I wonder what this schoolyear will bring. Which class will I be in? How many school levels are there in life anyway? What am I going to learn this year? Which colleagues will I have? Which journeys will I travel? What tests will there be? What will I accomplish? Where will I fail? What´s going to be fun? What will frustrate me?
We are all students, no matter which age. We never stop learning. And when we walk with Jesus, it is he who is our teacher. He has a very special curriculum, especially designed for every student. It fits exactly my learning pace and style. He knows how I learn best. He knows when I need a break. How he can cheer me up and motivate me. And when he can demand more from me and challenge me to take a leap of faith. I like being in his class, he's my favorite teacher!
My school days weren´t always that fun. I had problems with girlfriends. Misunderstandings with teachers. I was an outsider because I was open about my faith. Sometimes I was inconsistent. Torn between the pride of being different and the desire to belong. It wasn't easy. I wanted to get good grades, but I chatted too much. If something wasn´t interesting or I disagreed, I didn't learn it. I wasn't an easy student. My chemistry teacher told me to think before giving an answer. Unfortunately, understanding and explaining why my first answer was wrong did not count for her. Quick responses were typical of me, I have to admit.
Maybe I'm a bit like Peter. He was also impulsive. It is great to see what kind of disciples (students) Jesus has chosen. A pretty chaotic bunch. The sons of thunder, James and John, must have been rather hot-headed and proud. Matthew the tax collector worked for the same regime against which Simon the Zealot fought. Quite a potential for conflict in a group! I like it that Simon was given the name Peter, "rock". Although he later denied Jesus. But his symbol is not the rooster, but the rock! Because Jesus is counting on him and builds his church on him. Despite his failure!
I don't know what my classmates would remember when they thought of me. Maybe that I was weird and a hypocrite. Or maybe that they saw Jesus in me. There were good things and not so good things. In class you get to know each other quite well. This was also true for the disciples. They even were together 24-7, day and night on the road together! That's when you inevitably see the mistakes of each other. No one can wear a mask for that long.
Peter was miserable and ashamed after denying Jesus. But this experience did not shape the rest of his life. What shaped him was what Jesus saw in him! After his resurrection Jesus asked him three times: Do you love me, Simon? His answer was always Yes. And these three Yeses count so much more than his three No´s before! Feed my sheep, Jesus says to his Yes. He gives him a job and a mission. He believes he can do great things. And Peter did change the world. Peter is a saint. But no saint is without failure!
It´s comforting to see what kind of friends Jesus has chosen. And I'm glad that the Bible is so honest and doesn't sweep failure under the carpet. It encourages me to keep going and learning. To let myself be shaped by Jesus' love and not my failures. And it encourages us to put up with classmates who are going through a stupid phase. Total clowns or posers or whiners. Because Jesus can really make something out of such people. We should never underestimate the power of his transforming love.
Come to me. Get away with me and you´ll recover your life. I´ll show you how to take a real rest.
Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rythms of grace.
Matthew 11:28