Easter Day, Cycle B (2015)

THEME OF THE DAY
Easter surprises.

This Festival’s focus on the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection (Justification By Grace) should explore the surprising transformations it makes in Church, Christian life (Sanctification) and Social Ethics.

Psalm 118:1-2,14-24
This thanksgiving for deliverance in battle is one of the Egyptian Hallel Psalms (Psalms of Praise) used after Passover Meal. They are called “Hallel” Psalms because of their use of the Hebrew word halal which means “Praise the Lord.”

The song begins and continues with praise to God and His love/mercy [chesed] (vv.1-2). Yahweh is identified as the Psalmist’s strength [oz] and salvation/safety [yeshuah] (v.14). Verses 15-16, praising works of the right hand of Yahweh may be an ancient victory song. Reference is made to not dying [muth] but living [chayah], to being punished but not being given over to death (vv.17-18). This suggests the Cross-Resurrection sequence, as the concluding call to rejoicing (v.24) invites an Easter reading. Reference to the gates of righteousness [tsedeq] and the gate the righteous enter, though originally intended to refer to entering The Jerusalem Temple (vv.19-20), imply the outcome of Easter, the righteousness associated with Justification by Grace (Romans 3:21-26). Then the joy [gil] and awe that follow from this awareness of what Yahweh has done in becoming our salvation [yeshuah, safety, ease) are expressed (vv.21,23-24).

The Christological interpretation further reflects in verses 22-23 and its reference to the stone [eben] the builders rejected becoming the chief cornerstone [pinnah]. This is frequently attributed to Christ in the New Testament (Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11; I Peter 2:7). The legitimacy of applying these texts to Christ and Easter, as living voices of the present, has been suggested by eminent Old Testament scholar Brevard Childs (Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture, p.523). He notes that the final editors of the collection do not seem to have been concerned to present them as bound to their place of origin, for they could be sung any time.

Application: The Psalm offers opportunities to proclaim that God gives life and salvation through death, that He takes what seems to be of no account or a sign of defeat, and gives life and power through these means (Justification By Grace and Atonement).

Isaiah 25:6-9
As is well known this Book is comprised of two or three distinct strands. Only the first 30 Chapters, from which this Lesson is drawn, may be assigned to the work of the historical Prophet to Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom from 742 BC to 701 BC, a period during which the Northern Kingdom had been annexed by the Assyrian Empire. The second and third sections of the Book originated immediately before the fall of Babylon (in 539 BC) or soon after the Babylonian Captivity ended.

After a psalm of thanksgiving, the Lesson is an eschatological discourse following those begun in the previous Chapter. This is the so-called Isaiah Apocalypse. It prefigures references to the end of the world in Revelation. The text notes that on the day promised, a festival is to be made for all people on Mount Zion (the older and higher part of Jerusalem, associated with the site of God’s rule [24:34]) (v.6). The king usually celebrated his enthronement with feasts (I Kings 1:24-25). The shroud and sheet to be destroyed by God (v.8) may refer to funeral garments or to the curtains in the Temple Tabernacle separating people from the sanctuary where God was thought to abide. Death [maveth] is to be swallowed up [bala] forever at this time (v.8). This reverses the Canaanite myth that death swallows up everything (5:14). The Lord is said to wipe away [machah] all tears [dimah], as well as the disgrace of His people/reproach (v.8). Reference is made to the salvation [yeshuah, also translated as “safety” or “ease”] of this people (v.9).

Application: The text affords opportunity to proclaim the joy of the Resurrection (Justification By Grace) and the vision of the End Times it affords (Realized Eschatology). The destruction of the shroud which limited the laity’s vision of God in the Jerusalem Temple suggests that the Resurrection gives the faithful direct access to God. Old ways of ordering religious life no longer maintain their authority in light of Easter (Church and Theological Method).

OR

Acts 10:34-43
This Book is the second half of the two-part early history of the Church attributed to Paul’s Gentile associate, Luke (Colossians 4:14; II Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24).  It is particularly concerned to affirm the universal mission of the Church (1:8), a theme reflected in this story of Peter’s confession of the Gospel justifying his efforts to convert the Gentile Cornelius in Caesarea.  The background of the Lesson is that Cornelius is reported to have summoned Peter as a result of a vision, and then Peter had a similar vision (vv.3-17).  Peter visited Cornelius and then proceeds with the confession (eventually culminating in the pouring out of the Spirit on Peter and other Gentiles, as well as their baptisms [vv.44-46].)

In his confession Peter refers to God showing no partiality [literally, God accepts no one’s face, ouk prosopolaptos] and finding all with faith acceptable [dektos] (vv.34-35).  The Hebrews already knew God was not partial (Deuteronomy 10:17-18; Sirach 35:15-16 ). What was new here was that God operates without regard to social or ethnic barriers. He proceeds to recount the Ministry of Jesus Who, anointed [chrio] by the Spirit [pneuma], preached peace [eirene] and did good, healing all who were oppressed by the devil. His calling Christ Lord of all would have amounted to proclaiming Christ’s deity over that of Zeus and Osiris, about whom such a claim was made (vv.36-38; cf. Plutarch, Isis and Osiris, 355e).  Testimony is also given to Christ’s death and Resurrection, as well as His Appearances to those chosen [hand-picked] by God who ate and drank with Him (vv.39- 41).  Recognizing Jesus at meals or gaining special insights from Him on those occasions is typical of all the Gospels, including Luke (7:36ff.; 9:10ff.; 10:8; 11:37ff.; 14:7ff.; 24:30-31,42-43).  Peter claims to be commanded by these witnesses to preach that those who believe receive forgiveness of sin, for Jesus is their Judge (vv.42-43). This summary of Jesus’ life replays key themes of the Lucan narrative (1:8,22; Luke 3:22; 24:48).      

Application: This alternative First Lesson provides good opportunities to proclaim the universal character of the Resurrection, how it unites all people (Justification By Grace and Social Ethics). Sermons could also focus on Christ’s Presence in the Communion Meals.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11
In a Letter to a troubled church in Corinth which he had established (Acts 18:1-11), seeking to address various doctrinal and ethical problems, Paul responds to critics of the idea of whether there is a resurrection of the body, as these critics were Greeks who believed in the eternality of the soul (v.12). This teaching is part of the Gospel he has received, Paul claims, and so to deny the resurrection [anastasis] would be to deny the faith that has saved the Corinthians (vv.1-2). (This particular pericope never gets us to the verses in which Paul actually argues for a resurrection of the faithful based on the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection [vv.12ff.].) Paul recounts this Gospel. Its focus is on Christ’s death for our sins in accord with Scriptures (the Hebrew Bible; see Psalm 16:10; Hosea 6:2) and the Resurrection [egeiro] on the third day, also in accord with Scriptures (vv.3-4). He then proceeds to list those to whom Jesus has appeared, highlighting Cephas/Peter, and then adds his own name to the list as the least of the Apostles (due to his earlier anti-Christian activities) (vv.5-9). Paul then proceeds to defend his ministry, claiming by the grace of God he is what he is and that that grace [charis] has not been in vain. He claims to have worked harder than any of the Apostles. But then he adds it was not he, but the grace of God within him, that did the work (v.10).

Application: The text affords occasion to reflect on how the Good News of Easter (Justification By Grace) can compel us to work for the Lord (Sanctification).

John 20:1–18
Hints of that possibility that this Gospel was not composed by John the Apostle, though perhaps by one of his disciples, are offered by the first post-Biblical Church Historian Eusebius of Caesarea. He claimed that the Book was written on the basis of external facts made plain, and then inspired by the Spirit developed into a “spiritual Gospel” (presumably one not based on eye-witness accounts of the author) (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol.1, p.261). But a late first-early second century Bishop Papias, seems to have implied that the Gospel was likely the result of eyewitness origins (Richard Bauckham, Jesus and he Eyewitnesses, pp.423ff.; cf. Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol.1, pp.154-155). In any case, the Gospel is especially preoccupied with making clear that Jesus is the Messiah for a Jewish Christian community in conflict with the synagogue and Jewish society.  Certainly these verses’ account of the Resurrection reflect this concern with Jesus’ Messianic character.

The Johannine version of the story combines two traditions of Easter accounts found in the Gospels — the Resurrection Appearance Tradition and the Empty Tomb Tradition (stories that say nothing about seeing the Risen Lord) (Rudolf Bultmann, History of the Synoptic Tradition, pp.287-288).  This Johannine account does not introduce the Appearance Tradition until later in the narrative.  Bultmann also notes that for John “the Resurrection of Jesus, Pentecost, and the parousia of Jesus are one and the same [eschatological] event.” (Jesus Christ and Mythology, p.33)    

In accord with the Synoptic Gospels (except Luke 24), Mary Magdalene is given credit for first recognizing the Resurrection (or the Empty Tomb) (v.1).  (Magdalene probably means that she came for the town Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.) John’s version is the only Gospel to claim that this happened to her alone.  She is reported as running to tell Simon Peter and “the one whom Jesus loved” (John or the Christian community for which the Gospel was written).  She claims that the Body must have been removed (v.2).  The two Disciples hurriedly proceed to The Tomb, with the one whom Jesus loved getting there faster than Peter (vv.3-4). 

At first only seeking the linens [othonion] that had wrapped the Body of Christ, the Disciples enter The Empty Tomb, and not understanding the Scripture [Old Testament] promises regarding the Resurrection they return home (vv.5-10).  Mary is reported to have remained outside the Tomb [mnemion] weeping and angels [aggelos] sitting where the Body of Jesus laid comfort her.  She professes her agony over where the Body has gone (vv.11-13).  With these words, Jesus appears.  At first she does not recognize Him and His efforts to comfort her (vv.14-15).  He then calls her name, and she recognizes Him (calling Him “rabbouni,” a variation of “rabbi”).  Jesus asks Mary not to hold Him, because He has not yet ascended [anabaino] to God their Father (vv.16-17).  She goes and reports these things to the Disciples, claiming she had seen the Lord [kurios] (v.18).  John does not make clear if the Disciples actually believed her testimony, since a personal appearance later in the day is reported (vv.19-23).    

Application: The joy and enthusiasm of the witnesses to the Resurrection can afford occasion for sermons on the joy, enthusiasm, and surprise that the Easter Word can afford Christians (Justification By Grace and Sanctification).

Acts 10:34-43

As the Lukan playwright presents it, Peter announces to Cornelius in this text that Jesus as the Risen Christ has been appointed by God to be the judge of both those who are living and of those who have died and that everyone who believes in Jesus as the Risen Christ receives forgiveness of sins through Christ’s name. Peter and all of us are to be eyewitnesses of this and to share the message as eyewitnesses.

Isaiah 25:6-9

The reading of this very significant expression of Jewish hope has become traditional for us as Christians on Easter Day. We realize, of course, that the expression of hope in Isaiah 25:6-9 is still largely futuristic for Jews, for us as Christians also, for Muslims, and for others. They wait. We wait. Must we have animosity toward each other as we wait? Is our animosity pleasing to God? What can we do together as we wait? Dare we include questions such as these within our Easter message this year? Perhaps we can no longer afford not to include them.

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

This beautiful, extensive “individual hymn of praise” used by the Israelites as the last in the collection of Hallel psalms (Psalms 113-118) in the Psalter has its decisive futuristic element in 118:17, “I am not going to die — because I am going to live! And I am going to declare the deeds of the Lord.” In its original setting this meant that “I am going to live longer in this present life as I know this life here and now” because the Lord God has rescued me from death and has given to me a new lease on life. Later, for Jews within apocalyptic circles and for Christians, this “I am going to live!” became “I am going to live eternally!” The future growing out of the present became the future after life and death here.

Second Reading

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

The Easter message is stated clearly and unequivocally within each of the four New Testament texts selected here for the second reading and the Gospel on Easter Day. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:4 wrote that Jesus as the Christ “was raised from the dead on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.” The Lukan playwright in Acts 10:40 has Peter proclaim to Cornelius that “God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day as the Christ, and gave the Risen Christ the ability to become visible to whomever the Risen Christ wished.” The writer of the Gospel According to Mark in Mark 16:6, speaking through the words of the neaniskos (young man) in the empty tomb says, “Do not be astounded. I know that you are looking for Jesus, the man from Nazareth who was crucified. He has been raised from the dead! He is not here. See the place where they placed him.” The writers of the Gospel According to John in John 20:18 have Mary Magdalene joyously announce to the male disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”

This Easter message is expressed joyfully and enthusiastically within our Easter hymns and throughout our Easter liturgies. Certainly it is to be expressed joyfully and with enthusiasm in the reading of all of these texts and in our proclamation of the Easter message. Anything less would be totally inappropriate on this most important day of our Church Year.

It is often noted that Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, writing prior to the formation of the Four Gospels, placed his emphasis on appearances of Jesus as the Risen Christ rather than on the empty tomb, the Easter setting in each of the Four Gospels. If we use 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and John 20:1-18 on Easter Day, our emphasis also should be on appearances of Jesus as the Risen Christ, including the appearance to Mary Magdalene. The difference is that Paul cited a variety of appearances of the Risen Christ, primarily to males and to the more than five hundred that would presumably have included women, while in John 20:1-18 the dramatic appearance is to a woman, Mary Magdalene. What shall we do with this?

Acts 10:34-43

As the Lukan playwright presents it, Peter announces to Cornelius in this text that Jesus as the Risen Christ has been appointed by God to be the judge of both those who are living and of those who have died and that everyone who believes in Jesus as the Risen Christ receives forgiveness of sins through Christ’s name. Peter and all of us are to be eyewitnesses of this and to share the message as eyewitnesses.

Gospel

John 20:1-18

Among the Easter accounts within the Four Gospels, this is the most fully developed and complex. The text begins and ends with Mary Magdalene. Told by Mary Magdalene that the stone had been rolled aside from the entrance to the tomb and that the body of the Lord had been taken from the tomb, Peter and “the disciple whom Jesus loved” are said to have run to the tomb. That the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived first at the tomb is usually considered to be an indication that Peter was relatively old and could not keep up the pace of the younger “disciple whom Jesus loved.” Within the context of the Fourth Gospel, however, in which “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is repeatedly portrayed as “one up” on Peter, there is the possibility, perhaps even the likelihood, that “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is more than a single individual, that this “disciple” is a symbol, a self-designation of the Johannine community, while it considered Peter to be a representative symbol of the much larger extended Markan community. The Johannine community was then perhaps in its document claiming to have been “reclining close to Jesus” at the meal on the night on which Jesus was betrayed (John 13:23-25). The Johannine community then was claiming to have been present at the foot of the cross to be given and to accept the responsibility from the Johannine Jesus to take the mother of Jesus into its care, thereby doing what the Johannine Jesus previously had done (John 19:26-27). The Johannine community then was perhaps claiming in its document to have outrun Peter and the Markan community to the empty tomb and was the first to “believe,” as it claimed in this John 20:3-8 text. The Johannine community then is the one about whom the Johannine Jesus says to Peter in John 21:20-23, “If I want ‘him’ (or ‘it’) to remain until I come, what concern is that to you?” The Johannine community then, not merely a single individual, is the witness concerning all of the things that are written in the Fourth Gospel. The Johannine community then is said to have been the one who has written the Fourth Gospel (John 20:24).

There is a certain arrogance in the claim in the Fourth Gospel that there was one disciple “whom Jesus loved.” Did not Jesus love all of his disciples? There is still a certain level of arrogance if the community was symbolically claiming that it rather than Peter and the larger Markan community was especially loved by Jesus, but the arrogance is more understandable and acceptable if was the community members who felt that they were special, that they were especially loved by Jesus, than if one person is said to have been the one “person whom Jesus loved.” A community of faith may feel that its members are especially loved and blessed and happily express that within the community and even discreetly beyond the community without saying explicitly, “We are better than you are!” Perhaps this is what happened and what we have in the Fourth Gospel, the validating document of the Johannine community, the document in which it expressed its faith and its claims.

It is of great interest also to note the progression from Mark to Matthew to Luke to John in who is presented as announcing for God the Easter message to followers of Jesus. In Mark 16:5-7 the message is announced by the neaniskos (a young man) here clothed in white. We note that the word neaniskos is used in Mark 14:51-52 to describe the young man in the Garden of Gethsemane who, after the twelve disciples of Jesus had fled, remained until some of the bodyguards sent by Caiaphas to seize Jesus reached for him, when he tore loose, leaving his garment and running away “naked.” Now in Mark 16:5-7 it is a neaniskos clothed in white who announces for God that Jesus has been raised from the dead. We cannot be certain, but if this first Gospel was written by John Mark, it is possible that John Mark was that neaniskos, who was in Gethsemane along with the twelve somewhat older young followers of Jesus, the young teenager who lived with his mother in Jerusalem and in whose home the women who had come with Jesus to Galilee may have been guests, providing meals for Jesus and his male disciples who had come with him from Galilee, while Jesus and the other males camped each night in Gethsemane. In the Gospel According to Mark, much of the material (chapters 11-16) is about Jesus in Jerusalem, so much so that some commentators have described Mark as a passion account with an extensive introduction. This may have been because the young man John Mark had seen and been with Jesus only during the final week of Jesus’ life. Rather than for John Mark as the writer of this Gospel to make the critically important proclamation, “Jesus has been raised from the dead!” he may have put himself into his Gospel as a minor character in 14:51-51 but as a major character in 16:5-7 who made this announcement. (For a literary portrayal of this and of many other incidents in the life of Jesus portrayed as a man, see my movie script, “Jesus, the Man,” available at the Texas Lutheran University Bookstore www.tlu.edu.)

Instead of the neaniskos clothed in white in Mark 16:5-7, the Matthean redactors in Matthew 28:2-7 portray an angel of the Lord clothed in white as making this all-important announcement. The Lukan redactor expanded Mark’s neaniskos clothed in white in Luke 24:4-7 into two men who were in clothing as bright as lightning! The Fourth Gospel redactors went one step farther by having two angels in bright apparel (John 20:12-13) appearing to Mary Magdalene. Had there been a Fifth or Sixth Gospel, we might expect that the announcement would have been made by a whole chorus of angels, much as the Lukan writer has a chorus of angels announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in the field in Luke 2:13-15. We continue this progression in our Easter worship services as we and our congregations’ choirs and our congregations joyously sing the Easter hymns and proclaim the Easter message.

Mark 16:1-8

The secondary source that has been most helpful to me in my appreciation of the resurrection of Jesus accounts in the Synoptic Gospels is a short book written by the British Baptist scholar Norman Perrin just before his death at the University of Chicago in 1976 as a result of both cancer and heart disease. In his The Resurrection According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1977) Perrin explained how the passion and resurrection of Jesus account in the Gospel According to Mark depicts the failure of Jesus’ male disciples to believe and trust in him, and how these disciples fade away after Jesus is seized in Gethsemane. Even the women followers of Jesus, who, although unlike the men, they are with Jesus in Mark’s Gospel watching from a distance as Jesus dies on the cross, watching also as Joseph of Arimathea places the body of Jesus in Joseph’s tomb, and preparing to anoint the body of Jesus early in the morning after the sabbath, when told by the neaniskos that Jesus has been raised from the dead, fail Jesus because they say nothing to anyone about what the neaniskos has said to them, because they are afraid.

Perrin described the resurrection of Jesus account in Mark 16:1-8 as a “primordial myth,” an almost primitive, primeval expression of the theme and experience of “suffering/death/the overcoming of death,” evidences of which Perrin wrote “are found everywhere in human culture” (page 34).

