Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Having had the most convincing proof of Jesus’ physical resurrection story from the Fourth Gospel traditions as our Gospel reading this past Sunday, we turn now for next Sunday to the most convincing proof of Jesus’ physical resurrection story in the Gospel According to Luke (Luke 24:36b-48).

We are grateful for these proof of Jesus’ physical resurrection stories, even though by faith even without them and with only Mark 16:1-8 we could believe that God raised Jesus physically from the dead. We are grateful for them because they indicate belief that after God has also raised us from the dead we too will be able to eat food, to touch and be touched, etc. We express our belief through the use of these texts that we too shall not be limited to a “spirit” existence. More than any other factor, this belief that after God has raised us from the dead we shall be able to relate to God and to one another physically has made Christianity the religion that has the largest number of members in the world today. It is not our ethical system nor the exemplary manner in which we have lived that has led to the immense popularity of Christianity. Instead, it has been this teaching and belief in a meaningful physical being after death and resurrection that has been the most attractive feature within Christianity. (The Greek concept of the immortality of the “soul,” for example, did not result in the ongoing development of a major “world” religion, although some of this concept was incorporated into Christianity. The Sikh concept of the faithful member being “absorbed” into God did not make Sikh religion widely attractive either.)

We are called to proclaim this physical resurrection belief clearly and joyfully. We should proclaim it with the firm conviction that God is active and will continue to be active in our history through Jesus Christ our Lord, without in any way attempting to restrict God to our own limited understanding and experience. This is the challenge that we face throughout the year, and especially during the Easter season and on this Third Sunday of Easter in Series B.

Luke 24:36b-48

This is a typically Lukan account in style, vocabulary, and literary genre. Just as in other accounts that are peculiar to Luke-Acts, this story provides answers in vivid literary drama to questions that “Theophilus” or any other Christian who “loves God” might ask during the last two decades of the first century of the common era. It provides the same answers for us also today.

There are two distinct portions in this text. Luke 24:36b-43 is a “proof of Jesus’ physical resurrection” story. It answers questions that must have been asked frequently among the followers of Jesus decades after his death, questions such as “Was it a spirit of Jesus or the spirit of Jesus that the disciples saw?” “Could this appearance have been merely the result of the imaginations of those first disciples?” “Is their testimony of having seen Jesus alive again perhaps only the wishful thinking of those who missed him and his presence so much after his death?” The answer given to all of these questions in this Luke 24:36b-43 account is the confident affirmation that Jesus was indeed and in every way physically present when he appeared to his disciples numerous times after his resurrection. He had the marks of his crucifixion on his body. The scars remained. Even more convincingly, he actually ate a piece of fish, this story says. A disembodied spirit does not eat fish!

The second part of this text (Luke 24:44-48) is a Lukan “fulfillment of scripture” account in which the disciples of Jesus are given specific directions and told that they are to anticipate a gift of power from God. It anticipates the Acts of Apostles sequel to Luke’s Gospel. We notice because of Hans Conzelmann’s The Theology of St. Luke that the Lukan “Stay in Jerusalem” command is significantly different from Mark’s and Matthew’s “Go to Galilee.” In view of the menu items (bread and fish) served in the feeding of the multitudes accounts and in this story about Jesus eating fish, it is surprising that fish sandwich meals have not been more significant within Christian communities.

1 John 3:1-7

The most obvious connection between this text and the Luke 24:36b-48 Gospel selection is “We do know that when the Son appears we shall be similar to the Son, because we shall see the Son just as the Son is” in 1 John 3:2b. Because the relationship between the Son and the Father is so intimate, there is ambiguity in texts such as 1 John 3:2b about whether the masculine pronoun is intended to have the Father, the Son, or God as its antecedent. It is also difficult to determine whether “he” (the Son) or “what we shall be” from the previous sentence should be considered to be the subject of “is revealed” in 1 John 3:2b. Church usage throughout the centuries, including the juxtaposition of Luke 24:36b-48 and 1 John 3:1-7 in this lectionary, suggest that the Son, or the Son and the Father as God, should be considered to be the subject of “appears” or “is revealed” here.

