Easter 2
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook, SERIES II
for use with Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
Comments on the Lessons
The Acts 5:27-32 reading is kerygmatic and complements both the Revelation and the John readings with its resurrection appearance. The commentary will cover all verses of Acts 5:12-32 and the preacher may select the pericope desired. The Revelation 1:4-8 reading contains the important titles of the Risen Lord which relate to the First Lesson and the Gospel. The commentary will cover Revelation 1:4-19 and again the preacher may select appropriate verses for the lectionary being used. There is consensus on the John reading.
Commentary
Acts 5:12-32 (C) (L)
Acts 5:12-16 (RC)
In these verses we have a summary of the early church's situation, a story which in large measure repeats Acts 2:43-47. The prayer offered in Acts 4:29-30 continues to be answered: "And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus." We cannot tell from the text whether those who are together in Solomon's Portico included only the apostles or the whole church. If it includes the whole church then the rest who dared not join them (v. 12) would be people who withdrew from associating with the Christians out of fear. Notice in verse 14 the enthusiastic response of the community. Others suggest that "the rest" refers to non-Christian opponents who lacked courage to join them in discussion and disputations. It is best to understand those gathered as apostles since they are the real subject of the text.
The carrying of the sick into the streets so that the shadow of Peter might fall on some of them reminds us of Mark 6:56 where the sick were laid in the market places and Jesus was asked to come near so they might touch even the fringe of his garment (and those who did were made well). Cure by the shadow of Peter is similar to healings by handkerchiefs carried from the body of Paul (Acts 19:12). The Greek for "fall on" literally means "overshadow." It is the same verb used of the cloud at Jesus' transfiguration, which means it is a symbol of divine power. Verse 15 stresses the position of Peter as leader of the apostles and is parallel to the position of Paul in the Gentile mission. Notice that the power of the apostle Peter heals without direct physical contact. People are drawn from Jerusalem and towns around it and ' 'they were all healed."
Verses 17-32
The high priest and the party of the Sadducees take action against the apostles out of jealousy. They arrested them and put them in the common prison. The common prison can be translated from the Greek literally "the public jail" or the adjective could be an adverb which gives the meaning that the apostles were thrown into jail publicly.
Notice that the large-scale mission of healing revives the hostility of the Sadducees. There is an ebb and flow in Acts: the church thrives, and then comes renewed hostility and persecution; renewed acts of healing and more are added to the church, more hostility.
In verse 19 "an angel of the Lord" appeared and opened the prison doors. A similar supernatural being protected Daniel in the lion's den. (Daniel 6:22) While the story might suggest some human intervention in the escape, Luke understands it as a miracle of God. While the escape takes place at night, the apostles do not begin their teaching in the temple until daybreak, even though the temple is open during the night. Worshipers arrive in the morning and the message proclaimed is called "all the words of this Life." "This Life" is a unique expression and may resemble "The Way" as used by Christians to describe the Gospel. The message was essentially the message of salvation.
In verses 21b-26 we read of the high priest and those with him calling together the council and all the senate of Israel. The council and the senate are one and the same body, the Jewish Sanhedrin. The senate is the older name. However, it could be said Luke thought that there was a deliberative body of "elders" in addition to the Sanhedrin which was the judicial body.
The captain was the chief of the temple police (verse 24) and the officers are those under his authority. It seems unrealistic that they were afraid of being stoned by the people, but they may have feared a mob scene. The point is well made, however, that the Christians are loved by the people in general.
Verses 27-32 tell of the apostles' trial before the Council or Sanhedrin. The apostles had earlier been ordered not to teach in this name, the name of Jesus, (4:18) but they had ignored the order. The Sanhedrin resists responsibility for the blood of Jesus.
But Peter and the apostles answered: We must obey God rather than men. These words have given direction and courage to countless Christians through the ages who have had to choose between God directing their conscience and the commands of human authorities. Thousands of Christians during the Nazi period in Germany stood before judges and obeyed their consciences in rejecting Nazism and its idolatry. Christians in South Africa, Central America and in other lands have taken similar stands at the risk of life and property. American Christians in the sanctuary movement are taking a similar position as they obey what they believe is God's will over against human laws.
Peter says that the God of their fathers raised Jesus "whom you killed by hanging him on a tree." Here is the Resurrection and the Cross, the heart of the Gospel. Hanging him on a tree reflects the words of Deuteronomy 21:22: "And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree ..." Peter says that God exalted Jesus at his right hand as Leader and Savior. The same Greek word translated Leader here is translated "Author of Life" in 3:15.
Peter says they are witnesses to those things (literally "words"). And so is the Holy Spirit who is given to those who obey him, says Peter. The notion that the Holy Spirit participates in the witness of the apostles is found in the boldness of their proclamation in 4:3 and in their acts of power in 4:12-16.
Revelation 1:4-8 (C)
Revelation 1:4-18 (L)
Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19 (RC)
Take notice of verses 4-8, which is an introductory salutation to seven representative churches in western Asia Minor in the Roman province of Asia. The number seven is symbolic of completeness and wholeness. John begins with "grace and peace." This phrase combines the usual Greek and Hebrew salutations. The grace and peace is not from John the writer but from "him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne." The seven spirits may be angelic beings, but this is most likely a reference to the Spirit of God manifested in seven gifts of the Spirit. There have been many different interpretations of these seven spirits. This reference to seven spirits may have been influenced by either the idea of seven archangels in late Jewish angelology or by the seven spirits of Persian Zoroastrianism.
Jesus Christ is called the faithful witness. The word for witness can also be translated "martyr" and should be translated martyr here. The phrase "the first-born of the dead" is in apposition with it and this makes the case even stronger for translating it "martyr." By his resurrection Jesus is the first-born of the dead who will reign over the universe when his enemies have been destroyed.
"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood" is the first of many doxologies in the book. Some variants in the Greek text have the present participle, which indicates the timelessness of his love. Love is not a dominant theme of Revelation and occurs as a verb in only two other places, as a noun once and as an adjective once.
John says Jesus freed us from our sins by his blood. "By" is instrumental here. Blood was synonymous with life for the Hebrew. A person who is baptized is immersed spiritually in the blood of Jesus which cleanses the person from sin.
Jesus has made us a kingdom of priests, says John. This is echoed in the promise made in 20:6:
"Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years."
Jesus is coming again with the clouds and every eye shall see him and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. John uses the present tense instead of the future which may indicate John expects the end to come very soon. There is an echo here of Daniel 7:13: "Behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven." But in Daniel the reference is to the personification of the saints and not to a personal Messiah. This is one example of the way John reinterprets not only the Old Testament but other sources as well and adapts them to his urgent message and expectation of Christ's imminent return.
Be aware that in verse 8 God is the speaker, as he is in 21:6 (where he calls himself the Alpha and Omega). The Hebrew would be aleph and taw, which stand for Urim and Thummim which were the sacred lots of the high priest used to determine the will of God. They have an additional meaning of "all encompassing." God is the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. God is the timeless One who encompasses all time. The Almighty or Omnipotent one translates the Greek "pantocrator," a term which occurs nine times in Revelation. There may be a contrast here with the Roman Emperor's use of the title "autokrator" to refer to himself.
In verse 9 John refers to himself as "your brother," which was the usual designation of Christians. He says he shares with the readers the tribulation and the Kingdom and the patient endurance. Christians suffer in union with Christ as Christ gives patient endurance. Through this suffering the Christian attains full participation in the kingship of Jesus. "In Jesus" is parallel to "in Christ" or "in Jesus Christ."
John was on the Greek island of Patmos in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. John was in a mystical ecstasy when he received his divine commission. There are parallels to this in other apocalpytic writings of that period. When Isaiah was in the presence of Hezekiah he had a vision when he received the Holy Spirit. John appears to have experienced similar trances. This is the first time that Sunday is called the Lord's Day in the New Testament. John may have had this vision during the liturgical service.
The fact he heard a loud voice behind him like a trumpet may give the effect of surprise. Trumpets were important liturgically and theologically in the Old Testament and were used to herald the glory of God and victory. By contrast, trumpets in the New Testament herald the parousia.
John is commanded to write down what he sees and send it to the seven churches of Asia Minor:
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. We are told that the
book of Revelation was probably a single role of papyrus about fifteen feet long.
Then John turned and saw the one who was speaking to him and he saw seven golden lampstands and in the midst of them "one like a Son of man." Solomon had ten lamps in his temple. The seven-branched lampstand goes back to the postexilic temple, and here John fuses the two types, keeping the number seven but making them individual lampstands.
The vision of Jesus as "one like a Son of man" comes from a description in Daniel 7:13: "One like a Son of man came with the clouds of heaven." He sees him clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle, a description similar to that of an angel. Christ's royalty, eternity, wisdom and immutability are suggested by the use of symbols. Combined, they give the effect of a terrifying majesty.
The two-edged sword coming from his mouth is an image of Christ's Word, which suggests the irresistible power and force of his judgment.
His face was like the sun shining in full strength, which indicate that the divinity shone through the countenance of Jesus, reminding us of his transfiguration in Matthew 17:2.
When John saw him in this vision he fell at his feet, a usual gesture of overwhelming awe and respect. But the Son of man placed his right hand upon John and told him not to fear because he, like God, is the first and the last and the living one. This is a title similar to Alpha and Omega. So for John, Christ is not very different from God himself in glory and power.
The announcement that he is the "living one" emphasizes that Jesus, though dead and buried, is now alive forevermore. The Christian who follows Christ to the death will be raised with Christ
and be alive forever. Christ says he has the keys of Death and Hades. Hades was the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Sheol and was not a place of punishment, but rather the temporary dwelling place in the lower world of those who had died, both good and evil persons, except for the martyrs whose souls went directly to heaven, and Moses and Elijah and perhaps the twelve apostles. Because Christ is the living One, he has power over the resurrection. He can guarantee the faithful a sharing in the resurrection. John is commanded to write what he sees, what is and what is to take place hereafter.
John 20:19-31 (C)
There are two resurrection appearances in the pericope from John: (1) to the Twelve in Jerusalem (Matthew puts it in Galilee); (2) to Thomas and the disciples, an event peculiar to John. The second appearance expresses a concern of Christians: How is it possible to believe in the risen Lord if one has not seen him? John's answer is that even to see the risen Lord, as in the case of Thomas, is no guarantee of faith. But everyone has to make the leap of faith in order to believe.
The first appearance occurs on the evening of the Resurrection, the first day of the week, as the disciples are gathered behind closed doors for fear of persecution. The tradition of this appearance goes back to the account in 1 Corinthians 15:5 and is developed in Matthew, Luke and here in John 20. It is thought that the appearance in chapter 21 may be a variant of the same tradition. Notice that the frightened disciples have met behind closed doors but Jesus appears to them and shows them the marks of his passion. His hands and side have identifying marks which are also signs of glory through suffering. The fact that Jesus appeared to them behind closed doors indicates he was no longer in a flesh-and-blood body - he had a transformed, resurrected body, but nevertheless a body.
Jesus says to the disciples, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." He gives them not only the customary social greeting of "peace" but also peace in their hearts and consciences. He calms their fears. Then he commissions them to go out into the world.
Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." This act of breathing on them reminds us of God's breathing into Adam a living spirit. Here, at the moment of the new creation, Jesus breathes his own Holy Spirit into the disciples. The gift of the Spirit is the climax of relations between Jesus and the disciples.
Most scholars think the Spirit was given on Easter, but in a way different from that at Pentecost. It seems the gift of the Spirit on Easter was transitional and anticipates the gift on Pentecost which was complete and definitive. One is potential and the other actual, say some scholars. The Spirit's role is to take the place of Jesus after he ascended to the Father. For this reason the Spirit is sometimes called "The Living Christ." The Spirit carries on Jesus' work and is his presence in the world. We may call this event the "Johannine Pentecost."
The church carries out Jesus' mission of forgiveness. (v. 23) But this occurs only as Jesus' life is breathed into her. Compare this to 1 John 2:1-2, regarding the forgiveness (expiation) of sins.
The second episode occurs later, as Thomas (who was not with the Twelve earlier when Jesus appeared to them) is now present. The Twelve tell Thomas they have seen the Lord but he protests that unless he physically feels the evidence of the Crucifixion he will not believe. Eight days later the discipies and Jesus are in the house and again the doors are shut. John emphasizes that Jesus appeared in a supernatural fashion to the disciples, no longer limited by time and space and material barriers. Jesus stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Jesus knows Thomas wants visible proof of his being the crucified and now risen Lord.
Jesus tells Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." (v. 27) Thomas' response (apparently without actually touching Jesus wounds!) is the climax of the Fourth Gospel: "My Lord and my God!" Thomas represents all those in every age who have doubted the resurrection of Jesus but who come to faith in a courageous leap from doubt to confidence. Notice Jesus did not despise Thomas' doubt for out of it came a great confession of faith.
Notice that in chapter 20 John has given us four slightly different episodes, showing the slightly different ways in which Jesus evoked faith from the disciples. (1) John, the Beloved Disciple, came to faith after seeing the unique arrangement of the burial cloths, but without seeing the risen Jesus. (2) Mary Magdala sees Jesus but only comes to faith after he calls her by name. (3) The disciples see him and believe after he appears through closed doors. (4) Thomas overcomes doubt and believes after insisting on examining the evidence himself. All four are examples of those who loved Jesus during his earthly life and who came to faith in the risen Lord.
Then Jesus gives a "stray Beatitude": "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." This is aimed at the reader or hearer, in whatever century, who comes to faith in the risen Lord. All are equal in God's sight with those who encountered the risen Lord on Easter or in the days that followed before his ascension.
The whole purpose of the Gospel is in verses 30-31: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." Jesus reverses our common saying of "seeing is believing" to say "No, believing is the way to seeing and knowing." Faith is the door to sight and knowledge in spiritual matters.
Father Dudko quotes the French writer and Nobel prize winner, F. Mauriac who says that if he sees light anywhere, it is coming only from Russia, and the reason for this says Dudko is that Russia is Golgotha and where Golgotha is, there is resurrection also. He tells his Christian brothers and sisters in Russia that they are now participating in the most interesting process in history. When compared to the religious life of the West he says the balance falls on their side simply because Golgotha is there in Russia. He asks if an abundance of material goods can bring about a religious birth. Dudko says that in the West Christians have everything: books, churches, money, resources, opportunity. But if the people believe at all it is only weakly. Russian Christians, by contrast, have nothing, but those who do believe in Christ are ready to die for their faith! (Our Hope, by Father Dmitri Dudko, Saint Vladimir's Seminary Press, Westwood, NY, pages 147-148.)
Thus Father Dudko emphasizes that faith is the way to spiritual sight and knowledge. We in the West would do well to listen to Father Dudko, who has suffered greatly for his courageous stand for Christ, for he has seen a vision denied to many in the West, the resurrection which accompanies Golgotha.
Theological Reflections
The Acts passage gives the second account of the arrest of the apostles and their courageous stand in obeying God rather than human beings. Peter reminds them of the action of God in raising Christ, whom the Sanhedrin had killed by hanging him on a tree, and says God has exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior. Peter says that both they and the Holy Spirit are witnesses to these things. In the Revelation passage we have the account of John's vision on the Lord's Day of the risen triumphant Christ on Patmos. He is commanded to write what he sees and send it to the seven churches. Thus John is a witness to the Risen Christ as are Peter and the apostles. The John passage tells of Jesus' appearance to the disciples on the evening of the first Easter, when the disciples had gathered behind shut doors. The disciples are glad when they see the Lord and he commissions them and breathes on them the Holy Spirit. Later Thomas, who was not with them, is told of this appearance but he says he will not believe without physical evidence of seeing the print of the nails and placing his finger on the mark of the nails and his hand in Jesus' side. But then, eight days later, the Risen Christ appears to the disciples and Thomas and Jesus invites Thomas to put his finger in the marks, to see his nail prints and put his hand in his side, and be not faithless. But even before doing this Thomas exclaims in faith, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus says, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe," which stresses the priority of faith in spiritual seeing and knowing. All three pericopes focus on the Risen Christ and the witnessing of those to whom he reveals himself.
Homiletical Moves
Acts 5:12-32
We Must Obey God Rather Than Men!
1. The apostles did many signs and wonders and healings among the people and more believers than ever were added to the Lord
2. Hostility increased against the apostles and the high priest and Sadducees arrested the apostles and put them in prison
3. An angel delivered them from prison and they preached in the temple all the words of this life
4. The captain of the temple police brought the apostles before the high priest and council and the apostles are reminded they were charged not to teach in Jesus' name
5. Peter replied for the apostles, "We must obey God rather than men"
6. Peter recounts the death and resurrection of Christ and says they are witnesses to these things God has done
7. The Risen Christ comes to us and calls us to faithful obedience even when it goes counter to human laws
Revelation 4:1-9
One Like a Son of Man
1. On the Lord's Day on Patmos John had a vision of the Risen Christ who was "one like a Son of man"
2. The face of the Son of man was like the sun shining brightly and from his mouth came forth a sharp two-edged sword representing the irresistable power of his judgment
3. John fell at his feet as though dead
4. But the Son of man laid his right hand on him and said, "Fear not, I am the first and the last and the living one and I am alive for evermore and have the keys of Death and Hades"
5. John is commanded to write what he sees in the vision, both the present and what is to take place
6. The Risen Christ reveals himself to us in the Word and Sacraments and calls us to witness to what we have seen in the present and for the future
This Preacher's Preference
John 20:19-31
The preacher may want to develop the theme that in our skeptical and scientifically-oriented society we are like doubting Thomas, refusing to believe without hard evidence we can see and touch and measure. But if our hearts are open to receive Christ, he will reveal himself to us and give us spiritual sight and knowledge. We, too, will be blessed through a personal relationship with the Living Christ. The sermon may contrast the closed mind represented by Thomas when he first learned Christ was risen with the believing Thomas who by faith recognized Christ before seeing or touching. Faith is the organ of spiritual knowledge! The sermon may spell out ways that the Risen Christ reveals himself to people today, people like Father Dudko and Mother Theresa and Biship Tutu, and the implications for personal and corporate living.
Thomas Exclaimed, "My Lord and My God!"
1. The Risen Christ appeared to the disciples behind shut doors on the evening of the first Easter and they were glad when they saw the Lord
2. The Risen Christ empowered them with the Holy Spirit and sent them out to forgive sins and bear witness to him
3. Thomas, who was not with the disciples, refused to believe until he had sensory first-hand experience of the Risen Christ
4. Eight days later the Risen Christ appeared to Thomas and the other disciples and said, "Peace be with you," and invited Thomas to see and touch him
5. But Thomas answered (before seeing and touching), "My Lord and my God!"
6. Jesus says, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe"
7. We are blessed when we believe in the Risen Christ, though we have not seen him, for then we are given spiritual sight and knowledge
Hymn for Easter 2: Rejoice, the Lord is King
Prayer
Gracious God, who has revealed yourself in the Risen and Living Christ, we fall down before him in awe and wonder. We have too often been like doubting Thomas and refused to believe without mere sensory evidence, while blinding ourselves to the spiritual knowledge which comes through the organ of faith. May we be so filled with the Holy Spirit that we may know Christ and respond in faithful witness to him in the world. Send us forth to proclaim the forgiveness of sins and the beginning of the New Order he has begun. Amen
The Acts 5:27-32 reading is kerygmatic and complements both the Revelation and the John readings with its resurrection appearance. The commentary will cover all verses of Acts 5:12-32 and the preacher may select the pericope desired. The Revelation 1:4-8 reading contains the important titles of the Risen Lord which relate to the First Lesson and the Gospel. The commentary will cover Revelation 1:4-19 and again the preacher may select appropriate verses for the lectionary being used. There is consensus on the John reading.