The readers and hearers of the passion and resurrection account in Mark that ends, or rather that is left unended with the words “for they were afraid,” do not have the assurances of appearances of Jesus as the Risen Christ that are provided by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 and by the redactor-writers who produced Matthew 28, Luke 24, John 20-21, and the various “endings” attached after Mark 16:1-8 in later centuries. The readers and hearers of the passion and resurrection accounts in Mark are given no expressions of proof of Jesus’ resurrection, or of their own! So also it is for us as we read and hear Mark’s “primordial” story. They, and we as well, who live after the “ascension” of Jesus, do not physically see Jesus the Risen Christ. The first readers and hearers of Mark’s story, and we as well, read, hear, and believe. They, as we as well, have no physical proof. Together, we live by faith, a primordial, primitive, primeval faith. That is why Perrin resonated so well with Mark’s account. What about you? What do you think about this? If you use Mark’s story, what will you proclaim and how will you proclaim it?

THEME OF THE DAY
The Resurrection gets us all together.

Because since ancient times this was the first Sunday during which newly baptized members (who in the first centuries were baptized on Easter) would be admitted to Church fellowship as full members, the theme of unity among Christians (Church and Sanctification, rooted in God’s love [Justification By Grace]) is most appropriate. Addressing Social Ethics is also implied in some of the assigned texts.

Psalm 133
This is a Song of Ascent extolling the joys of harmony in the family (probably with reference to the extended family culture of clan and family groups living in close proximity to each other, as we see in Deuteronomy 23:5). Such Psalms were likely songs of pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and its Temple, which was located on Mount Zion and so involved an ascent to get to the sanctuaries. This is a Wisdom Psalm (maxims of everyday life) comparing good relations (living in together in unity [yachad]) to the oil for honored guests or used at ordination which was administered to the head, just as such oil might run down on Aaron’s beard [zaqan] eventually saturating his whole gown, so good relations are said to saturate the whole body (vv.1-2). Mount Hermon was the highest mountain in Syro-Palentine, which of course had dew [tal]. And like unity this dew is said to spread everywhere (v.3). Given the Psalm’s likely origin in the Exiles return from Babylon, the harmony extolled may have to do with restored Israel or the people of God.

Application: The text invites sermons on how human (family and communal) unity spreads easily and saturates all (Social Ethics). The Psalm could be related to this Sunday’s theme of Jesus’ Resurrection, that this unity only spreads so readily because of Christ (Sanctification).

Acts 4:32-35
Again we turn to the second half of the two-part early history of the Church attributed to Paul’s Gentile associate, Luke (Colossians 4:14; II Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24). It is particularly concerned to affirm the universal mission of the Church (1:8). The Lesson provides a description of the early Jerusalem church’s polity — the sharing of goods. Following a description of an early prayer service in which the Holy Spirit had worked to shake the faithful (v.31), the exposition continues with a description of the unity of the faithful (they were one [mia]), with no one claiming private ownership for all things held in common [koinos] (v.32). With great power [dunamis] the Apostles gave testimony to the Resurrection. Grace [charis] was upon them all (v.33). There were no poor among them and all that had been owned was given to the Apostles to distribute to those who had need (vv.34-35; cf. Deuteronomy 15:4). We only have record of this sort of communal living being practiced among the Christians in Jerusalem.

Application: This text invites sermons on the unity and harmony of the Church or Social Ethics (the alleviation of poverty with generous and safety-nets for the poor).

1 John 1:1 — 2:2
This Lesson emerges in a treatise or sermon by an unknown teacher of the Johannine tradition, probably aiming to clarify the proper interpretation of the Gospel of John. Since the end of the 2nd century the Epistle has been recognized as written by the author of the fourth Gospel or by another member of his circle (Eusebius of Caesarea, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2/1:170-172). Unlike the Gospel of John, this sermon is not concerned to address the relation of Christian faith and the Jewish traditions, but the proper testimony about Jesus in the Christian tradition. The Book addresses segments of the Johannine community who had broken away (2:19; 4:1; 2 John 7). The dispute was over Gnostic or Docetic doubts about whether Jesus was truly a human being and whether His death on the Cross was a sacrifice for sin (1:1-3,7; 2:2; 3:16; 3:2,10; 5:6).

The Lesson is the introduction to the Epistle (including a statement of its purpose and a confession of faith) followed by a discussion of the right attitude toward sin and the beginning of an exhortation to obedience. There are important similarities between vv.1-4 and the Prologue to John’s Gospel. The author claims to declare what was from the beginning, things he says he has seen and touched. He declares that the eternal life [zoe] that was with the Father has been revealed (1:1-2). This declaration can establish fellowship [koinonia] with the Johannine author, a fellowship, which is ultimately with the Father and the Son. The author notes that this is his purpose in writing (1:3-4). It is asserted that God is light [phos] in Whom there is no darkness [skotia]. Thus the faithful cannot have fellowship with Him while walking in darkness (presumably sin) (1:5-6). It is claimed that if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus cleanses [katharizo] us (1:7). If we say we have no sin we deceive [planao] ourselves (1:8); we also in turn made God a liar and reject His Word [logos] (1:10). But if we confess [homologeo] our sin, God will forgive [aphiemi, or “send away”] and cleanse [katharizo] us from unrighteousness (1:9). The author then claims to write these things in order that recipients of the Epistle not sin. But he reminds them that they have Christ as an Advocate [paracletos] (2:1). He is the atoning sacrifice [hilsamos, literally “propitiation”] for sin, not just of the faithful but of the whole world [kosmos](2:2).