Acts 3:12-19

For those of us who have been sensitized by the Holocaust and the long history of the horribly damaging effects upon Jews, as well as of the dehumanization of Christians, caused by Christian anti-Semitism, it is deplorable that we have texts with verses such as Acts 3:13b-15 and 3:17-19 in this lectionary, to be read in Christian corporate worship settings.

A decision was made by Roman Catholic liturgical experts during and after Vatican II to use texts from Acts of Apostles rather than from the Older Testament as the “Old Testament” First Readings during the Sundays in the Easter Season after the Day of Easter in each of the three years of the lectionary cycle. This was done because presumably there were very few texts in the Older Testament that could be construed, even with the most skillful fine footwork of casuistry, to be “predictions” fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus. These liturgical experts and their ecclesial superiors and administrators unfortunately, in spite of their very commendable development and approval of the document Nostra Aetate, in which the Roman Catholic Church rejected the history of Christian anti-Semitism, included blatantly anti-Jewish verses such as Acts 3:13b-15, and 3:17-19 in their lectionary. The other Christian denominations and groups and their leaders who have used the lectionary developed by the Roman Catholics after Vatican II, including those who modified it somewhat to produce The Revised Common Lectionary, have also been deplorably insensitive to the use of blatantly anti-Jewish verses such as Acts 3:13b-15 and 3:17-19 in Christian corporate worship.

There is plenty of edifying material in our Bibles to use in three year, four year, or even ten-year lectionaries that is not blatantly defamatory to Jews. I had no difficulty whatsoever in finding far more than adequate edifying material that is not condemnatory of Jews when I prepared the Four Year Lectionary that I published as an Appendix in my The New Testament: A New Translation and Redaction (Lima, Ohio: Fairway Press, 2001). It is unconscionable for us to continue to read verses such as Acts 3:13b-15 and 3:17-19 in our Christian corporate worship.

Acts 3:12-19 is not even appropriate as a pericope in terms of form and structure. It starts within the middle of an account that begins in Acts 3:1 about Peter, John, and a man who had been lame from the time of his birth and it breaks off in the middle of a sentence that continues into 3:20. A pericope should have a beginning, body, and conclusion. Acts 3:12-19 begins in the middle of a pericope and ends within that pericope. To use it as we have it is somewhat like coming into a movie thirty minutes late and leaving thirty minutes before its ending.

Since the Acts 3 account is lengthy and actually with its continuation in Acts 4:1-4 has thirty verses, if our First Reading for the Third Sunday of Easter in Series B must be from Acts, the text chosen and used should start with the beginning of the Acts 3:1–4:4 account and include only the edifying and appropriate Acts 3:1-13a, 16. This adjustment from Acts 3:12-17 to Acts 3:1-13a, 16 should be made by lectionary revisers within all of the denominations and groups that are using this lectionary. Our adjustment to Acts 3:1-13a, 16 this coming Sunday and in succeeding years will contribute to this process.

Psalm 4

This psalm of entreaty and of trust can easily be interpreted from our Christian perspective, in the context of our belief that God raised Jesus from the dead. Our belief in the resurrection of Jesus puts joy into our hearts! It enables us to lie down and to sleep, to live securely. Within our lectionary this psalm also previews the texts for the Sunday that follows this one, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep Sunday, with its Psalm 23 and John 10:11-18 texts.

THEME OF THE DAY
Jesus is our All-In-All.

The theme of God and Christ as Shepherd underlies the texts, and so sermons stressing God’s grace and how in all we do and have we are dependent on Him (Justification By Grace and Sanctification) should be prepared.

Psalm 23
The famous Psalm is a Psalm attributed to David. We are again reminded that references to David in the Psalms are not likely indicative of the famed King’s authorship of the piece. Rather such identifications 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 can say that all the faithful like us may share the Psalmist’s confidence in God the Shepherd’s [raah, literally “feeder of the sheep”] protection. It extols the comfort of Providence. God is said to lead us in the paths [magal] of righteousness [tsedeq] (v.3). It is good to remind ourselves again that the concept of “righteousness” even in an Old Testament context 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). As a result, the Psalm continues, we need fear no evil [ra] (v.4). Surrounded by goodness [tob] and mercy [chesed], the Psalmist pledges regular worship in The Temple (v.6). This is a Psalm about gratitude to God.

