Fifth Sunday of Easter - Hearts Burning Within

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for the Easter Season

Acts 9:26-31

Today we get a glimpse of part of the story of our greatest missionary – St. Paul. Chp 9 begins Paul’s story with his conversion experience and then his baptism in Damascus. We can construct a pretty good timeline that puts Paul’s conversion no more than 2-3 years after the resurrection.

After his initiation, Paul spends some time preaching in Damascus. Verse 26 makes it sound like he went straight from there back to Jerusalem. But compare that with Galatians 1:11-20 where he says he didn’t go straight to Jerusalem but spent time in Arabia. In Galatians, Paul makes it sound like he was pretty independent of the Jerusalem leadership. But Luke’s version paints a different picture. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle!

Verse 23 begins this story by recounting Paul’s escape from Damascus, which he writes about in 1 Corinthians 11. The former persecutor is now himself persecuted and is spirited away under cover of darkness. We see in verse 27 that Barnabas “took charge” of him. This word has overtones of aggression. We might imagine Barnabas having to actively work with Paul, maybe having to convince Paul that Barnabas can and should help in this moment.

Barnabas brings Paul before the community and stands up for him. He is somewhat like a sponsor for someone coming into the church; Barnabas vouches for Paul’s character and zeal. After that, Paul is accepted by the Jerusalem community and he starts associating with them and preaching.

In verse 29 we see Paul once more harassed, this time by the “Hellenists.” These were Greek-speaking Jews who had likely grown up in distant lands and then returned to Jerusalem. They could also be those who had absorbed so much Greek culture that they identified as Greek more than Jew. We heard about them earlier in the book of Acts when they got into a tiff with the Hebrews about their widows being neglected.

I think it’s interesting that Paul goes out and preaches, and he’s so passionate that people want to kill him!! And this is not a one-time thing – the same thing happened in Damascus and will happen to him several times in the future. Think about the kind of person Paul was. No one wanted to claim him. More than one community kicked him out. People tried to kill him. On the one hand, we could say he must have been a rather abrasive person and it’s only through the power of the Holy Spirit that he was as useful as he was at spreading the gospel. There’s probably some truth in that. We could also say that Paul was a prophet in many ways, calling people to live up to a standard they were not yet willing to embrace. How many examples could we cite from church history of the wider community casting out their own prophets?

Once again, Paul is spirited away. This time he’s sent back to his hometown of Tarsus. Verse 31 is almost humorous – Paul has left and now what happens? Peace ensues! The rest of that verse I think speaks more directly to our Christian journey – what it means to be a Christian in light of the resurrection. It means walking in the fear of the Lord, and, with the assistance of the Spirit, growing in numbers and being built up. This is what a post-resurrection Christian community looks like.

Can you think of any modern-day prophets cast out of the church community and what can you learn from their example?

How do you live as a Christian in light of the resurrection?

1 John 3:18-24

Background of the book

Chapters 1 and 2 of this book are practical in nature: we are to walk as children of the Light. Chapter 3 is just as practical: love is the mark of those who walk in the Light.

This passage (and the same could be said of the whole book) is difficult to summarize. One commentator suggested that the author had a bunch of notes on different slips of paper and he threw them in a folder and called it done. The emphasis throughout is on both/and rather than either/or.

The lectionary starts with v18 but I want to back up to v11 and set the context because I think it’s really important to this passage. I especially think the creators of the lectionary did us a disservice by leaving out v17 in particular.

The author references Cain. In Genesis 4 we read the story of Cain being so jealous of God’s acceptance of his brother Abel that Cain kills him. Cain in this passage is representative of all that is opposed to God. This letter in general has a stark separation between what is associated with God and what is not.

Vv16-18 tell us that Christ’s death is the model of love. And this is diametrically opposed to the model of the world, or the model of Cain, where hatred leads to death.

The lectionary picks up with v18, but, again, It think it’s impossible to separate v18 from v17. What does it mean to love in deed and truth? See v 17!

Vv19-20 talk about our propensity to doubt. The first chapter of this letter worked to establish God as the source of forgiveness. Our own hearts might not be ready to accept this forgiveness, but, these verses tell us, God is greater than that. You get a sense that some in the community struggled with guilt. Maybe they weren’t as faithful or mature as they thought they should be. Or maybe they weren’t living out love in deed and truth. The author is saying that God’s love for us exceeds and overcomes any guilt we might fear.

