The Jewish leaders wrote off Peter and John because they did not seem very smart. They were, as the reading tells us, uneducated, ordinary men. There's hope for us. Readings for today.
Uneducated, Ordinary Men
One definition of humility is to accept oneself as they are. As humility comes from the root word for earth, we could say that being humble is about being down to earth. Keeping your feet on the ground. Knowing who you are.
And yet, there can be a real temptation to be more than. we are. To think of ourselves as better than others, smarter, more attractive, richer. And if we cannot describe ourselves in this way, we can become resentful or envious.
But what if the best definition of humility, or the best way to live it, is to simply try to see ourselves as God sees us. And when we consider how God sees us, we can see ourselves as beloved sons and daughters of God. With the gifts and talents that God has given us, to do those things that God wants us to do.
Let's consider the lives of Peter and John. It seems that they knew who they were. Likely from an early age they knew they would be fishermen. More than likely they came from a family of fishermen. Casting nets, catching fish, making a living.
And this would have been a very good life. To be hard workers, to be able to support yourself and a family was something to be proud of in life. This would have made them quite productive members of society.
But this was not what either of them would become. Everything changed when they met Jesus. Suddenly, and over time as well, things changed. Their encounters with Jesus changed them from fishermen to fishers of men. They went from charting their own course in life to following Jesus wherever that led.
But perhaps most of all they went from ordinary to extraordinary. Despite their faults and failings, they recognized that they needed to know how Jesus saw them. And so they became humble. Think of Peter. He knew he was a sinful man. He knew only Jesus could heal him and forgive him.
Peter was compulsive, impetuous, shoot first, aim second kind of man. At his worst he could not even admit he knew Jesus. At his best, he would give his life for Jesus. And Jesus saw in Peter what Peter could not see in himself.
And John, thought to be the beloved disciple, was amazing too. His mother thought that he and his brother James were the most important and should sit at the right and left hand of Jesus. But Jesus saw John differently. He saw John as the one who could love much. And he did.
And Jesus saw in John someone who would care for Mary, the mother of Jesus, as carefully and lovingly as Jesus cared for her. Jesus sees in John the one who gives us an example of how it is we should see Mary in our lives.
In today's first reading, we see two contrasting visions of Peter and John. The Jewish leaders saw, ordinary, uneducated men. But Peter and John knew who they really were. They were disciples of Jesus. They were followers of Jesus. And they were the ones, because of their faith and trust in Jesus, they were the ones who became extraordinary men of wisdom.
It can be the case that we reward those in school who are smart. The know a lot of facts. But in life, we tend to reward those who are wise. And wisdom is about seeing things the way that God see things. And that describes Peter and John.
Does it describe us? Is it the case that we too allow ourselves to be loved by God so that God can make us who it is we really are? Too many settle for ordinary. But the truth is that God wants to make us extraordinary. And so seek a relationship with Jesus. It will make all of the difference.
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