Application: Sermons on this Psalm can stress how there is no food for the flock without God, that living in right relationship with Him only happens because of His mercy and action (Justification By Grace and Sanctification). These themes link with The Good Shepherd Parable of the Gospel. Gratitude to God will certainly reflect in any sermon on the text.

Acts 4:5-12
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 story is an account of Peter and John appearing before the Sanhedrin (Jewish Council) after their arrest in Jerusalem. The author recounts Peter’s response to questions with a sermon.

First the gathering before the Sanhedrin is reported. The presence of the High Priest Annas is noted. Others mentioned include his subsequent high priest successors (vv.5-6). Actually by the time of the incident (after 33 AD) his son-in-law Caiaphas probably had succeeded him.

The question posed to the prisoners is by what power or name [onoma] they undertake their preaching (v.7). Peter is said to be filled [pletho] with the Holy Spirit [pneumatos hagios] in responding. He questions if the arrest was on account of the healing of the lame man before The Temple (v.8-9; cf. 3:1-10). The Apostle proceeds to claim that the healing was done in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom the Jewish powers crucified and who was raised from the dead (v.10). Jesus is identified with the reference in Psalm 118:22 of the stone [lithos] rejected (counted worthless) [exouthenhetheis] which has become the head [kephale] of the corner [gonia] (v.11). And the claim is made that there is no salvation [soteria, also connoting safety] save in His Name (v.12).

Application: With this Lesson, sermons can be developed to affirm that Christ is the cornerstone of faith and life (Justification By Grace and Sanctification). The concept of salvation as safety could also be developed.

1 John 3:16-24
Once again, 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. It may have been written to oppose a movement which had departed from the community’s beliefs about Jesus (2:24). 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 Lesson is a discourse on love. Its very definition is said to find that the Son of God laid down His life for us, and so we ought to lay down our lives for each other (v.16). The focus on Christ is in line with the Book’s efforts to address 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 author challenges the possibility that one could claim to have God’s love [agape] abide if unwilling to share with [lay down our souls for] bothers (v.17). Love is known through Christ’s love in laying down his life for us (v.16). The Johannine author proceeds to exhort such love in action, not just in works (v.18). By this we can be reassured that we are in the truth [aletheia] (v.19). When we feel condemned, the author notes the comforting Word that God is greater than our hearts, and knows [ginosko] everything (v.20). And if our hearts do not condemn/accuse [kataginoske], we may have boldness/ confidence [parrhesia] before God (v.21). Elaborating on such boldness, the author notes that we receive from God whatever we ask because we obey His Commandments [entole] and do what pleases Him (v.22). The Commandment is that we should believe in the Name of God’s Son Jesus Christ and love [agapao] one another as commanded (v.23). The Son is said to abide/remain [meno] in all who obey His Commandments and abide in Him. We know that the Son abides in us by the sign of the Spirit [pneuma] that He gave (v.24).

Application: Sermons on this Lesson highlight that God’s love gives us boldness and confidence even when we feel guilty and condemned (Sin and Justification By Grace). But Sanctification issues are also addressed. The spontaneity of good works is suggested by the fact that Christ dwells in the faithful, brought to us by the Spirit and that this leads to love each other. However, these works depend on Christ, Who is All-in-All.

John 10:11-18
Again we note that this Book is the last of the four Gospels to be written, probably not composed until the last two decades of the first century. It is very different in style in comparison to the other three (so-called Synoptic) Gospels. In fact it is probably based on these earlier Gospels. The Book has been identified with John the Son of Zebedee, the Disciple whom Jesus loved, and this claim was made as long ago as late in the first century by the famed theologian of the early Church Irenaeus (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol.1, p.414). It is likely that it was written by a disciple of John. Hints of that possibility are offered by the first post-Biblical Church Historian Eusebius of Caesarea who claimed that the Book was written on the basis of the external facts made plain in the Gospel and so John is 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). More recently, as we have observed, scholars have rediscovered the assessment of another early writer of the Church, Papias, who claimed that John was an eyewitness. This has led such scholars to suggest that this Gospel may have been eyewitness testimony after all (Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, pp.423ff.; cf. Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol.1, pp.154-155). Its main agenda was probably to encourage Jewish Christians in conflict with the synagogue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (20:31).

