Hikoi of Faith: Do you love me? Will you give your life for me?

This morning, after farewelling Fadi, the most beloved of the Jordanian guides. we left the Kingdom of Jordan and journeyed into Israel through the Palestinian Territories, crossing the Jordan River as the people of Israel did so long ago...

When the people struck camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant in front of the people. As soon as the bearers of the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests who carried it touched the waters (the Jordan overflows the whole length of its banks throughout the harvest season) the upper waters stood still and made one heap over a wide space - from Adam to the fortress of Zarethan - while those flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah, that is, the Salt Sea, stopped running altogether. The people crossed opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood still on dry ground in mid-Jordan, and all Israel continued to cross dry-shod till the whole nation had finished its crossing of the river.

- Joshua 3:13-17

Our mode of crossing wasn't quite the same... we used the King Hussein Bridge.

For the people of Israel God gave them this land and under Joshua they entered the land and conquered the land. This defining gift of the land led to the Zionist movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries." A key phrase was, "A land without a people for a people without a land." There was a problem, however, that there were a people there, the Palestinians. In 1948 the War of Independence occurred when Britain withdrew. In 1967 the Six Day War saw Israel annex the West Bank which had formerly been Jordanian. Many Christians were moved from their homes to the area around Nazareth. Many Palestinians were moved from their homes and taken to the Jordanian border.

We reflected that the loss of Palestinian land, resources, homes and language here can be paralleled in the story of Māori in Aotearoa. As the Treaty was not honoured, nor have the various International peace treaties. We reflected the concept of the Treaty, of sharing land and resources and living in harmony are the very principles that are the ways of peace. Does God give us land and resources for exclusion and impoverishment of some? Does God condone the stripping of dignity and lives.

Our prayer was for peace as we crossed the border which is an visible sign of the sad divisions in this Holy Land.

The process of checking the border is not easy. It took us about 90 minutes. The formalities in Jordan are relatively simple but in Israel we have to wait at two or three checkpoints and go through the arrivals terminal which involved two luggage screenings and three passport checks.

We then entered Zone C of the Palestinian Territories which is under complete Israeli military control. Even though it is Palestinian Territories new Jewish settlements are being built in contravention of the international peace treaties. To the right of the highway security fences are evident with much of the land leading down to the Jordan still mined from the Six Day War. When we entered Israel proper our bus was inspected by armed Israeli soldiers... a new experience for many of our group.

The first stop was the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes at Tabgha, a name which means seven springs...

Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee - or of Tiberias - and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.

Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, 'Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?' He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, 'Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each.' One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said, 'There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?' Jesus said to them, 'Make the people sit down.' There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, 'Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.' So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, 'This really is the prophet who is to come into the world.' Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself.

- John 6:1-15

One wonders whether the small gave his lunch or maybe even in the family lunch in spirit of the moment. This small boy walks in the footsteps of the great witnesses to Jesus... Mary who gave her yes, her own "this is my body given for you"... Joseph who took Mary into his home knowing his reputation of being a good man would be lost... of shepherds who abandoned their flock and the madness of wise men who followed a star to see the child... of fishermen who left their boats. Discipleship means leaving something behind. One wonders what we ourselves need to leave behind? One wonders when we give our five loaves and two fish what the Lord will do with it?

One of the seven springs

Then we went to the Church of the Primacy of Peter, where Jesus gently dealt with Peter's threefold denial...

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, 'I'm going fishing.' They replied, 'We'll come with you.' They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, 'Have you caught anything, friends?' And when they answered, 'No', he said, 'Throw the net out to starboard and you'll find something.' So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord.' At these words 'It is the Lord', Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, 'Bring some of the fish you have just caught.' Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.' None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, 'Who are you?'; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?' He answered, 'Yes Lord, you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' A second time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He replied, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Look after my sheep.' Then he said to him a third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and said, 'Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'

'I tell you most solemnly,

when you were young

you put on your own belt

and walked where you liked;

but when you grow old

you will stretch out your hands,

and somebody else will put a belt round you

and take you where you would rather not go.'

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, 'Follow me.'

- John 21:1-19

Poor old Peter... impetuous as ever jumping into the sea but then discovering that charcoal fire... the sight and smell of it would have reminded him of the charcoal fire he was warming himself by when three times he denied Jesus... Smells and sights often take us back to events from our past, often negative events.

But Jesus was more interested in restoring relationships rather than pointing the finger... Do you love me, do you really love me, do you really, really love me? It's a question we can imagine Jesus asking each of us...

Perhaps we have to break down our walls of fear and division.

But love is not enough... Peter had to be ready to suffer... Forget about the abundance of the massive catch of fish in the sea. You Peter have to 'Feed my lambs'... 'Look after my sheep'... 'Feed my sheep'... Your place is in the wilderness. And isn't that the call to the Church - to be in wilderness, seeking out the lost giving hope and meaning to an empty world. So often we want a faith that rewards us in the here and now. But a mark of discipleship to allow the Lord lead us where we would rather not go, even to the point of death, to give glory to God.