John 20:24-29; 21:15-19
April 29, 2001
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco.
One of the grossest memories of my college years was my first roommate, John who had sweaty feet. At night he would lay out his wet socks on the room’s heating vents to dry. It was so bad that I changed roommates the next semester!
Sweat glands. They’re all over our bodies including our feet. But when we think about buying shoes, we seem to be more interested in fashion than on how bad our feet sweat. Our feet get really hot.
Did you know that the average foot perspires a quarter cup of liquid on a slow day, and up to one full cup is excreted on a day of “fancy footwork” like playing basketball or tennis? While average walking one mile may not even break a sweat, your feet most certainly will. The environment in your shoes will closely resemble that of a Louisiana swamp: about 94 degrees in temperature with 96 percent humidity.
If you don’t think your feet sweat, I want you to take off one of your shoes and pass it to your neighbor on the left. Take a whiff to prove my point!
With all of this sweating going on, shoe companies are working diligently to develop a shoe that breathes—cool shoes. They are researching shoe linings in hopes of discovering greater breathe-ability to help avoid muggy buildup.
But no matter what kind of running around we do in life, whether it’s on the basketball court or shopping in the mall, our desire is “We want no sweat.” We want to maintain our frantic lifestyles because we want to keep pace with a frantic world. And the last thing we want to feel to slow us down is sweaty feet.
After Easter Sweating
On this third Sunday after Easter, we read from the Scriptures that there was a lot of frantic running around in those days after the resurrection. A whole lot of sweating was going on!
Right after the resurrection, Mary Magdalene hysterically ran to the disciples upon discovering that the stone had been rolled away from Jesus’ tomb. Peter and the other disciple ran to see for themselves. They returned home, no doubt sweating out the possibilities about what could have happened to the one they called, “Lord.” They were sweating it out because they have yet to understand the scripture.
Mary remained weeping in the garden with a cold sweat, breathing with difficulty.
She left after realizing that Jesus was still alive and still calling her by name. Meanwhile, the men returned home, later meeting behind locked doors that evening, sweating it out again “for fear of the Jews.” What would now become of them? What did Mary mean by saying, “I have seen the Lord?”
The disciples eventually saw Jesus, too, of course, behind those closed doors. And while his words impart comfort when we repeat them here in the midst of our safe worship service, when Jesus spoke these words on that very first Easter, the disciples were sweating bullets, if not quaking in their sandals.
Jesus said “Peace be with you,” and then he showed them his pierced hands and his bloody side. I’m sure that when the disciples saw and touched the suffering he endured on the cross, they were trembling and sweating. They were afraid that Jesus would remind them about how they deserted him at the last minute. And now seeing him face to face would make me sweat!
Then Jesus said, “Peace be with you” again and breathed on them the Holy Spirit. This must have been a hot wind causing perspiration to bead on their foreheads because now they are to forgive sins and to even retain sins. Getting a big job assigned to you can cause you to sweat.
For some reason, Thomas didn’t see Jesus when he first appeared to the rest of the disciples. Maybe he was so afraid for his life that he was hiding out during the days after the resurrection. So Jesus said to Thomas, “Peace be with you” and made Thomas put his fingers on his hands and side. I am sure that Thomas was shaking and sweating for he has finally touched the Lord himself.
Sweating Discipleship
When we follow Jesus, our feet will get sweaty. Faith can be gross, sweaty and certainly not peaceful. Following Jesus may involve blood, sweat, and tears. When we walk in faith, we may not experience nice, airy breathing. Like Mary Magdalene, we might breathe through heaving sobs.
Believing in Jesus is not a walk in the park. Even from the very beginning, starting with the disciples, the walk has been dangerous.
The first disciples pulled off their sandals and called it a day before Jesus was crucified. They had had enough of that demanding journey, traipsing around Galilee not knowing where they were heading. When they took one glimpse of the actual race Jesus was running, they all dropped out of the race. Jesus was sweating and they wanted no sweat.
They thought following Jesus would be more comfortable, more fashionable. It was neither.
But now Jesus was back again. He went through a humiliating, messy, and excruciating death, but now he is calling his disciples to follow him.
He asked Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” And Peter wondering and sweating to come up with the right answer says, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” Jesus must not have been convinced that Peter was sincere in his answer, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus remembered that on that scary and dangerous night of betrayal, he denied Jesus three times. So Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. And Peter said, “Yes, I do” three times. And Jesus said, “Feed my sheep” three times. Peter was feeling the pressure and he must have been sweating up a storm!
So as 21st century disciples, we are out shopping for those new sneakers that would make our feet’s sweaty realities disappear. We seem to perpetuate the idea that discomfort is to be avoided at all costs. We believe that life, like our shoes, can be fashionable—no sweating because we have those breathable shoes.
The truth is, sometimes life is uncomfortable. Life was uncomfortable for Jesus too. When we run after Jesus, it’s going to be sweaty and bloody, and tearful. And when we are sweating for Jesus, it’s not going to be fashionable either.
When Jesus breathed upon the disciples and they received the Holy Spirit, Jesus didn’t promise a life of ease. The idea that following Jesus means carefree living ignores the truth about genuine discipleship. Running for Jesus may not be comfortable. And sweating for Jesus will not be fashionable either.
Sweating for Jesus
How do we sweat for Jesus? What does sweating discipleship look like? One way is to realize that we need to live more simply. When we consider our world in a compressed perspective, we are shocked to see that nothing in the world compares to our American standard of living.
Here are some facts to ponder:
1. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness…you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
2. If you can read…you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
3. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation…you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
4. When you came to church this morning without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death…you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.
5. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep…you are richer than 75% of this world.
6. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace…you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy people.
For many or most of us, we are worried about making ends meet. We think that we need more money and disposable income to live more comfortably—to stop sweating. Amazingly, many of us secretly still think that we are poor.
There’s a story about how a father wanted to teach his son how poor people can be.
One day, a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from the trip the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people can be?” asked the father. “Oh, yeah,” said the son.
“So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
“The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they have four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a
creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go
beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve each other.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us and they have friends to
protect them.”
With this, the boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are.”
Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don’t have. When we follow Jesus, we begin to realize that even when we think that we are comfortable with all of our needs in life met with material possessions, we discover that true discipleship is understanding that these things matter very little. By wanting more, we lose sight of what is really important.
Just like trying to buy that pair of sneakers with the sole lining that will make our feet comfortable and breathe-able, we are looking for that kind of lifestyle for ourselves. We don’t want to sweat for Jesus so we surround ourselves with all of the comforts of life. And in the long run, we stop running after Jesus and we stop sweating for him.
Earth Day
Last Sunday was the official day to celebrate the 31st anniversary of Earth Day that according to legend, Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes, two barefoot hippie San Jose State students buried a car on campus to help inspire an environmental revolution. While San Francisco and the rest of California can’t seem to keep the lights on, we want to shed some light on how important it is for us to be responsible stewards of God’s creation.
If we don’t we will be doing a lot more sweating this summer when our air-conditioners are turned off.
Besides the looming energy crisis, we hear about eliminating restrictions on carbon dioxide releases that pollute our air and water. We can now measure global warming as not a fluke, but real. We hear about the loss of wetlands, doomed fisheries and the time when Lake Merced used to have good fishing, diseased trees, dead butterflies, and disappearing frogs. Now President Bush wants to drill for oil in Alaska’s pristine national parks.
There are many things that we can do and learn about our environment. But we must first begin with ourselves. Did you know there’s something called the “But-First” syndrome? You know. It’s when you decide to do the laundry with earth-friendly detergent. So you start down the stairs with the laundry, but then see the newspapers on the table. Okay, you’ll do the laundry later.
But first, you decide to put the newspapers in the recycling bin. So on your way to put the newspapers away, you notice the mail on the table. Okay, you’ll recycle the newspapers later.
But first you’ll pay the PG&E bill so that they won’t turn off your electricity. So you look for the checkbook. Oops…there’s a Coke can from yesterday on the floor where your daughter left it. Okay, you’ll pay the bill later since PG&E has plenty of money anyway.
But first you need to take that Coke can to the recycling bin. You head for the closet. You noticed the remote for the TV. What is it doing there? Okay, you’ll put the Coke can away later.
But first you need to put the remote away. Heading for the TV room, you pass your son’s room and notice that his lights and stereo are left on when he had to run out of the house to catch the school bus. Lights need to be turned off. Okay, you’ll put the remote away later.
But first you need to turn off the lights and the stereo because we have an energy crisis…
So, here’s what happens at the end of the day…laundry not done, newspapers on the floor, Coke can not in the recycling bin, bills unpaid, remote not where the TV is, and all of the lights and stereos are burning up the little megawatts that we have. And when you try to figure out how come nothing got done all day, you are baffled because…you know you were busy all day!
One of the easiest things we can do today to help protect the environment as a church and as family households is to eliminate the use of disposable styrofoam and plastics. If our attitude is that “But first” we need to use up the supply of styrofoam and plastics, we will continue to put off our commitment to have reusable plates, utensils, and cups.
If our attitude is that “But first” we need to just get through this upcoming dinner or party with disposables because it’s easier, we will continue to damage the world and ourselves in the process.
I rather be sweating a little washing dishes and forks then to cause our descendants to sweat all the time when we are creating global warming. I rather have stinking BO because as followers of Christ we are running after causes that will redistribute our world’s resources to people in need. I rather be sweating for Jesus than to be staying calm and collected because Jesus not only first sweated on the cross for us, he died there too.
Feed My Sheep
When Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me more than these?” Jesus can be asking that same question of us today.
“Do you love me more than the material possessions that we give so much value to or
do you love me more than the privileges that we have as Americans or
do you love me more than the conveniences that we have to just throw away
styrofoam plates and cups and plastic forks or
do you love me more than those new breathe-able sneakers that keep your feet
dry?”
And when we say to Jesus, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Then we better get ready to start sweating a lot because feeding and tending sheep is hard work.
Jesus said to Peter, “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.”
To follow Jesus means that our feet will be hot and sweaty. It will mean that our lives may be filled with blood, sweat, and tears and end up in places that we don’t want to go. And when all is done, the Lord will say to us, “Peace be with you.”
You see, when we fall short of what’s expected. When we drop out of the race because our feet are too tired and sweaty. Our running after Jesus is marked first by grace. It is grace that cools the sweaty feet of faith. By grace, the Holy Spirit eases our burdens along the road. By grace, God invites doubters to come for a closer look. By grace, even sweaty men, running around like fools, become pillars of faith. By grace, God calls us by name. By grace, God appears to us and gives us a second chance to be stewards of his beautiful world.
So put on your Rockports or New Balances and jog down the post-resurrection highway—your faith feet will get hot and tired. Sweat may pour over your brow and under your arms as you feed God’s sheep. Because it is grace that God will say to you, “Peace be with you.”
Let us pray.
Gracious Lord, we give thanks for how you are running ahead to show us the way to live faithfully with God. Lead us to follow you in sweaty discipleship as our feet will burn with sacrifice and service. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.