Application: The text’s emphasis on the fellowship among the faithful and between Father and Son links with the Theme of the Day (Trinity and Church). This has been created by Christ’s Atoning Work (also Justification). The claim that this gift is for all also opens the way for sermons on Single Predestination.

John 20:19–31
Again we receive a Lesson from the last Gospel to be written (probably in the last decade of the first century), and so not written by John the son of Zebedee, but perhaps by a disciple of his in order to address a community of Jewish Christians who had been expelled from Jewish society. These verses, accounts of Jesus’ Resurrection and the story of Doubting Thomas, embody the Gospel’s primary concern with testifying that Jesus is Messiah, but also its characteristic emphasis on faith. (The word “believe” [pisteuo] appears far more in John than in any of the Gospels.)

The text begins by reporting on a gathering of Disciples on the first Easter, locked in a house for fear [phobeo] of the Jews. The Risen Jesus enters and gives them a peace greeting. The Disciples rejoice [chairo] (vv.19-20). He came to those with weak faith. Jesus is then said to commission the Disciples, give them the Holy Spirit [pneuma] as well as the power to forgive [aphiemi] and retain sins. A reference is made to Jesus “breathing on” [enephusao] His followers, the same phrase used to describe the communication of natural life (Genesis 2:7). The author thereby expresses that what the Risen Jesus does is to give new life (vv.20-23). Thomas (called the Twin [Didymus]) was not present and expresses doubts about accounts of Jesus’ Resurrection (vv.24-25).

In a gathering the following week, Jesus is reported again to appear and has Thomas feel His Body. Thomas then confesses his faith (vv.26-28). Jesus asks him if he only has believed because he saw Him. The Lord adds His Blessing for those who have not seen Him but yet believe (v.29). The author then reports that Jesus did many other signs [semeion] in the presence of the Disciples that have not been reported in the Gospel (v.30). The ones reported are provided, he writes, so that readers may believe Jesus is the Messiah [Christos], Son of God [huios tou theou], and through believing have life [zoe] in His Name (v.31). This last verse is understood as the Gospel of John’s statement of purpose.

Application: Several sermon alternatives emerge from the text. One alternative would be to focus on the purpose of John’s Gospel, how Christ and His Resurrection give life (Atonement and Justification By Grace). Other options are to focus on the transforming power of God’s love, overcoming doubts (Thomas) and forgiving sins (Sanctification). This is also an opportunity to focus on the Work of the Holy Spirit or the nature of faith.

Psalm 133

Since the only texts selected from the Older Testament for the Sundays after Easter in Series A, B, and C of this lectionary are the readings from the Psalms, with selections from the Lukan literary drama Acts of Apostles used for the First Reading instead of texts from the Old Testament, the selections from the Psalms should be given special attention during the coming six weeks.

Who could disagree with the beautiful statement of the blessings that are the result of people living together peacefully, as expressed in the first verse and throughout Psalm 133? Who would not enjoy the analogies utilized in this wisdom psalm? The statement in verse one has universal application, especially appropriate for us as Christians during the Easter season and throughout the year. The analogies that follow verse one are thoroughly Israelite-Jewish, but useful also for us.

Acts 4:32-35

At first glance, this text follows Psalm 133 very well, providing an excellent example of how productive and harmonious it is when members of a religious community live together in peace and harmony, sharing their resources for the benefit of all. Attempts at communal living and sharing are common within past and current religious communities, including Christian communities. Various Christian monastic communities have functioned well for long periods of time. Others, such as John Calvin’s Geneva and a number of communities in the USA during the 19th century, were viable only for a generation or two. What the Lukan playwright depicts as problems beyond this text in Acts 5:1-11, however, is fairly typical of the attempts at communal sharing within religious communities.

What degree and level of sharing do you consider to be most advantageous within the congregation in which you serve? Would it be desirable to have a higher level of sharing within your congregation, perhaps for a relatively brief period of time, for example during the Easter season each year? Would a very high level of communal sharing be more likely to be successful in a small, new “mission” congregation supported by other congregations than in a large, well-established congregation? In your opinion, how much communal sharing is ideal within a Christian community of faith?

John 20:19-31

Like the Luke 24-13-49 text and unlike the Mark 16:1-8 texts considered above, this John 20:19-31 text is a proof of Jesus’ physical resurrection account. It is somewhat different from Luke 24:13-49, however, in that here in John the Risen Christ is depicted as passing through doors without opening them, as a “spirit,” while at the same time having the same body as before his death, even having scars from wounds inflicted upon him prior to his death. Here he has the same body, but it is a body that no longer has the mortal limits of time and of space.