Commentary
Acts 5:12-32 (C) (L)
Acts 5:12-16 (RC)
In these verses we have a summary of the early church's situation, a story which in large measure repeats Acts 2:43-47. The prayer offered in Acts 4:29-30 continues to be answered: "And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus." We cannot tell from the text whether those who are together in Solomon's Portico included only the apostles or the whole church. If it includes the whole church then the rest who dared not join them (v. 12) would be people who withdrew from associating with the Christians out of fear. Notice in verse 14 the enthusiastic response of the community. Others suggest that "the rest" refers to non-Christian opponents who lacked courage to join them in discussion and disputations. It is best to understand those gathered as apostles since they are the real subject of the text.
The carrying of the sick into the streets so that the shadow of Peter might fall on some of them reminds us of Mark 6:56 where the sick were laid in the market places and Jesus was asked to come near so they might touch even the fringe of his garment (and those who did were made well). Cure by the shadow of Peter is similar to healings by handkerchiefs carried from the body of Paul (Acts 19:12). The Greek for "fall on" literally means "overshadow." It is the same verb used of the cloud at Jesus' transfiguration, which means it is a symbol of divine power. Verse 15 stresses the position of Peter as leader of the apostles and is parallel to the position of Paul in the Gentile mission. Notice that the power of the apostle Peter heals without direct physical contact. People are drawn from Jerusalem and towns around it and ' 'they were all healed."
Verses 17-32
The high priest and the party of the Sadducees take action against the apostles out of jealousy. They arrested them and put them in the common prison. The common prison can be translated from the Greek literally "the public jail" or the adjective could be an adverb which gives the meaning that the apostles were thrown into jail publicly.
Notice that the large-scale mission of healing revives the hostility of the Sadducees. There is an ebb and flow in Acts: the church thrives, and then comes renewed hostility and persecution; renewed acts of healing and more are added to the church, more hostility.
In verse 19 "an angel of the Lord" appeared and opened the prison doors. A similar supernatural being protected Daniel in the lion's den. (Daniel 6:22) While the story might suggest some human intervention in the escape, Luke understands it as a miracle of God. While the escape takes place at night, the apostles do not begin their teaching in the temple until daybreak, even though the temple is open during the night. Worshipers arrive in the morning and the message proclaimed is called "all the words of this Life." "This Life" is a unique expression and may resemble "The Way" as used by Christians to describe the Gospel. The message was essentially the message of salvation.
In verses 21b-26 we read of the high priest and those with him calling together the council and all the senate of Israel. The council and the senate are one and the same body, the Jewish Sanhedrin. The senate is the older name. However, it could be said Luke thought that there was a deliberative body of "elders" in addition to the Sanhedrin which was the judicial body.
The captain was the chief of the temple police (verse 24) and the officers are those under his authority. It seems unrealistic that they were afraid of being stoned by the people, but they may have feared a mob scene. The point is well made, however, that the Christians are loved by the people in general.
Verses 27-32 tell of the apostles' trial before the Council or Sanhedrin. The apostles had earlier been ordered not to teach in this name, the name of Jesus, (4:18) but they had ignored the order. The Sanhedrin resists responsibility for the blood of Jesus.
But Peter and the apostles answered: We must obey God rather than men. These words have given direction and courage to countless Christians through the ages who have had to choose between God directing their conscience and the commands of human authorities. Thousands of Christians during the Nazi period in Germany stood before judges and obeyed their consciences in rejecting Nazism and its idolatry. Christians in South Africa, Central America and in other lands have taken similar stands at the risk of life and property. American Christians in the sanctuary movement are taking a similar position as they obey what they believe is God's will over against human laws.
Peter says that the God of their fathers raised Jesus "whom you killed by hanging him on a tree." Here is the Resurrection and the Cross, the heart of the Gospel. Hanging him on a tree reflects the words of Deuteronomy 21:22: "And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree ..." Peter says that God exalted Jesus at his right hand as Leader and Savior. The same Greek word translated Leader here is translated "Author of Life" in 3:15.
Peter says they are witnesses to those things (literally "words"). And so is the Holy Spirit who is given to those who obey him, says Peter. The notion that the Holy Spirit participates in the witness of the apostles is found in the boldness of their proclamation in 4:3 and in their acts of power in 4:12-16.
Revelation 1:4-8 (C)
Revelation 1:4-18 (L)
Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19 (RC)
Take notice of verses 4-8, which is an introductory salutation to seven representative churches in western Asia Minor in the Roman province of Asia. The number seven is symbolic of completeness and wholeness. John begins with "grace and peace." This phrase combines the usual Greek and Hebrew salutations. The grace and peace is not from John the writer but from "him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne." The seven spirits may be angelic beings, but this is most likely a reference to the Spirit of God manifested in seven gifts of the Spirit. There have been many different interpretations of these seven spirits. This reference to seven spirits may have been influenced by either the idea of seven archangels in late Jewish angelology or by the seven spirits of Persian Zoroastrianism.
Jesus Christ is called the faithful witness. The word for witness can also be translated "martyr" and should be translated martyr here. The phrase "the first-born of the dead" is in apposition with it and this makes the case even stronger for translating it "martyr." By his resurrection Jesus is the first-born of the dead who will reign over the universe when his enemies have been destroyed.
"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood" is the first of many doxologies in the book. Some variants in the Greek text have the present participle, which indicates the timelessness of his love. Love is not a dominant theme of Revelation and occurs as a verb in only two other places, as a noun once and as an adjective once.
John says Jesus freed us from our sins by his blood. "By" is instrumental here. Blood was synonymous with life for the Hebrew. A person who is baptized is immersed spiritually in the blood of Jesus which cleanses the person from sin.
Jesus has made us a kingdom of priests, says John. This is echoed in the promise made in 20:6:
"Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years."
Jesus is coming again with the clouds and every eye shall see him and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. John uses the present tense instead of the future which may indicate John expects the end to come very soon. There is an echo here of Daniel 7:13: "Behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven." But in Daniel the reference is to the personification of the saints and not to a personal Messiah. This is one example of the way John reinterprets not only the Old Testament but other sources as well and adapts them to his urgent message and expectation of Christ's imminent return.
Be aware that in verse 8 God is the speaker, as he is in 21:6 (where he calls himself the Alpha and Omega). The Hebrew would be aleph and taw, which stand for Urim and Thummim which were the sacred lots of the high priest used to determine the will of God. They have an additional meaning of "all encompassing." God is the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. God is the timeless One who encompasses all time. The Almighty or Omnipotent one translates the Greek "pantocrator," a term which occurs nine times in Revelation. There may be a contrast here with the Roman Emperor's use of the title "autokrator" to refer to himself.
In verse 9 John refers to himself as "your brother," which was the usual designation of Christians. He says he shares with the readers the tribulation and the Kingdom and the patient endurance. Christians suffer in union with Christ as Christ gives patient endurance. Through this suffering the Christian attains full participation in the kingship of Jesus. "In Jesus" is parallel to "in Christ" or "in Jesus Christ."
John was on the Greek island of Patmos in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. John was in a mystical ecstasy when he received his divine commission. There are parallels to this in other apocalpytic writings of that period. When Isaiah was in the presence of Hezekiah he had a vision when he received the Holy Spirit. John appears to have experienced similar trances. This is the first time that Sunday is called the Lord's Day in the New Testament. John may have had this vision during the liturgical service.
The fact he heard a loud voice behind him like a trumpet may give the effect of surprise. Trumpets were important liturgically and theologically in the Old Testament and were used to herald the glory of God and victory. By contrast, trumpets in the New Testament herald the parousia.
John is commanded to write down what he sees and send it to the seven churches of Asia Minor:
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. We are told that the
book of Revelation was probably a single role of papyrus about fifteen feet long.
Then John turned and saw the one who was speaking to him and he saw seven golden lampstands and in the midst of them "one like a Son of man." Solomon had ten lamps in his temple. The seven-branched lampstand goes back to the postexilic temple, and here John fuses the two types, keeping the number seven but making them individual lampstands.
The vision of Jesus as "one like a Son of man" comes from a description in Daniel 7:13: "One like a Son of man came with the clouds of heaven." He sees him clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle, a description similar to that of an angel. Christ's royalty, eternity, wisdom and immutability are suggested by the use of symbols. Combined, they give the effect of a terrifying majesty.
The two-edged sword coming from his mouth is an image of Christ's Word, which suggests the irresistible power and force of his judgment.
His face was like the sun shining in full strength, which indicate that the divinity shone through the countenance of Jesus, reminding us of his transfiguration in Matthew 17:2.
When John saw him in this vision he fell at his feet, a usual gesture of overwhelming awe and respect. But the Son of man placed his right hand upon John and told him not to fear because he, like God, is the first and the last and the living one. This is a title similar to Alpha and Omega. So for John, Christ is not very different from God himself in glory and power.
The announcement that he is the "living one" emphasizes that Jesus, though dead and buried, is now alive forevermore. The Christian who follows Christ to the death will be raised with Christ
and be alive forever. Christ says he has the keys of Death and Hades. Hades was the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Sheol and was not a place of punishment, but rather the temporary dwelling place in the lower world of those who had died, both good and evil persons, except for the martyrs whose souls went directly to heaven, and Moses and Elijah and perhaps the twelve apostles. Because Christ is the living One, he has power over the resurrection. He can guarantee the faithful a sharing in the resurrection. John is commanded to write what he sees, what is and what is to take place hereafter.