There are some verses in the Bible that people love to pop out of context. Vv 21-22 are often cited as “name it and claim it!” We’re going to see this same idea come up in the gospel reading, and, in both places, context is key. The context of this promise in 1 John is that we are not just talking about how much we love each other – we’re actually living that out. We’re in a state where our hearts don’t condemn us for what we’ve left undone and this is what gives us the confidence to ask God for what we need to continue living that way.

Verse 23 brings to mind Jesus being asked which is the greatest commandment. He said the first is to love God and the second is equal to that: to love your neighbor as yourself.

In what ways do you already love in deed and truth, in real concrete action?

John 15:1-8

Background of the book

Last week we had the metaphor of Jesus as the model shepherd, the good shepherd. This week we switch metaphors – now Jesus is the vine in which we are rooted.

John chps 14-17 are called the Farewell Discourse. In chp 13 Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. And then he launches into this very long-winded talk about having to leave them. This type of speech was very common in ancient literature. When someone was about to die, they’d gather everyone around them and give parting instructions. Moses does this at the end of the Deuteronomy. Jesus does it here in John to let the disciples know that he’s leaving them but it’s all part of the plan: he’s going away, but the Holy Spirit is coming. And then Jesus gives them instructions about how they are to live the post-resurrection life.

Jesus starts off by once more using the words “ego eimi,” “I am.” This Greek phrase is used consistently in the Old Testament to translate YHWH, the name of God. Jesus says he is the true vine. Last week he said he is the ideal model shepherd, Here he says he is the authentic vine. There are other vines we might possibly be connected to, but Jesus is the authentic one. Some have read this in direct opposition to the vine of Judaism, which can lead to anti-semitism. It’s more of a divide along the lines of those who believe and those who do not, without regard to ancestry or religion.

Vines were common imagery in stories of that time because vineyards were all over the place. This imagery runs throughout the Old Testament as well:

Psalm 80 likens the nation of Israel to a vine that is transplanted out of Egypt.
Hosea 10 and Isaiah 5 use the same type of imagery.
This imagery can be found throughout the prophets, esp Isaiah, Jeremiah & Ezekiel

So Jesus is the authentic vine and the Father is the vine grower or vine dresser – the one who takes care of pruning the vine and making sure it bears as much as possible. What does that mean? Vv2-4 unpack that a bit.

Verse 2 is stark. If you’re not bearing fruit, you’ll be cut off. Anything that’s a drain on the vine without return, outta here! Verse 3 is almost an aside comment. It’s a parenthetical remark from the author to let the readers know that they themselves have already been pruned rather than cut off of the vine. Most translations render “pruned” as “clean,” a word that might evoke baptism for us today.

So the Father who takes care of the vines will cut off anything that doesn’t bear fruit. How do you avoid that fate? Remain in Jesus, remain in the vine. Remain is a key word for this gospel, and it’s also translated as abide. The word implies getting into a particular state and then staying there. It’s used less than a dozen times in all the other gospels but over 40 times in John. The short letter of 1 John manages to use it over 24 times.

Verse 4 reminds us that we can’t bear fruit out of sheer human will. We have to remain in Jesus – get into Jesus and then stay there with him. We have to be connected to him and rooted in him.

Verse 5 expands the metaphor to include us as branches. V1 described the relationship between Jesus and the Father. This verse describes the relationship between Jesus and us. And again, we don’t bear fruit in and of ourselves. We can only be fruitful if we’re living as branches solidly attached to the vine. V6 reiterates: anything not attached to the vine is just going to wither and die – it’s useless.

Verse 7 is an echo of 1 John. Jesus is not talking about asking for things that we want in order to please ourselves. The context is about being fruit-bearing branches.

Verse 8 says this is the way God is glorified. In the Old Testament, the glory of God often refers to God’s manifestation in the world. How is God manifested or revealed to the world? When we bear fruit as branches rooted in Christ the vine.

In what ways do you bear fruit and how does that fruit reveal who God is to the world?

What spiritual practices keep you firmly attached to the vine?

Connections

During the Easter season, we could ask about all the readings: what does it mean to be a Christian in light of the resurrection? The Acts reading sets the answer in the community walking with the Holy Spirit. 1 John tells us it means to love one another. The Gospel reading tells us that it means being rooted in Christ and bearing fruit that reveals who God is to the world.

Questions to ponder