Here Jesus as the Risen Christ greets his disciples with a message of peace. Here he shows to his disciples his wounded hands and side. He breathes on them and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. He gives to them power to forgive and to retain sins. He tells them to believe.

Within our worship services this coming Sunday, we shall want to share within the congregations in which we serve everything that Jesus is said to have shared with the disciples in this text. Many of our claims within the Church are based on accounts such as John 20:19-31. We believe because those who have delivered to us these traditions have believed. We are called to deliver these traditions to others.

It is regrettable that those who wrote the Gospel According to John included the words dia ton phobon ton Ioudaion (which is usually translated into English as “because of the fear of the Jews”) in 20:19. The Johannine community had apparently experienced “fear of the Jews” in its recent past (probably during the decade of 81-90 C.E.) because of its contention with Jews who remained Jews. It is likely that negative experiences of frustration over the inability of members of the Johannine community to attract Jews to believe what the members of the Johannine community believed about Jesus had caused pejorative statements about the Jews in general to abound as the members of the Johannine community told their own story.

Grammatically, the genitive case in the Greek expression ton Ioudaion can be translated into English either as a subjective genitive “the Jews’ fear,” that is, because of the fear that the followers of Jesus as Jews had of the Roman occupational authorities who had tortured and crucified Jesus, or as an objective genitive “the fear of the Jews,” in which the Jews are the object or reason for the fear that the disciples of Jesus had. If John 20:19-31 were a documentary of the activities of the disciples of Jesus the third night after Jesus had been crucified by the Romans, these disciples of Jesus could indeed be portrayed as being afraid as Jewish followers of Jesus that the Roman authorities who had killed Jesus as a threat to Roman security in Jerusalem might come to seize, torture, and crucify them also.

The Four Gospels are not objective documentaries, however. Instead they are largely theological accounts, expressions of faith. Within the context of the Fourth Gospel, in which in most instances “the Jews” are presented as opponents of the Johannine Jesus and of his followers within the Johannine community, we must translate into English within the context of the Fourth Gospel and of the perspective of the Johannine community during the last decades of the 1st century.

Nevertheless, we can and should translate the words dia ton phobon ton Ioudaion with sensitivity. We can include some nuances when we translate these words into English during this the 21st century. Accordingly, in my The New Testament: A New Translation and Redaction (Lima, Ohio: Fairway Press, 2001), I have translated John 20:19 as follows: “During the evening of that day, the first day after the sabbath, while the doors where the disciples were staying were locked because they were afraid of what Annas and Caiaphas might do to them, Jesus appeared and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ ”

Incidentally, the expression dia ton phobon ton Ioudaion is the only overtly anti-Jewish expression within chapters 20-21 of the Fourth Gospel. Most of the anti-Jewish polemic in the Fourth Gospel is centered in chapters 5-12.

1 John 1:1–2:2

This reading from the beginning portion of 1 John complements the John 20:19-31 Gospel selection for this day beautifully. It is made-to-order as a companion reading for the account of the disciples of Jesus seeing the Risen Christ with their own eyes and of Thomas being asked to touch the hands and the side of the body of Jesus where the nails had pierced his hands and the sword had gashed into his side. It also expresses very well the concept of atonement accomplished by the Christ, who is described as the expiation for our sins.

THEME OF THE DAY
Amazing grace.

The texts testify to God’s goodness, how amazing it is given our dire circumstances (Sin and Justification By Grace). The amazing character of this grace to change lives (Sanctification) is also a theme embedded in the pericopies.

Psalm 4
This is a lament attributed to David, a prayer for deliverance from personal enemies. It is good to remind ourselves that references to David in the Psalms like this one may have been a way of using him to represent the inner life of all his subjects and so of all the faithful (Brevard Childs, Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture, p.521). In that sense this song is about how we all face hard times but can count on God’s help. The Psalm begins with a cry for help, an appeal to God’s mercy/graciousness [chanan] to give room (v.1). There is a rebuke of those accusing the Psalmist of wrongdoing. Yahweh is said to set the faithful apart for Himself (vv.2-4). References to Selah are liturgical directions, probably indicating that there should be an instrumental interlude that that point in the singing of the Psalm. In turn, the accused is assured of the Lord’s help; this assistance is related to the performance of sacrifice [zebach] in The Temple (v.5). God puts gladness [simchah] in the Psalmist’s heart and grants peaceful sleep, for Yahweh alone gives safety/trust [betach] (vv.7-8). It is possible that reference to sleep is an allusion to permission given to the Psalmist to spend the night in The Temple. In any case, this is a Psalm about gratitude to God.

Application: The Psalm’s stress on gratitude to God and gladness in the midst of our struggles (Sin) certainly fits the Easter Theme and Theme of the Day (Justification By Grace). Once could also explore the theme of salvation as safety.

