Episcopal Church of the
Incarnation
The Fourth Sunday of Easter Day (Year B)
Acts
4.5-12 Psalm
23 1 John
3.16.24 John
10.11-18
From Easter through
Pentecost the Old Testament lesson is replaced by a lesson from the Acts of the
Apostles. The readings from Acts focus
on the birth of the Church in
Acts
4.5-12
1) Peter and John have been summoned before the Sanhedrin, to “explain” their actions (preaching, healing in Jesus’ Name).
a) Peter’s explanation is that the power by which he and other believer’s act is found in the Name of Jesus Christ.
i) Peter testifies to the lordship of Jesus, and that there is power in His Name.
ii) Peter quotes Ps. 118.22, “the stone that was rejected ... has become the cornerstone,” as evidence that the risen Lord has triumphed over His enemies.
(1) This echoes Jesus’ use of the same verse at Luke 20.17.
2) Peter concludes this section of his speech with the essential Christian proclamation (the kerygma), that “there is salvation in no one else [but Jesus]” (v. 12).
Psalm
23
1) This is, of course, probably the best known psalm. It is an individual song of trust; probably originally a royal song.
2) The image of shepherd was universal in the ancient world for the king, emphasizing leadership and providence for the king’s subjects.
a) Quite apart form Jesus’ use of this image in John 10, Rev. 7.17 applies the image of the shepherd to the Lamb (Christ).
3) A hint of the history of the Hebrew’s captivity is found in v. 4, which says “I shall fear no evil.”
a) The root used for “evil” in Hebrew is a cognate of the name of the Egyptian “god” Ra, from whom the Hebrews were delivered by the Lord, their shepherd!
b) Ra’ (evil) is defeated by rṓî (“my shepherd”).
i) The psalm is filled with personal pronouns (my shepherd), framed by the proper Name of the Lord, emphasizing the God’s presence is intimate.
4) This psalm should be compared to Mark 6.30-44, the feeding of the five thousand.
a) Jesus takes pity of the people because “they were like sheep without a shepherd” (6.34).
b) The people are in a “lonely place,” described by Mark using the word aramōn (6.32).
i) This is the same word used by Mark to refer to a “wilderness” (1.12).
(1) In other words, this is a wilderness or desert.
(a) Yet the people are described as sitting on the “green grass” (6.39).
(i) In other words, Jesus as the shepherd is feeding the people who lie in a “green pasture”!
(ii) And lying in this green pasture, the people are fed abundantly.
1
John 3.16-24
1) John develops his argument that love is the mark of being God’s children.
a) Having stated that God makes us His children now (3.1-3) and that those born of God do not sin (vv. 4-10), John enjoins that Christians must love one another (vv. 11-18).
b) The current lesson takes up this theme of how Christians must love one another, and develops this into a statement of how believers may be confident before God.
2) The model for love is that given by Jesus, that He laid down His life. (Cf. John 15.13; see also John 10.11, 15.)
a) On a day-to-day basis, love is expressed in action, i.e., by sharing with those in need.
3) Our confidence before Gods flows from our obeying His command to “believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another” (v. 23).
a) Our love for one another flows from and is in conformity with our belief in Jesus Christ.
John
10.11-18
1) Jesus uses the figure of speech of the shepherd from the start of His teaching at v. 1 in this section. In treating the crowd as sheep without a shepherd, Jesus recalls the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6.35), which itself echoes the imagery of Psalm 23.
a) He is also recalling Ezekiel 34:
i) The sheep are left wandering as prey for wolves (34.1-10).
ii) The Lord promises to go and gather His sheep (34.11-16).
(1) Here in John (v. 9) Jesus identifies Himself by one of His “I AM” (ego eimi) sayings, using the proper name of the Lord.
(a) He says that He is the gate.
(b) Compare this to Ezekiel 34.30-31:
And
they shall know that I, the Lord
[I AM]* their God, am with them, and that they, the house of
* The proper Name
of God. †
God’s title (“the Lord”) followed by His Name (“the Lord”).
4) John’s theology of the crucifixion is in contrast to that of the Synoptic gospels.
a) Jesus always retains complete power. He lays His life down “of [His] own accord” (v. 18), that He may take it up again.
i) Jesus rises, rather than being raised. (Cf. Acts 4.10; 1 Thes. 1.10; 1 Cor. 6.14; Gal. 1.1).
b) The crucifixion itself is the culmination of the plan of salvation. Thus, Jesus, when He dies on the cross, says “It is finished” (or “accomplished, from the Greek tetelestai).
i) The work give to Jesus (of salvation) is accomplished.
ii) This work has been given by the Father, and because of this, “the Father loves me” (v. 17).
c) All of this discourse follows on from v. 9, when Jesus identifies Himself using the Holy Name (the Lord), saying, “I AM the door,” and in v. 11, “I AM the good shepherd.”
i) Jesus is making it abundantly clear to His Jewish hearers who He is!