don’t want to get thrown out of the temple or their local synagogue.  And so, their answers don’t go any farther than they must.  They tell the truth but refuse to speculate beyond their own knowledge.  They swear that their son was, indeed, born blind but they have no firsthand knowledge of how he was healed, or who healed him and they refuse to speculate or comment further.

Their son, on the other hand, has spent his entire life outside the temple.  His blindness, much like leprosy, though not communicable, was seen as uncleanness, or more specifically un-wholeness, and thus prohibited him entering into a holy space.  Not only does he want to support the man that healed him, he literally has nothing to lose because they are threatening to take away something that he has never had.  And so…

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth, “They said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

And right there we see that these church leaders believe the same misinterpretation of scripture that the disciples had.  They dismiss the (formerly) blind man and dismiss the value of his opinion and the value of his eyewitness testimony, because they believe that his blindness must have been caused by either his parents’ sinfulness or his own, and this continued blindness must, therefore, have been an outward sign of his sin and of God’s displeasure.  But…

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

The Pharisees that were listening to Jesus teach were not stupid men.  They had dedicated their lives to studying scripture, and a strict obedience to keeping the oral and written law and they were surprised and offended that Jesus would call them blind.  But Jesus says that their blindness came because of their insistence that only their interpretation of scripture could be correct.

The truth was that bad things happen to good people.  The truth is that being poor doesn’t mean that God hates you, or is angry with you, or that God is punishing you for being sinful.  The truth is that being rich, or living in a rich nation, doesn’t mean that God loves you any more than poor people or people who live in other nations, or that your wealth is a sign of your righteousness.  The truth is that good people can be rich or poor, American, Asian, European, or African.  The truth is that sometimes bad things happen.  But when we have faith, God can use those bad things to accomplish good.

The other truth is that what God wants isn’t always obvious.  And, even when we spend our lives trying to get it right, we need to have the humility to recognize that sometimes we can get it wrong. 

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™