Acts 3:12-19
Once again we turn to the second half of the two-part early history of the Church attributed to Paul’s Gentile associate, Luke (Colossians 4:14; II Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24).  It is particularly concerned to affirm the universal mission of the Church (1:8). This Lesson is part of a sermon by Peter at Solomon’s portico on the east side of the Jerusalem Temple following the healing of a lame [cholos] man (vv.1-11). Peter begins by asking the crowd of Jews who had gathered after the healing why they seemed excited as if he and John had performed the miracle (v.12). Reference is made to the God of Abraham and the other Patriarchs Who have glorified [doxazo] Jesus His Servant [paida], the One rejected/denied [arneomai] by the people (v.13). Peter blames the Jewish crowd for the death of Jesus, identified as the holy and righteous One [dikaion], the author/founder [archegos] of life. His Resurrection is proclaimed (vv.14-15). The healing of the lame man is said to have happened by faith in Jesus’ Name [onoma] (v.16). Peter then notes that the Jewish crowd acted in ignorance (like their rulers) in Jesus’ death (v.17). For in this way God fulfilled the Prophecy that His Messiah/Christ would suffer (v.18). Reference is made here to Isaiah’s Suffering Servant (49:1-6; 50:4-11; 52:13 – 53:12). A call is issued for repentance [metanoeo] in order that sins might be wiped out (v.19).

Application: The narrative of Peter’s sermon opens the way to reflections on the implications for Christian life (helping, repentance, and witnessing) that flow from Jesus’ Atoning Work (Sanctification and Atonement). Another possibility might be to focus on Christology, on how Jesus fulfills the Prophecies of Isaiah’s Servant Songs.

1 John 3:1–7
Like the previous week, this Lesson emerges in a treatise or sermon by an unknown teacher of the Johannine tradition, probably aiming to clarify the proper interpretation of the Gospel of John. Since the end of the 2nd century the Epistle has been recognized as written by the author of the fourth Gospel or by another member of his circle. The Book addresses disputes over Gnostic or Docetic doubts about whether Jesus was truly a human being and whether His death on the Cross was a sacrifice for sin (1:1-3,7; 2:2; 3:16; 3:2,10; 5:6). This Lesson is a discussion of right conduct which must be associated with brotherly and sisterly relationships. It begins with an assertion of the profound love the Father has given the faithful that they should be called children [tekna] of God. The world does not know this because the world does not know [egno] Christ (v.1). Referring to readers as “beloved” [agapetos], the author notes that though God’s children, what we will be has not yet been revealed. But we do know that when God is revealed the faithful will be like [homois] Him, for they will see Him as He is (v.2). All with this hope in Him purify themselves, just as God is pure [hagnos] (v.3). All who commit sin are guilty of lawlessness, for sin in lawlessness (v.4). He [Christ] was revealed to take away sins; in Him there is no sin (v.5). No one who abides in sins, and everyone sinning does not know Him (v.6). Readers are urged to let no one deceive them. Everyone who does what is right [dikaiosune, literally “does righteousness”] is righteous [dikaios], just as God is righteous (v.7). It is helpful here to keep in mind what Paul and the Hebraic heritage (and so perhaps the Johannine tradition) mean by righteousness. Even in an Old Testament context, the concept of “righteousness” is not to imply that the believer lives in faultless conformity to some moral norm. It has to do with living in right relationship with God (Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol.1, pp.370-371).

Application: The text invites sermons on Justification By Grace As a Union with Christ, God’s love changing the lives of the faithful (Sanctification), despite their Sin.

Luke 24:36b–48
This is the first half of the two-part early history of the Church attributed to Paul’s Gentile associate, Luke. This account of Jesus’ post-Easter Resurrection appearances is unique to Luke’s Gospel. The narrative begins with a report of the Disciples in Jerusalem conversing about the story of Jesus’ appearance on the road to Emmaus (vv.13-36a). It is then reported that He appeared to them with a peace [eirene] greeting (v.36b). Such a greeting was conventional for Jews, but since it entails unity and concord it may have been a sign of the Kingdom of God (2:14,29). The Disciples are startled, and Jesus asks them why they have been troubled/terrified [tarasso] or doubted the news of His Resurrection (vv.37-38). Jesus invites them to see and touch His Body (vv.39-40). Though joyful, they are still disbelieving (v.41a). He responds by eating fish in front of them (vv.41b-43). Jesus reminds His followers of the works He spoke to them, that everything written in the Hebrew Scripture about Him has been fulfilled (v.44). He opens their minds to understand these Scriptures (v.45). It is written, Jesus claims, that the Messiah/Christ is to suffer and rise on the third day, that repentance [metanoia] and forgiveness [aphesn] are to be proclaimed to all (vv.46-47; cf. Hosea 6:2). The Disciples are said to be witnesses [martus] (v.48).

Application: The text opens the way for sermons proclaiming the Easter Word of hope and Resurrection to those troubled, in fear and despair (Justification By Grace). Another approach might be to help parishioners struggling with the truth of the Resurrection, as Jesus helped the Disciples, to see that much of the events surrounding Easter have precedents (are prophesied) in the Old Testament.