The Lesson is the Parable of the Good Shepherd, appearing only in John. Identifying Himself as The Good Shepherd [poimen ho kalos], Jesus says He is not like the hired hand, for He is willing to lay down His life for the sheep (vv.11-12; for Old Testament precedents, see Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 23:1-6). He knows [ginosko] His own and they know Him, just as the Father knows Him, and He the Father. Jesus then stresses again how He lays down His life for the sheep (vv.13-15). He notes that there are other sheep not belonging to this fold (perhaps a reference to Gentiles). Jesus says that He must bring them too, so there will be just one flock/fold [poimne] and one Shepherd (v.16). The Father loves [agapao] Him, He adds, because He lays down [tithemi] His life for the sheep (v.17). No one takes His life from Jesus, He adds, for He lays it down of His own power/authority [exousia]. But He can take it up again (v.18).

Application: To preach on this Parable will entail proclamation of the unconditional love of God that never forsakes us (Justification By Grace). But the text also testifies to how Jesus creates community (Sanctification, Church, Social Ethics), that without Him and His sacrifices for us (Atonement) we are not fed (see Psalm of the Day).

John 10:11-18

Among the John 10 texts selected in this pericope series for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (the Great Shepherd of the Sheep Sunday), we have this year in Series B the central text. It is the only one of the three (John 10:1-10 in Series A, John 10:11-18 in Series B, and John 10:22-30 in Series C) that focuses clearly on the Johannine Jesus as the Great Shepherd of the Sheep. It is therefore the premier text among these three.

Although it is certainly the Johannine Jesus rather than the Jesus of history who speaks here, in the deepest sense we are confronted by the Jesus of history in this text, since there is much evidence within our tradition that the Jesus of history functioned as a great shepherd of the sheep among his fellow oppressed Jews who because of his courageous advocacy for God and for people — particularly for people who were in need of much help and protection — was tortured and crucified by the Romans. Jesus could have avoided that torture and crucifixion if he had discontinued his work or possibly if he could have explained carefully to Roman authorities that he was in no way encouraging his fellow oppressed Jews to try to use force or violence to improve their condition.

Once Jesus had been delivered over to the Roman crucifixion squad by the group of bodyguards (goons) who were employed by Caiaphas, there was no opportunity for Jesus to explain anything to the Roman authorities. Jesus’ followers also could not rescue him at that point, at least not short of a planned, concerted suicidal massive frontal attack on the Roman garrison, and there is no reason for us to think that the Jesus of history would have desired such an attack and the heavy loss of life that would have occurred in such an attempt to rescue him. He would have continued his work after such a rescue, and a second arrest would have been inevitable.

Actually, what Jesus was doing by proclaiming that soon the Lord God would in some way come and that after that only the Lord God would be ruling over the oppressed Jews in Galilee and in Judea was giving hope for freedom that did pose a threat to the Roman security forces in Jerusalem. What Jesus was doing before he was seized, tortured, and crucified was “liberating” in every way. Whenever the oppressed have hope of being set free, their oppressors are unavoidable threatened. It cannot be otherwise. In that sense, the Jesus of history did put down his life for the sheep, did go to the cross, or, as we say in our time, did “go to the wall” for them, and for us. It seems that the best people in every age “go to the wall” for us!

Of course, in a different sense it is not the Jesus of history during his work prior to his crucifixion who speaks in this John 10:11-18 text. Instead, it is the Sovereign Lord of the Johannine community who voluntarily put down his life for his sheep (the members of the Johannine community) and has the power to take it up again who speaks in this text. Actually, it is leaders in the Johannine community, inspired by God, who speak in this text and throughout the Fourth Gospel. For the Johannine community and its leaders, Jesus as the Risen Christ was the Sovereign Lord with divine power. The Fourth Gospel is an expression of what the members of the Johannine community believed about Jesus raised from the dead as the Sovereign Lord, but, true to the “gospel” genre, this expression is in a “ministry of Jesus” framework. The events of the Gospel According to John chapters 1-19 are presented as pre-Easter events, but actually in terms of what the community and its leaders believed about Jesus as the Sovereign Lord the entire Fourth Gospel is post-Easter. The Fourth Gospel reveals more about what happened to the people who became the Johannine community after the crucifixion of the Jesus of history than it reveals about what happened to the Jesus of history before he was crucified by the Romans. For the members of the Johannine community, Jesus as the Risen Christ was the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, the Light of the World, the True Bread from Heaven, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, etc., even though it is not likely that the Jesus of history ever made such claims for himself. The Jesus of the Synoptic Gospels never talks that way. John 10:16 in this text and John 17:20-23 in the “High Priestly Prayer” are indications of the desire of the members of the Johannine community to draw the “other sheep” from the Synoptic communities into the Johannine fold where there would be one flock with one shepherd.”

1 John 3:16-24

The writer of 1 John made believing in God’s Son Jesus the Christ and loving one another within the Johannine community of faith a commandment of God. It is consistent with much of the thought of the Fourth Gospel to consider faith and love to be commandments. Perhaps as a result of the experiences of the leaders of the Johannine community with the people of the Johannine community, it appeared to them to be necessary to command faith and love rather than merely to exemplify faith and love in their own lives as appropriate responses to our gracious God. Shall we exemplify faith and love or shall we command faith and love where we are as leaders in the Church and in our congregations today?

Acts 4:5-12

In this text the Lukan writer brilliantly portrays the belief that God has raised Jesus from the dead. It is entirely proper for us along with the Lukan writer to emphasize that we are saved from sin and from eternal suffering in the name of Jesus as the Christ. We can emphasize this belief today without making the exclusivist “one way” claim that God acts only in Christ or only in us. There is, of course, only “one way” for us, and that is God’s way!

We should always proclaim that God provides salvation for us in Christ. That is “good news” for all of the people of the world. There is no necessity for us to proclaim that there is salvation only in Christ, for that is “bad news” for most of the people of the world. The exclusivist “one way” claim made here by the Lukan playwright and by the leaders of the Johannine community in John 14:6 comes across to many people, including many Christians, as irrational, arrogant, and imperialistic. It causes many people not to want to be associated with people who make that claim. Therefore, it hampers rather than enhances the effectiveness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a minority claim within the New Testament documents, made in only two verses, John 14:6 and Acts 4:12, which become the favorite Bible verses of some Christians, often of Christians who want to assert their control and their understanding of Christianity over all other Christians and over all other people who live in this world. Let us respond to them in Christian love with the suggestion that, yes, there is indeed only one way, God’s way, and let us seek that way together with them and with all of the other people of the world.

Psalm 23

It is most interesting to compare the psalmist’s perception of “the Lord” as “my shepherd” with the Johannine community’s perception of Jesus raised from the dead as its “Great Shepherd of the Sheep.” The Risen Christ in the New Testament texts for this Fourth Sunday of Easter is essentially what “the Lord” is for the psalmist in Psalm 23.

THEME OF THE DAY:  What God’s love does to us.

The Lessons testify to the difference God’s love makes in our lives (Providence, Justification By Grace, Sanctification, and Social Ethics).

Psalm 22:25-31
The Psalm is a lament prayer for delivery from mortal illness, attributed to David.  The
superscript’s designation to the Leader according to The Deer of the Dawn is probably a set of instructions to the music leader in The Temple about the melody to be used.

The Psalm begins with a cry for help and defense from forsakenness [azats] (vv.1-2), quoted by Jesus on The Cross (Mark 15:34).  This suggests that the Psalm can be read as applying to Jesus’ Passion, an especially appropriate reading since this is labeled one of the Psalms traditionally attributed to David, Jesus’ ancestor through Joseph’s lineage.  Other references foreshadowing The Crucifixion are provided, such as the experience of being scorned, despised and mocked (vv.6-7), being forsaken (v.11), as well as being poured out like water [mayim] as enriched by evil-doers (vv.14-16) and clothes being divided (v.18).  The Psalmist also confesses that God has kept Israel and him safe since birth and that Elohim has been his God since then, a remembrance inspiring the Psalmist’s prayer (vv.3-5,9-10).

A prayer for healing follows, pleading for Yahweh’s Presence and deliverance (vv.19-21).   He concludes with a vow of the sick one to offer a formal thanksgiving in The Temple on recovery (vv.22, 25).  (Or it is also possible that the Psalmist has received a response from God, and the rest of the Psalm is a song of joyful praise in gratitude for deliverance.)  The hymn to be sung in praise follows (vv.23-31).  The praise offered by the Psalmist is said to come from Yahweh (v.25).  This stress on what God does leads to praise of His caring for the poor/afflicted [ani] (v.26), as well as the praise God will receive from the whole earth and the nations (vv.27-28), the dead (v.29), and from posterity (vv.30-31).  This praise could be applied to the God Who raised Jesus.     

Application: This Psalm provides an opportunity to praise God for delivering us from trials, while making clear that even such deliverance happens when God is Present and that our praise of God  is itself a Work of God — comes from Yahweh  (Providence and Justification By Grace).  God’s concern for the poor could also be addressed (Social Ethics).

Acts 8:26-40     
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 concerned to affirm the universal mission of the Church (1:8).  This Lesson is the story of the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Philip (probably not the Disciple, but one of the Deacons noted in 6:5). 

Philip is reported to have been summoned from Jerusalem by an angel to go south on a wilderness road (v.26).  He meets an Ethiopian eunuch [eunouchos], a court official (the chief financial officer) of the Ethiopian queen (v.27).  (Ethiopian in this context is less an identification of the convert’s residence than a description that he was Black.)  In the ancient
world, Ethiopians were said to be handsome people (Herodotus, History, 3.20).  It was not uncommon in the ancient world for men serving female heads of state to be castrated.  He had been in Jerusalem worshipping and was returning home.  (Presumably he was one of the Gentiles “God-fearers” interested in the Jewish faith, but he might have been a member of the Falasha Tribe in Ethiopia — a tribe of Black Jews.)  But Jews or proselytes were not to be castrated, as per Deuteronomy 23:1.  However, see Isaiah 56:3-5.  Seated in his chariot, the Eunuch had been reading Isaiah (see vv.32-33).

The Spirit [pneuma] directs Philip to the chariot (v.29).  Hearing the Ethiopian Eunuch reading he asks him if he understood the Prophet (v.30).  The Eunuch invites Philip’s interpretation (v.31).  The Ethiopian had been reading the Fourth Servant Song in Isaiah 53:7b-8.  He asks Philip to whom the Prophet speaking referred when speaking of the sheep led to slaughter who had been denied justice (vv.33-34).  Philip responds by proclaiming Jesus (v.35).  Hearing the proclamation, the Ethiopian asks for Baptism and receives it (vv.36,38).  Many ancient manuscripts omit v.37 and its reference to the Ethiopian’s confession of Christ as Son of God.  After the Baptism Philip is snatched away by the Holy Spirit (v.39).  He finds himself in Azotus (formerly known as Ashdod in the Old Testament era, a coastal town west of Jerusalem) and while passing through the region proclaimed the Good News in all the towns until reaching the Palestinian seaport of Caesarea (v.40). 

Application: This Lesson affords opportunities to proclaim the need to read and study the Bible for oneself, but it also highlights how being saturated by God’s Word leads to an inclusivity in Ministry (Sanctification and Social Ethics).

I John 4:7–21
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 discourse on the blessedness of love.  It begins with an exhortation to love one another, because love [agape] is from God.  Consequently, all who love are born/begotten [gennao] of God (v.7).  The author elaborates on this further, claiming that because God loves us so much our love follows (v.11).  God is love, so those who abide in love abide in God, and He in them (v.16b).  We love because He first loved us (v.19).  But he also speaks of a commandment [entole], that those who love God must also love brothers and sisters (v.21).  This relates to the author claiming that whoever does not love does not know God Who is love (vv.8,20).

God’s love is said to be revealed in sending His Son into the world to give life through His atoning sacrifice [hilasmos, literally “propitiation”] for sin (vv.9-10).  To this the faithful testify (presumably by the Spirit) (v.14).  No one has seen God, it is stated, but if we love one another God lives in us and His love is then perfected [teleioo, literally “made complete”] in us (v.12).  Love is perfected in giving us boldness for the day of judgment (v.17).  There is no fear [phobeo] in love; perfect love casts out fear.   To fear is not to have reached perfection in love (v.18).  The author adds that we know that we abide/remain [menomen] in Him and He in us by the gift of the Spirit [pneuma] (v.13).  God is said to remain [meno] in those who confess that Jesus is Son of God.  This shows that the faithful know and believe the love God has for us (vv.15-16a).

Application: This is a text for sermons helping the flock to understand how the love Christians display (Sanctification) is rooted in God’s love (Justification By Grace) and the Work of the Holy Spirit, that this love emerges because God is Present in us.

John 15:1-8
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. This Lesson is part of Jesus’ discussion of the pattern of a Christian life, taken from His Farewell Discourse.  Specifically we consider The Parable of the True Vine and the Branches.  Some New Testament scholars have speculated that in light of Jesus’ claim in 14:30 that He will no longer talk much, this text and Chs. 15-17 were added by a later author. 

The author of the Gospel seems deliberately to get his readers to see Jesus as the true Israel, which was identified as the true vine in Isaiah 5:1-17 and Jeremiah 2:21 and elsewhere.  The Father is said to be the vinegrower [georgos] and Jesus the True Vine [ampelos].   The Father removes the branches bearing no fruit and prunes the fruit-bearing branches to help them bear more fruit (vv.1-2).  The “cleansing” (which may relate to the Greek word for “pruning” in v.2) has already happened to Christians through the Word (v.3).  Jesus exhorts His followers to abide in Him as He abides/remains [meino] in them, like a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but must abide in the vine (v.4).  Jesus’ followers are said to be branches of His vine.  Those abiding in Him bear much fruit, because apart from Him one can do nothing (v.5).  Those not abiding in Him are thrown away, into the fire (v.6).  Those abiding in Jesus and in whom He abides receive whatever they request.  The Father is glorified by their bearing much fruit [karpos] and being His disciples (vv.7-8).

Application: Sermons on this Lesson will proclaim Justification By Grace Through Faith (as Intimate Union with Christ) and Sanctification (as spontaneous growth in the Christian life, even in face of evil or suffering).

John 15:1-8

Within the “Farewell Discourses” of the Fourth Gospel, John 15:1-8 is quite harsh and demanding. According to this text selected for our use next Sunday, every branch that is not bearing fruit is summarily taken away to be thrown into the fire and burned (and anyone who has ever burned a compacted mass of grapevines knows how flammable grapevines are and how quickly and intensely they burn and are consumed). The obvious implication is that anyone who does not remain within the Johannine community will be destroyed by an intense fire.

The words of this John 15:1-8 text, therefore, indicate that at the time when these words were written and incorporated into the Fourth Gospel tradition the Johannine community had many of the distinguishing characteristics of a religious cult. For various reasons, not all of which can be discerned today, the leaders of the Johannine community had isolated the community and themselves even from closely related other groups of followers of Jesus. They were claiming that they alone were composed of fully productive “pruned” branches of the “true vine,” i.e., of the Johannine Jesus. Other branches, such as those of the members of the extended Markan communities that had produced the Gospels According to Mark, Matthew, and Luke, were not, in the opinion of the leaders of the Johannine community, yet “pruned” and fully productive. The leaders of the community-fellowship of the Johannine Jesus considered themselves to be already “pruned” because of the words that the Johannine Jesus had spoken to them and because of their fidelity to Jesus as they perceived Jesus during the time when many who had been among them had departed and were therefore “pruned” from their community. Through the words of this John 15:1-8 text they were admonishing each other to remain within their community and its fellowship, the community and fellowship of the Johannine Jesus. They state that only if their members remain in the community and fellowship of the Johannine Jesus would the Johannine Jesus remain in community and fellowship with them. If they remain, they will be given whatever they ask. Their fruit and productivity is tied very closely to their being accepted as disciples of the Johannine Jesus. Unless they are producing fruit, they are not disciples. It is apparent that “church discipline” and more than “church discipline” is involved here. There is also an exclusiveness in which the leaders of the community claim in the name of Jesus the authority to “prune away” all who do not conform to the beliefs and practices of these leaders.

We may ask, “Why is this text so harsh and demanding in comparison to John 14:1-31 that immediately precedes it?” “Has a shadow come over the Jesus of history on his last fateful night of freedom and of life, causing him to set aside the comforting and pastoral words that he had just employed in John 14:1-31?” That is possible, of course. In view, however, of what appears to be a conclusion of the farewell discourse in John 14:31c with the words, “Get up. Let us go away from here,” and other considerations within the Fourth Gospel that are indications that the document went through several editions and incorporated the work of several writers during the course of its development, it is more likely that John 15:1-8 is material from a stage in the formation of the Johannine tradition that is different from that of John 14:1-31. The branches cut away from the true vine that is the Johannine Jesus and community almost certainly refer to the many disciples who in John 6:66 are said to have left the Johannine Jesus and no longer were walking in the group with him. The branches cut away from the true vine are described as follows by the writer of 1 John 2:19. “Those people who left our community went away from us. Actually, they were never truly members of our community. For had they truly been members of our community, they would have remained with us. They went away, in order that it might be revealed that they had never truly been members of our community.”

We know from sociology of religion studies that participants in a religious cult become in many respects harsh and defensive in their interactions with those who have left their group and increasingly demanding and controlling of their own members. It is important for us to realize this about the community that through inspiration by God produced this Fourth Gospel. It helps us to have a more adequate understanding of this John 15:1-8 text, of the entire Fourth Gospel, and of the congregations in which we serve.

In our proclamation of the gospel this coming Sunday we should emphasize the positive aspects of John 15:1-8 and the grapevine analogy as an illustration of our relationship with God through Jesus our Lord. We are dependent upon God. We are accountable to God. Apart from God we wither and die. We are expected to be productive, to produce good grapes.

There are many ways in which we can be productive. We know that our situation is not identical to the situation of the members of the Johannine community who wrote John 15:1-8. We should be open and receptive to whatever new things God may be saying to us today, together with what God is saying to us through this John 15:1-8 text.

1 John 4:7-21

This text continues the emphasis of John 15:1-8 on the necessity of being fruitful. It urges the members of the community to show their love for each other by what they do for each other, not merely to show their love by speaking words of love. 1 John 4:7-21 is an early commentary on John 15:1-8 and on similar texts in the Gospel According to John. We might consider it to be a brief sermon or homily on John 15:1-8. Therefore, it provides a helpful model for us as we prepare our sermon or homily for next Sunday.

Acts 8:26-40

In this vivid scene in the Acts of Apostles literary drama about Philip and the Ethiopian court official, the Lukan playwright utilized a portion of the Suffering Servant Song (Isaiah 53:7-8), applied it to Jesus, and dramatized the spread of the new Christian movement to African lands, as well as along the Mediterranean coast of Judea.

Psalm 22:25-31

By using this final portion of Psalm 22 along with the Acts 8:26-40 account, we associate the psalmist’s suffering with the suffering of Jesus. In this way, we are able to make the psalmist’s song of praise our song of praise within our present context in a very meaningful way. We are challenged to apply these Acts 8:26-40 and Psalm 22:25-31 elements of our biblical tradition to our own new situation is such a way that, by our being inspired by God as the Lukan playwright and the psalmist were inspired by God, new tradition is formed within and for the people of God. We welcome and embrace that challenge!