John 20:19-31 (C)
There are two resurrection appearances in the pericope from John: (1) to the Twelve in Jerusalem (Matthew puts it in Galilee); (2) to Thomas and the disciples, an event peculiar to John. The second appearance expresses a concern of Christians: How is it possible to believe in the risen Lord if one has not seen him? John's answer is that even to see the risen Lord, as in the case of Thomas, is no guarantee of faith. But everyone has to make the leap of faith in order to believe.
The first appearance occurs on the evening of the Resurrection, the first day of the week, as the disciples are gathered behind closed doors for fear of persecution. The tradition of this appearance goes back to the account in 1 Corinthians 15:5 and is developed in Matthew, Luke and here in John 20. It is thought that the appearance in chapter 21 may be a variant of the same tradition. Notice that the frightened disciples have met behind closed doors but Jesus appears to them and shows them the marks of his passion. His hands and side have identifying marks which are also signs of glory through suffering. The fact that Jesus appeared to them behind closed doors indicates he was no longer in a flesh-and-blood body - he had a transformed, resurrected body, but nevertheless a body.
Jesus says to the disciples, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." He gives them not only the customary social greeting of "peace" but also peace in their hearts and consciences. He calms their fears. Then he commissions them to go out into the world.
Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." This act of breathing on them reminds us of God's breathing into Adam a living spirit. Here, at the moment of the new creation, Jesus breathes his own Holy Spirit into the disciples. The gift of the Spirit is the climax of relations between Jesus and the disciples.
Most scholars think the Spirit was given on Easter, but in a way different from that at Pentecost. It seems the gift of the Spirit on Easter was transitional and anticipates the gift on Pentecost which was complete and definitive. One is potential and the other actual, say some scholars. The Spirit's role is to take the place of Jesus after he ascended to the Father. For this reason the Spirit is sometimes called "The Living Christ." The Spirit carries on Jesus' work and is his presence in the world. We may call this event the "Johannine Pentecost."
The church carries out Jesus' mission of forgiveness. (v. 23) But this occurs only as Jesus' life is breathed into her. Compare this to 1 John 2:1-2, regarding the forgiveness (expiation) of sins.
The second episode occurs later, as Thomas (who was not with the Twelve earlier when Jesus appeared to them) is now present. The Twelve tell Thomas they have seen the Lord but he protests that unless he physically feels the evidence of the Crucifixion he will not believe. Eight days later the discipies and Jesus are in the house and again the doors are shut. John emphasizes that Jesus appeared in a supernatural fashion to the disciples, no longer limited by time and space and material barriers. Jesus stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Jesus knows Thomas wants visible proof of his being the crucified and now risen Lord.
Jesus tells Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." (v. 27) Thomas' response (apparently without actually touching Jesus wounds!) is the climax of the Fourth Gospel: "My Lord and my God!" Thomas represents all those in every age who have doubted the resurrection of Jesus but who come to faith in a courageous leap from doubt to confidence. Notice Jesus did not despise Thomas' doubt for out of it came a great confession of faith.
Notice that in chapter 20 John has given us four slightly different episodes, showing the slightly different ways in which Jesus evoked faith from the disciples. (1) John, the Beloved Disciple, came to faith after seeing the unique arrangement of the burial cloths, but without seeing the risen Jesus. (2) Mary Magdala sees Jesus but only comes to faith after he calls her by name. (3) The disciples see him and believe after he appears through closed doors. (4) Thomas overcomes doubt and believes after insisting on examining the evidence himself. All four are examples of those who loved Jesus during his earthly life and who came to faith in the risen Lord.
Then Jesus gives a "stray Beatitude": "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." This is aimed at the reader or hearer, in whatever century, who comes to faith in the risen Lord. All are equal in God's sight with those who encountered the risen Lord on Easter or in the days that followed before his ascension.
The whole purpose of the Gospel is in verses 30-31: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." Jesus reverses our common saying of "seeing is believing" to say "No, believing is the way to seeing and knowing." Faith is the door to sight and knowledge in spiritual matters.
Father Dudko quotes the French writer and Nobel prize winner, F. Mauriac who says that if he sees light anywhere, it is coming only from Russia, and the reason for this says Dudko is that Russia is Golgotha and where Golgotha is, there is resurrection also. He tells his Christian brothers and sisters in Russia that they are now participating in the most interesting process in history. When compared to the religious life of the West he says the balance falls on their side simply because Golgotha is there in Russia. He asks if an abundance of material goods can bring about a religious birth. Dudko says that in the West Christians have everything: books, churches, money, resources, opportunity. But if the people believe at all it is only weakly. Russian Christians, by contrast, have nothing, but those who do believe in Christ are ready to die for their faith! (Our Hope, by Father Dmitri Dudko, Saint Vladimir's Seminary Press, Westwood, NY, pages 147-148.)
