______________________________________________________
4th SUNDAY OF EASTER
Please note the link that the Revised Common Lectionary committee makes in this
week’s textual arrangement. Psalm 23-one of several appearances that it will make
throughout the three year cycle-helps us overhear a similar passage on the other side of
the aisle-John 10. The epistle lesson is also connected to John 10 in the motif of laying
down one’s life for others. In at the intersection of these three lessons we may gain
new insight into shepherds, sheep and sacrifice. The lesson in Acts 4 moves us forward in
Luke’s theme, Church in the Power of the Spirit, (to borrow Moltmann’s famous
title).
Acts 4:5-12-The Reckoning
Today’s lesson continues the story of the lame man who is healed "in the name
of Jesus" followed by Peter’s proclamation of the gospel (chp. 3). Luke informs
us of an overwhelming response as "many of those who had heard the message became
believers" (4:4). Now the reckoning. Peter and John spend a night in the cooler while
the Jewish rulers, elders, and scribes convene the next day. Peter’s defense before
this august group of the healing and the precise power that effected the cure is
unmistakably clear: it is "by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you
crucified and whom God raised from the dead; through him this man stands here before you
fit and well" (v 10). Peter’s words also include the well-known and
often-quoted, "messianic" Psalm 118:22.
Psalm 23-Shepherds and Sheep
Should the proclaimer choose to shape the homily around Psalm 23, John 10, or both,
then Psalm 23 would be an excellent liturgical resource. Try reading this passage in some
of the newer translations or paraphrases just to knock any barnacles of familiarity off
from this familiar psalm. God as Shepherd of Israel (in the tradition of kings as
shepherds) and later, Jesus as shepherd, seeks to protect, provide, nourish, lead,
restore, and guide those who follow.
1 John 3:16-24-Child of God, Servant of All
Last week we read much about the phenomenon of being called "children of God"
(3:2-3) and the moral implications such a generous name or title inspires. With this
week’s lesson, the writer moves in an ethical direction to describe precisely what
being a child of God looks like and what it doesn’t look like. Incongruities emerge
from lifestyles-however pious-when our titles don’t match our actions, as this lesson
will demonstrate. We are called not to a vacuous "love" but to concrete action
and the attitude of inconveniencing ourselves on the behalf of others.
John 10:11-18-The Good Shepherd
The image of God, who is often spoken of in shepherd language, is transferred to Jesus
who models the ideal of a good shepherd (especially vis-à-vis bad shepherds, cf. Ezekiel
34!) We also see the resurrection motif in the words lay down, receive it back, and right,
that fits well with our passage in first John 3 for this fourth Sunday in Easter.
