A New Engine

A series on meeting God – Peter
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 5:1-11; John 21:1-17 

[We all have a story about how we met God. Some are more miraculous than others, but none more amazing than the mere fact that the Living God, our Creator, reached out to bring us into relationship with him. In this series, we will be looking at how people in the Bible met God, and what that means to you today.]

  

Have you ever bought a car that you later concluded was a lemon? I did. It was a green Toyota Celica that I bought from a private seller in the late 70’s. He claimed to be mechanical, and that the car was in good condition.

 

However, when I drove it home, stinky smoke spewed from the exhaust. Even before I could enjoy driving around town in it, I discovered that it needed a new engine. The lure of a flashy sports car resulted in owning a lemon.

 

This is a good metaphor for Peter. His first meeting with Jesus happened one morning after he and his business partners had fished all night but without catching anything. Jesus asked if he could use Peter’s boat as a podium to speak to the crowds on the shore.

 

When finished, he told Peter to put out into the deep water and drop his nets. Peter protested mildly but acquiesced. After dropping his nets in the water, there were so many fish that it was too heavy to pull into the boat. He had to call for help.

 

When Peter understood what had happened, he fell to his knees. Jesus then called Peter to follow him and that “from now on you will fish for men”. Upon hearing this, Peter left everything including his family and fishing business, to follow Jesus.

 

Three years later, during the Last Supper, Peter declared to Jesus and to all the disciples, that he would never deny him. That he would follow Jesus to prison, even to death. But later that night, things changed drastically.

 

Following Jesus’ arrest, Peter denied knowing him three times. On the third time, as the cock crowed, Jesus looked right at Peter. Alone, and in the darkness of his guilt and shame, Peter “went outside and wept bitterly”.

 

Peter was clearly flawed! Had Jesus made a mistake when he called Peter to follow him? Was this macho fisherman with all the brave bravado a bust? Was Peter a flashy sports car that turned out to be a lemon?

 

After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, Peter and some of the disciples went to the Sea of Galilee. It was a déjà vu experience for Peter as he and the others fished all night but without catching anything.

 

Then from the shore, Jesus called out to tell them to drop their net again. This time there were so many fish that they couldn’t pull the net into the boat. When Peter realized that it was Jesus, he jumped into the water and went to him.

 

After they had all eaten, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. It was the same number of times that Peter had denied Jesus. By the third query, Peter became frustrated. But he consistently and adamantly answered, “Yes”!

 

Like my flashy sports car that needed a new engine, so did Peter. Jesus graciously welcomed Peter back as his friend and the rock upon which he would build his church.

 

Truthfully, we’re all lemons; we all need a new engine. And yet Jesus calls us to follow him. Did he make a mistake with us? No! He calls us and continues to call us to follow him and build his kingdom.

 

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.    ESV   2 Corinthians 5

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

All is Right with the World

A Lenten series on Mountaintop Moments
– Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 9:18-36 

[In this Lenten series, we will be looking at Mountaintop Moments. These mountains are more than just geographical features. They symbolize divine encounters and moments of revelation, faith and transformation. In other words, meeting God on the mountain top.]

 

Do you remember what it was like when you were young and in love? Everybody could tell! Your face glowed; you walked with a bounce in your step; little things didn’t bug you.  All was right with the world.

 

Jesus once asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am”? Peter responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”. Jesus commended Peter for being technically correct. However, the disciples understood the word “Messiah” to be in the context of a political savior, not a spiritual one.

 

About a week later, in the middle of traveling throughout Galilee and beyond to minister to the people, Jesus took Peter, James and John - his inner circle of disciples - to the top of a mountain to pray. While there, something miraculous happened.

 

As Jesus prayed, “the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white”. Then Moses and Elijah appeared in “glorious splendor” and began talking with Jesus “about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem”.

 

Meanwhile, his disciples had fallen asleep. Waking up, Peter started talking. But as soon as he did, a cloud came over them and from the cloud came a voice saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the voice stopped, Jesus was alone again with Peter, James and John.

 

Why do you think that Jesus had Peter, James and John witness his transfiguration? For one thing, his radiant transformation was a physical manifestation of his divine glory. This helped them to understand that he wasn’t just a teacher or a prophet, but truly divine.

 

Secondly, the presence of Moses and Elijah underscored how Jesus fulfilled God's plan. That is, Jesus was the fulfillment of the law, which Moses represented, and the prophecy, which Elijah represented.

 

Finally, God’s voice provided unmistakable confirmation that Jesus was the Son of God. It also showed the disciples that Jesus was not only the Messiah, but also provided the divine connection between heaven and earth.

 

When Jesus encountered his Heavenly Father on the mountain, he experienced an outward physical transformation. However, he offers us an inward transformation that is no less miraculous. Paul put it like this.

¹⁷ When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!   TLB   2 Corinthians 5                   

Like a young person in love, when Jesus is in your life, people can tell. There’s something different about you. It’s because you’ve experienced an inner transformation. Indeed, all is right with the world because the Son of the living God lives in you.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

NOOO!

A Series on the parables of Jesus – Part 2
The new cloth and the old garment
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Matthew 9:9-17 

[During the first century, it was common for a rabbi to use parables when teaching their disciples. The parables of Jesus were stories that he told to illustrate spiritual truth using some element from everyday life. Jesus used seeds, fish, trees, bread - things people could easily relate to – for a “teachable moment”.]

  

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who embrace change… and the rest of us.

 

Change is risky, scary and stressful. I prefer all things routine. Every morning and every evening, I have the same routine. I have a calendar that helps me to stay in my routine. These routines help me to know what to expect, and to feel like I’ve got it under control… even if I don’t.

 

My normal reaction to change is to resist. One place where I’ve observed this is during choir rehearsals at church. When the director decides to sing a song that’s in Latin or she tells us to sing acapella, my first reaction is… “NOOO!”

 

Jesus faced this same resistance to change when Matthew, who was a tax collector, decided to follow him. To celebrate the occasion, Matthew hosted a banquet in Jesus’ honor. Because tax collectors were considered traitors by the Jews, the Pharisees questioned why Jesus would eat with sinners.

 

¹² When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.”            NLT

 

Later the disciples of John the Baptist complained that both they and the Pharisees fasted while Jesus and his disciples didn’t.

 

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not… ¹⁶ “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth... ¹⁷ “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins”.   NLT

 

Jesus is telling them that things are changing fast. He is the groom; he is the new cloth; he is the new wine. The old is on the way out to be replaced by the new. If you read between the lines, you can hear the collective response of… “NOOO”!

 

In addition to death and taxes, change is a constant. We’re all looking for stability in an unstable world. Into this chaotic world of change, came the one unchanging constant. The One who can bring stability and peace.

 

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.        Hebrews 13 NIV

 

This is good news because Jesus is faithful. We can always depend on him. But, with this newfound stability comes change… NOOO!

 

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!     2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

 

Getting rid of the old can be hard. The old is comfortable. It’s what we’re used to. So we try to patch the old garment with the new cloth. But, like Jesus said, and Paul confirmed, the old is on the way out to be replaced by the new. This is Good News.

 

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams