Easter 7
Devotional
Streams of Living Water
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle B
Object:
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus -- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.
-- Acts 1:16-17
While this passage is primarily about the procedure by which the early church went about replacing Judas with a twelfth apostle, it is important to pause and reflect on Peter's affirmation here. The scriptures have mixed messages about the person of Judas. On the one hand, his betrayal was clearly a matter of his choice. He was responsible for his actions. On the other hand, God used Judas and his betrayal in the unfolding of God's purpose. While the early community was scandalized by Judas' betrayal, they searched the scriptures to understand God's hand in these events. Evil is evil, but it is not beyond the scope of God's shaping hand. Such an understanding allowed the early church to search the scriptures confident that even the most horrible of events could reveal more of God's truth to those who remained faithful.
There is always the danger of religious self-righteousness that expends enormous energy in condemning evil, especially evil among us, but fails to turn to the scriptures and ask what God may be saying to us through such events. While Judas' betrayal led to the death of Jesus and could have destroyed this fledgling community, the church instead tried to hear God speaking through the event and then moved on to respond to God's future. That future asked them to heal the wound of the church by restoring a twelfth apostle to their leadership. They did this by first establishing the criteria of the next apostle.
The new apostle must be one who had been with them during the time when they had been with Jesus and must have been a witness to the resurrection. Then they prayed to God that God might indicate the appropriate one. Finally they cast lots. Casting lots was a means of taking the choice out of human hands. It may seem like a strange procedure in a community that is accustomed to the democratic vote that presumably lets the people make the choice. Still, given the chaotic nature of most church elections, it just may be a more obvious procedure for letting God make the choice. Whatever the procedure, it was important that the church not let evil consume it and that its wounds be healed so that they could proceed with the primary mission of the church. Those might be worthy aims for the contemporary church, as well.
Psalm 1
They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season and their leaves do not wither.
-- Psalm 1:3a
This psalm was chosen by the lectionary to be read in response to the passage in Acts in which the wound in the body of Christ, created by the betrayal and death of Judas, was healed by the choice of a new apostle to join the remaining eleven. This first psalm introduced the whole book of Psalms. In the face of much wickedness and skepticism, the psalm affirmed that those who were intent on living a life in obedience to God would continually find refreshment in their lives. Such people would be like a healthy tree that is continually fed by a stream of water and, therefore, produces good fruit. It is helpful to hear this psalm while reflecting on the results of Judas' betrayal. By doing so, one can hear that "the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous" (v. 5). This is an important affirmation for the contemporary church that frequently looks with fearful eyes on its own frailty.
There is much literature examining the failure of the church in our age and predicting its demise. The church's condition seems to invite the wrathful judgment of both the liberal and the conservative commentators. Some even suggest that the church is the victim of a massive betrayal. For the Christian, such wisdom of the experts may be very frightening. In the face of the advice of those who "sit in the seat of scoffers" (v. 1), it is an important reminder that God is still in charge. The one who could use the betrayal of Judas for redemption will not be defeated by betrayal in whatever form. The task of the Christian is to focus on what it is that God desires of us and to draw from the stream of living water that enables us to continue to bear rich fruit and not allow our leaves to wither.
1 John 5:9-13
And this is the testimony; God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
-- 1 John 5:11
The faith of Easter centers on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Against the gnostics, it was important to make clear that Jesus was really dead. Against the romantics of our age, it is important to declare that death is what happens to biological life. When we die, like Jesus, we are truly dead. We do not possess some immortal, indestructible soul that simply climbs out of our bodies and continues on its way. God is eternal and therefore is not constrained by the limitations of time. People who are trapped by the constraints of time live as if death has the last word. When 1 John says that "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son," he is not telling us that we will never experience biological death. Rather, he is saying that in the Son of God we have experienced eternity within time. Now, through Christ, we have eternal life.
That is, we can experience the eternal of life now and not just when we die. We can live our lives in a way that transcends death. "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." Through Christ we have a window onto eternity and now know that obedience to God, while it often entails sacrifice and occasionally death, is the pathway to discovering the true value and meaning to our life. Many people live their life to survive or to grab a little fleeting pleasure from it. In the end, such a life is void of meaning. For our life to have meaning that transcends any of the sacrifices that may be required of us, we need to be committed to a larger purpose that cannot be defeated by the vagaries of life. Jesus' life was committed to the way of God. His death could have called into question whether that which opposes God was not more powerful. But, by his resurrection, God affirmed Christ and verified the meaning of his life. Now through Christ we can discover the meaning of our life as well.
John 17:6-19
Holy Father protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
-- John 17:11b
In what has become known as the high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed earnestly for his disciples. He knew that his physical time with them was limited. From what we know about the disciples, we know that the unity of their community was frequently at risk because of the human arguments about who was the greatest and by their misunderstanding of Jesus' mission. Yet Jesus had held them together. Now they were going to be without Jesus' forceful presence. The church, without the presence of Christ, is subject to the disunity of all human communities. Later in this same prayer, Jesus noted that their very unity will testify to the truth of their faith (John 17:23). As Jesus demonstrated throughout his ministry, this is not a peace that is purchased by watering down the faith until it offends no one. Rather this is a peace that comes from recognizing that they are unified by their common faith in Christ that transcends all of their causes and arguments.
The scandal of church disunity and division continues to convince the world that we are but one religion among many. It also robs us of the joy of Christ that Jesus prayed might be made complete in us (v. 13). In this week when we reflect on the wounds caused by Judas' betrayal and the necessity for the church to recognize that the betrayal came from within the church community, it is an important time to meditate on the cause of our disunity. It is also important, for those who grow impatient with God's failure to answer their prayers in other situations, to remember that Jesus' prayer for our unity awaits fulfillment. The most perfect prayer by the most perfect person still needs to wait upon God's timing for a response.
Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus -- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.
-- Acts 1:16-17
While this passage is primarily about the procedure by which the early church went about replacing Judas with a twelfth apostle, it is important to pause and reflect on Peter's affirmation here. The scriptures have mixed messages about the person of Judas. On the one hand, his betrayal was clearly a matter of his choice. He was responsible for his actions. On the other hand, God used Judas and his betrayal in the unfolding of God's purpose. While the early community was scandalized by Judas' betrayal, they searched the scriptures to understand God's hand in these events. Evil is evil, but it is not beyond the scope of God's shaping hand. Such an understanding allowed the early church to search the scriptures confident that even the most horrible of events could reveal more of God's truth to those who remained faithful.
There is always the danger of religious self-righteousness that expends enormous energy in condemning evil, especially evil among us, but fails to turn to the scriptures and ask what God may be saying to us through such events. While Judas' betrayal led to the death of Jesus and could have destroyed this fledgling community, the church instead tried to hear God speaking through the event and then moved on to respond to God's future. That future asked them to heal the wound of the church by restoring a twelfth apostle to their leadership. They did this by first establishing the criteria of the next apostle.
The new apostle must be one who had been with them during the time when they had been with Jesus and must have been a witness to the resurrection. Then they prayed to God that God might indicate the appropriate one. Finally they cast lots. Casting lots was a means of taking the choice out of human hands. It may seem like a strange procedure in a community that is accustomed to the democratic vote that presumably lets the people make the choice. Still, given the chaotic nature of most church elections, it just may be a more obvious procedure for letting God make the choice. Whatever the procedure, it was important that the church not let evil consume it and that its wounds be healed so that they could proceed with the primary mission of the church. Those might be worthy aims for the contemporary church, as well.
Psalm 1
They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season and their leaves do not wither.
-- Psalm 1:3a
This psalm was chosen by the lectionary to be read in response to the passage in Acts in which the wound in the body of Christ, created by the betrayal and death of Judas, was healed by the choice of a new apostle to join the remaining eleven. This first psalm introduced the whole book of Psalms. In the face of much wickedness and skepticism, the psalm affirmed that those who were intent on living a life in obedience to God would continually find refreshment in their lives. Such people would be like a healthy tree that is continually fed by a stream of water and, therefore, produces good fruit. It is helpful to hear this psalm while reflecting on the results of Judas' betrayal. By doing so, one can hear that "the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous" (v. 5). This is an important affirmation for the contemporary church that frequently looks with fearful eyes on its own frailty.
There is much literature examining the failure of the church in our age and predicting its demise. The church's condition seems to invite the wrathful judgment of both the liberal and the conservative commentators. Some even suggest that the church is the victim of a massive betrayal. For the Christian, such wisdom of the experts may be very frightening. In the face of the advice of those who "sit in the seat of scoffers" (v. 1), it is an important reminder that God is still in charge. The one who could use the betrayal of Judas for redemption will not be defeated by betrayal in whatever form. The task of the Christian is to focus on what it is that God desires of us and to draw from the stream of living water that enables us to continue to bear rich fruit and not allow our leaves to wither.
1 John 5:9-13
And this is the testimony; God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
-- 1 John 5:11
The faith of Easter centers on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Against the gnostics, it was important to make clear that Jesus was really dead. Against the romantics of our age, it is important to declare that death is what happens to biological life. When we die, like Jesus, we are truly dead. We do not possess some immortal, indestructible soul that simply climbs out of our bodies and continues on its way. God is eternal and therefore is not constrained by the limitations of time. People who are trapped by the constraints of time live as if death has the last word. When 1 John says that "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son," he is not telling us that we will never experience biological death. Rather, he is saying that in the Son of God we have experienced eternity within time. Now, through Christ, we have eternal life.
That is, we can experience the eternal of life now and not just when we die. We can live our lives in a way that transcends death. "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." Through Christ we have a window onto eternity and now know that obedience to God, while it often entails sacrifice and occasionally death, is the pathway to discovering the true value and meaning to our life. Many people live their life to survive or to grab a little fleeting pleasure from it. In the end, such a life is void of meaning. For our life to have meaning that transcends any of the sacrifices that may be required of us, we need to be committed to a larger purpose that cannot be defeated by the vagaries of life. Jesus' life was committed to the way of God. His death could have called into question whether that which opposes God was not more powerful. But, by his resurrection, God affirmed Christ and verified the meaning of his life. Now through Christ we can discover the meaning of our life as well.
John 17:6-19
Holy Father protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
-- John 17:11b
In what has become known as the high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed earnestly for his disciples. He knew that his physical time with them was limited. From what we know about the disciples, we know that the unity of their community was frequently at risk because of the human arguments about who was the greatest and by their misunderstanding of Jesus' mission. Yet Jesus had held them together. Now they were going to be without Jesus' forceful presence. The church, without the presence of Christ, is subject to the disunity of all human communities. Later in this same prayer, Jesus noted that their very unity will testify to the truth of their faith (John 17:23). As Jesus demonstrated throughout his ministry, this is not a peace that is purchased by watering down the faith until it offends no one. Rather this is a peace that comes from recognizing that they are unified by their common faith in Christ that transcends all of their causes and arguments.
The scandal of church disunity and division continues to convince the world that we are but one religion among many. It also robs us of the joy of Christ that Jesus prayed might be made complete in us (v. 13). In this week when we reflect on the wounds caused by Judas' betrayal and the necessity for the church to recognize that the betrayal came from within the church community, it is an important time to meditate on the cause of our disunity. It is also important, for those who grow impatient with God's failure to answer their prayers in other situations, to remember that Jesus' prayer for our unity awaits fulfillment. The most perfect prayer by the most perfect person still needs to wait upon God's timing for a response.