Thus Father Dudko emphasizes that faith is the way to spiritual sight and knowledge. We in the West would do well to listen to Father Dudko, who has suffered greatly for his courageous stand for Christ, for he has seen a vision denied to many in the West, the resurrection which accompanies Golgotha.
Theological Reflections
The Acts passage gives the second account of the arrest of the apostles and their courageous stand in obeying God rather than human beings. Peter reminds them of the action of God in raising Christ, whom the Sanhedrin had killed by hanging him on a tree, and says God has exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior. Peter says that both they and the Holy Spirit are witnesses to these things. In the Revelation passage we have the account of John's vision on the Lord's Day of the risen triumphant Christ on Patmos. He is commanded to write what he sees and send it to the seven churches. Thus John is a witness to the Risen Christ as are Peter and the apostles. The John passage tells of Jesus' appearance to the disciples on the evening of the first Easter, when the disciples had gathered behind shut doors. The disciples are glad when they see the Lord and he commissions them and breathes on them the Holy Spirit. Later Thomas, who was not with them, is told of this appearance but he says he will not believe without physical evidence of seeing the print of the nails and placing his finger on the mark of the nails and his hand in Jesus' side. But then, eight days later, the Risen Christ appears to the disciples and Thomas and Jesus invites Thomas to put his finger in the marks, to see his nail prints and put his hand in his side, and be not faithless. But even before doing this Thomas exclaims in faith, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus says, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe," which stresses the priority of faith in spiritual seeing and knowing. All three pericopes focus on the Risen Christ and the witnessing of those to whom he reveals himself.
Homiletical Moves
Acts 5:12-32
We Must Obey God Rather Than Men!
1. The apostles did many signs and wonders and healings among the people and more believers than ever were added to the Lord
2. Hostility increased against the apostles and the high priest and Sadducees arrested the apostles and put them in prison
3. An angel delivered them from prison and they preached in the temple all the words of this life
4. The captain of the temple police brought the apostles before the high priest and council and the apostles are reminded they were charged not to teach in Jesus' name
5. Peter replied for the apostles, "We must obey God rather than men"
6. Peter recounts the death and resurrection of Christ and says they are witnesses to these things God has done
7. The Risen Christ comes to us and calls us to faithful obedience even when it goes counter to human laws
Revelation 4:1-9
One Like a Son of Man
1. On the Lord's Day on Patmos John had a vision of the Risen Christ who was "one like a Son of man"
2. The face of the Son of man was like the sun shining brightly and from his mouth came forth a sharp two-edged sword representing the irresistable power of his judgment
3. John fell at his feet as though dead
4. But the Son of man laid his right hand on him and said, "Fear not, I am the first and the last and the living one and I am alive for evermore and have the keys of Death and Hades"
5. John is commanded to write what he sees in the vision, both the present and what is to take place
6. The Risen Christ reveals himself to us in the Word and Sacraments and calls us to witness to what we have seen in the present and for the future
This Preacher's Preference
John 20:19-31
The preacher may want to develop the theme that in our skeptical and scientifically-oriented society we are like doubting Thomas, refusing to believe without hard evidence we can see and touch and measure. But if our hearts are open to receive Christ, he will reveal himself to us and give us spiritual sight and knowledge. We, too, will be blessed through a personal relationship with the Living Christ. The sermon may contrast the closed mind represented by Thomas when he first learned Christ was risen with the believing Thomas who by faith recognized Christ before seeing or touching. Faith is the organ of spiritual knowledge! The sermon may spell out ways that the Risen Christ reveals himself to people today, people like Father Dudko and Mother Theresa and Biship Tutu, and the implications for personal and corporate living.
Thomas Exclaimed, "My Lord and My God!"
1. The Risen Christ appeared to the disciples behind shut doors on the evening of the first Easter and they were glad when they saw the Lord
2. The Risen Christ empowered them with the Holy Spirit and sent them out to forgive sins and bear witness to him
3. Thomas, who was not with the disciples, refused to believe until he had sensory first-hand experience of the Risen Christ
4. Eight days later the Risen Christ appeared to Thomas and the other disciples and said, "Peace be with you," and invited Thomas to see and touch him
5. But Thomas answered (before seeing and touching), "My Lord and my God!"
6. Jesus says, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe"
7. We are blessed when we believe in the Risen Christ, though we have not seen him, for then we are given spiritual sight and knowledge
Hymn for Easter 2: Rejoice, the Lord is King
Prayer
Gracious God, who has revealed yourself in the Risen and Living Christ, we fall down before him in awe and wonder. We have too often been like doubting Thomas and refused to believe without mere sensory evidence, while blinding ourselves to the spiritual knowledge which comes through the organ of faith. May we be so filled with the Holy Spirit that we may know Christ and respond in faithful witness to him in the world. Send us forth to proclaim the forgiveness of sins and the beginning of the New Order he has begun. Amen
