“When Simon Peter saw the catch, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Leave
me, Lord, for I’m a sinner!’”
Luke 5:8 (Common
English Bible)
Harry
Emerson Fosdick once commented to his congregation, the Riverside Church in the
City of New York, that “Many people have pretty much reduced their Christianity
to admiration of Jesus.”[i]
Initially, this seems rather harmless. Jesus is a glorious character – a G
rated individual in an R rated world. The beauty and strength of Jesus provides
comfortable – and safe – fodder for family-friendly conversation, a Disney-like
character to share with children at bedtime. His compassion, his high moral
code, and his extravagant forgiveness remain beyond reproach. Here is an
individual that sets the bar high for our own living. It would be difficult to
find anyone who does not admire this man.
Yet, it is
precisely that admiration of Jesus that creates so much difficulty. We cast our
eyes upon Jesus, note his exceptional life and obedience to God, and then we
look in the mirror. There is present a gulf, as wide as the east is from the
west, between the man Jesus was, and is, and who we are. Yes, our admiration
for Jesus is great. But consider the effect that has upon our own self-image.
Few of us will possess the musical greatness of Mozart, the artistic talent of
Michelangelo or political savvy of Lincoln. And no one will possess the lofty
moral greatness of Jesus. We admire Jesus from a distance. But who can ever
approach his character in their own life? That is why Peter said to Jesus,
“Leave me, Lord, for I’m a sinner!” Jesus’ flawlessness also makes him the most
disturbing personality we ever face.
It is
precisely this reason, says Fosdick, that we don’t instinctively run to Jesus.
Instinctively we try to escape him. We cannot live with ourselves and with
Jesus.[ii]
Anyone who takes Jesus seriously moves quickly beyond admiration to echo Peter’s
anguish. Jesus is reduced to an extraordinary man that no one can ever,
adequately, emulate. Jesus may be our ideal but the contrast between who we are
and who Jesus is stirs exhaustion and despair. Anyone who doesn’t experience
the hopelessness of Peter simply hasn’t taken Jesus seriously.
The Good
News is that the Bible has more to say about Jesus. Jesus is extraordinary in
love and obedience. This is all true. But more than this, Jesus is the
revelation of God’s desire to infuse our lives with the same strength and power
we see in the person of Jesus. If Jesus were only a teacher, telling us how we
ought to live, then despair would be ours. By our own strength and
determination of will, we cannot live as Christ teaches. But what the disciples
soon learned is that Jesus not only presented a clear vision of another way of
life, Jesus was the conduit of God’s power for moving toward that vision. What
a difference that makes! And it is that discovery by Peter that turned his
first revolt from Christ to abiding, joyful hope.
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