The Lessons Appointed for the Fifth Sunday of Easter RCL C Acts 11:1-18 Psalm 148 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35 The Collect Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Collect The collect's petition reads: “Grant us the ability to fully recognize your Son Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life, so that we may faithfully follow his path towards eternal life.” This collect closely mirrors a direct quotation from the RCL A Gospel reading, John 14:1-14, which states, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." In the readings for RCL A and RCL B, the focus is on Deacons—specifically Philip and the Ethiopian, as well as the first martyr of the Church, Stephen. Meanwhile, RCL C features Peter's confrontation regarding the conversion of Cornelius. Each of these narratives relates to the theme of conversion in various ways. The Collect, continued The second theme, eternal life, is explored in RCL C with a quotation from Revelation 21:1-6: "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes." This offers a beautiful vision of the life that awaits us. Additionally, in John 13:31-35, it states, "Where I am going, you cannot come." The shared theme is conversion and its journey toward eternal life: in RCL C, we see the story of Gentiles through Peter and Cornelius; in RCL B, we witness Philip’s baptism of the Ethiopian; and in RCL A, the account of Stephen's death introduces the character of Paul, with Stephen witnessing the glory of God—a sight unseen by the crowd that ultimately killed him, whom he forgave. Acts 11:1-18 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?" Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. Acts 11:1-18 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, `Get up, Peter; kill and eat.' But I replied, `By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' But a second time the voice answered from heaven, `What God has made clean, you must not call profane.' This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. Acts 11:1-18 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, `Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ Acts 11:1-18 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, `John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life." The Text The event receives considerable attention in the Book of Acts. Peter is informed in a dream by God to not consider as unclean what He has declared clean. In the current reading, Peter recounts this in reply to critics in Jerusalem concerning his interactions with Gentiles. The recounting remains consistent, with the addition of Peter's remark about making no distinction. The topic of Gentiles being welcomed into the faith serves as an underlying theme. Peter, after converting Cornelius, is being asked to justify his actions. The Incident The incident retold in Acts 11:1-18, is related in ‘real time’ in Acts 10. The author very carefully sets the incident. In Acts 10:3, Cornelius, as good Roman centurion, is told by God in a dream to find Peter in Joppa. Peter’s dream, the appearance of the men sent by Cornelius, Peter’s speech to them and the appearance of the Holy Spirit are covered. Today’s reading is a complete restatement of Acts 10. The Set Up
Timing Remember that the Letters of Paul were written before Acts which was written when both Peter and Paul were dead. Paul the apostle to the Gentiles is not the first to reach out to them, it is Peter! Remember also Simon. The Set Up
Starting Position Galatians 2:11 Paul Rebukes Peter at Antioch 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; 12 for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. 13 And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” The Show Down The actual Council at Jerusalem is not covered in the RCL lectionary! There are three groups. Paul and Barnabus with the “pro.” A group of Christian Pharisees who stand as “con” requiring circumcision and the ‘law.’ And finally Peter and James, who represent the “Church” first Peter speaks in favor then James Rules: that Christians must “abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood.” [Remember the food for Idols Debate in 1 Corinthians.] Masolino, St Peter Preaching,
1426-27
Fresco, 255 x 162 cm
Cappella Brancacci, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence Psalm 148 Page 805, BCP Laudate Dominum1 Hallelujah!
Praise the LORD from the heavens; *
praise him in the heights. 2 Praise him, all you angels of his; *
praise him, all his host. 3 Praise him, sun and moon; *
praise him, all you shining stars. Psalm 148 Page 805, BCP Laudate Dominum 4 Praise him, heaven of heavens, *
and you waters above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the Name of the LORD; *
for he commanded, and they were created. Psalm 148 Page 805, BCP Laudate Dominum6 He made them stand fast for ever and ever; *
he gave them a law which shall not pass away. 7 Praise the LORD from the earth, *
you sea-monsters and all deeps; 8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, *
tempestuous wind, doing his will; Psalm 148 Page 805, BCP Laudate Dominum 9 Mountains and all hills, *
fruit trees and all cedars; 10 Wild beasts and all cattle, *
creeping things and winged birds; 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, *
princes and all rulers of the world; Psalm 148 Page 805, BCP Laudate Dominum 12 Young men and maidens, *
old and young together. 13 Let them praise the Name of the LORD, *
for his Name only is exalted,
his splendor is over earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up strength for his people
and praise for all his loyal servants, *
the children of Israel, a people who are near him.
Hallelujah! Psalm 148 Revelation 21:1-6 I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Revelation 21:1-6 Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life." The Text The RCL selects this vision of a time in the future when God will dwell on Earth and bring happiness. The RCL omits this final part: 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. This takes some of the “shiny” universality from the first 6 verses. New Jerusalem Jerusalem is a symbol in the Gospels and Judaism which is pivotal. The synoptic Gospels depict it as the natural goal of the ministry of Jesus. It is The Holy Place! Revelation draws on Ezekiel’s vision of a new city, but in Revelations a city without a temple, as God is the temple. The dispute concerns whether there will be a new City in the place of the old on earth or will there be a new heavenly city! And Who will be in the City. Alpha and Omega This symbol is used in Revelation as the ‘self-disclosure’ in some places by God and of Jesus in other places. These were the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet. The symbol is for God at the beginning as the creator of the earth and for God at the end of time as the Judge of the earth. Still worried about that lake of fire thing? William Blake
The Four and Twenty Elders Casting their Crowns before the Divine Thronecirca 1803-5
Pencil and watercolour on paper, 354 x 293 mm, Tate Gallery, London John 13:31-35 At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now John 13:31-35 I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13 - Context As Chapter 13 opens the Last Supper is over as laid out in John. We are then told that Satan has already placed betrayal into the heart of Judas. Jesus then washes the feet of his followers. Jesus tells the others that he will be betrayed and then sends Judas out. It is after this that the reading starts. After the reading Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him three times. Orientation Jesus tells his followers to love one another as he had loved them. This takes more meaning as it follows the foot washing of the followers' feet. The text gives first a concrete example -foot washing, then follows it by an abstract theological statement. Selfless love then is to be the sign by which others are to know His followers. A new commandment? Now Back to Leviticus The command given is not so much ‘new’ as lost and then found among the 600+ laws. The comment is also consistent with other sayings of Jesus. Leviticus 19 17 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. But we’ll get back to this…. Week after next? Andrea del Castagno, Last Supper, 1447
Fresco, 453 x 975 cm
Sant'Apollonia, Florence Domenico Ghirlandaio, Last Supper, c. 1486
Fresco,
400 x 800 cm,
San Marco, Florence Duccio di Buoninsegna, Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles, 1308-11
Tempera on wood, 50 x 53 cm
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena
