In the readings we heard tales of two Christian brothers, strong-minded individuals whose larger than life personalities crossed paths just a few times. Strange enough though, you have likely seen them together. That’s because in church art they’re often paired up: one holding the Bible and the other brandishing keys. They can be seen in some of the world’s most famous cathedrals, starring together on stained glass windows and frescos – two bearded men, early giants of the faith, products of a radical encounter with Jesus, one with the book, the other with the keys. On June 29 they will share a Day of Honor named after them: Saint Peter and Paul. And on this Sunday, their different journeys to Jesus are on display: Paul’s violent conversion story in Acts 9 and Peter’s “Come to Jesus” moment after Easter, with the Lord’s famous trice repeated question: “Do you love me, Peter?”
I decided to look at both stories together because Peter and Paul are such an odd pair and I sense that the oddity of them being paired up so frequently in our church tradition provides a lesson for us all. First, why are they an odd pair? Well, because, as cozy as Peter and Paul appear to be in church art, they had different personalities. The two men after whom the Main Basilica in Philadelphia is named, also held some different beliefs. They did not agree on everything. And to be perfectly honest, based on the record, I don’t even think Peter and Paul liked each other. It’s is one of the best kept secrets of the church!
Now, I also have to tell you that Peter and Paul’s strained relationship is in a strange way comforting to me. It’s strangely comforting to know that even the most spiritual people are caught up in the messiness of human relationships, as we all are, and can’t take a shortcut! It’s a relief to think that even the most saintly people have to deal with the same eternal issues of humanity, – stubbornness, pride, insecurities, megalomania, selfishness, rigidity and what not. We’re all in the same boat, right? And I bet every single one of us can come up with a tale or two of different personalities clashing while basically working on the same noble goal. Even brothers and sisters from the same biological parents can be like yin and yang, as we all know. Sometimes that causes tensions, other times it leads them to appreciate one another for who they are and what they each have to offer. More often than not, it happens later in life…
Peter and Paul of course were not biological brothers. They were more like the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of the early Christian world: two leaders with different visions and ideas. The tension between them is pretty clear. And as I try to describe it, please feel free to find analogies from your own life or your family or work dynamics. I’m pretty sure you’ll find some familiar ground. Here is how Peter and Paul’s personalities clashed…
The one holding the book (Paul) thought he was right all the time and was eagerly looking for an argument, while the one holding the keys (Peter) passively relied on the authority given to him by Jesus, which drove the one holding the book crazy. The Apostle to the Gentiles (Paul) was progressive in his thinking and aggressive in his outreach. He pushed the church forward, out to the cities on the shores of the Mediterranean, embracing a new age, employing new methods of evangelism. If he lived today he’d probably have a Twitter account and a Blog, trying to champion a new understanding of faith, welcoming unheard of people. Peter, the head of the church in Jerusalem, was beholden to the traditional ways, much more cautious and set in his ways, devoted to his Jewish base. Paul was an intellectual who frequently penned sentences that stretch for almost half a page in the Greek Bible, driving church goers crazy to this day with his convoluted words, while Peter’s resume consisted mostly of, well – being Peter. Peter and Paul, in other words, were as different as can be. And yet, they are often depicted together in church art.
Today we heard their conversion stories and predictably, their conversions are – you guessed it, radically different. As you listen to this, please try to answer this question: how would God have to reach out to me in order to find me, in order to change me? You might find a hint here…
Paul or Saul, as he was named then, needed to be converted by force and, yes, even physical pain, illness. He was head strong and stubborn. Any other method of conversion wouldn’t have gotten through to him. If God hadn’t thrown Paul from his mule and blinded him, if Jesus hadn’t called him by name, if he hadn’t been blinded for three days, he would have found ways to rationalize it all away: just an odd thing that happened on the road. Instead, he became a changed man.
Peter’s conversion had the fine qualities of psychological persuasion. Jesus didn’t have to remind Peter directly about his betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane. He used a very subtle approach, and it worked for Pete. He asked him, “Do you love me, Peter?” He asked him three times, each time again, as if he hadn’t heard Peter’s previous answer, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” Peter must have felt as if Jesus were telling him with so many quiet hints: “Remember your betrayal! Three times you denied knowing me!” Sensitive as Peter was, he felt hurt, because Jesus didn’t seem to trust him. This subtle or not so subtle jolt was all that Peter ever needed to turn his life around. “Feed my sheep!” Jesus said to him at the end, and Peter did exactly that.
So, Peter and Paul were very different people, – as different as some people here in our church, as different as you and some other person in your life. And yet, they are often depicted together in the church tradition: one holding the book and the other holding the keys. God called them in different ways. God deployed them in different ways. And yet, they are often shown in harmony. Is that perhaps teaching us a Buddhist-Christian lesson? What is different somehow belongs together! What is different in our eye belongs together in God’s greater vision! It can coexist and reflect the same light in slightly different ways, as Peter and Paul do, literally, in certain church windows where they have hung out together for centuries. We all have different tales to tell about our faith and our approach to God (or God’s approach to us!), yet we belong together. It sounds so simple, but it is so true! Come, and be part of the tale, part of the body of Christ, which thrives on differences and incorporates polar opposites, because they often need each other much more than they are willing to admit!
Amen.