The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for the Easter season
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Today’s Reading and Feast
The first three Sundays of Easter are focused on resurrection appearances – a reminder that Christ is still with us! Today marks a shift into a different emphasis: our ongoing mission in the world.
Today is commonly called “Good Shepherd Sunday” because we read from John’s “Good Shepherd discourse” this Sunday every year.
One focus of today is on leadership. Peter’s sermon in Acts will demonstrate the leadership of calling people to metanoia, a true change of life. Peter’s letter will talk about Jesus’ model of leadership in times of suffering. And Jesus in the gospel will talk about the voices we hear and follow.
In many churches this Sunday we will hear a call for vocations to ordained ministry. It’s important to note that none of these readings stress a leadership rooted in authority, much less in ordination. Certainly institutional authority exists and is to be respected. But the leadership demonstrated in today’s readings is born out of intimacy with Christ that overflows into love of neighbor. Authentic leadership gently and patiently wins over the hard of heart in love.
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Acts 1:8 lays out the program for this book: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses 1. in Jerusalem, and 2. in all Judea and Samaria, 3. and to the ends of the earth.
Chps 2-7 mission in Jerusalem 2:14-8:3
Chp 8-9 Judea and Samaria 8:4-9:45
The rest of the book 10:1ff Gentile mission
This week’s passage continues Peter’s impassioned Pentecost sermon and today we get to see the results of it: many in the crowd are “cut to the heart” (verse 7) and want to respond in some way. Think about the many homilies you’ve heard. Likely there were some that touched you and prompted a concrete response. I would venture to guess that most of the homilies that touch us in some way are not a recitation of doctrine. Rather, they help us come to understand more deeply the God who loves us and desires our love in return. Peter tells his story and even insults his listeners (verse 36 “the Jesus whom you crucified”). But he tells a story rooted in his relationship with Jesus and it is this which provokes a reaction.
In verse 38 Peter tells the crowd how to respond: repent and be baptized. The Greek word metanoia, usually translated as “repent,” means much more than sorrow for sins; it implies a change of heart and life, literally to change one’s mind.
Verse 41 says that 3000 people converted that day. Can you imagine 3000 baptisms?! That many converts in a single day is not impossible but is unlikely. Remember that the ancients were less interested in counting than in conveying information. Here, the huge number indicates the overwhelming success of Peter’s preaching. It’s like if we said something “weighed a ton” to convey the idea that something was very heavy.
Think of a time when someone’s words (whether a homily, conversation, book or song) moved you to a change of heart. What was it about those words that touched you? How could you share that with someone else?
1 Peter 2:20b-25
Read the background and overview of this book in the Second Sunday of Easter.
Verses 18-25 are a domestic code of conduct addressed to slaves. Today’s verses are usually seen as part of an early Christian hymn based on Isaiah 53:4-12.
Verse 21 tells us that Christ also suffered: Jesus understands much more about our situations of sufferings than we usually allow. The word “example” is the Greek hupogrammos: hupo to trace, grammos letters. It referred to a child’s writing exercise where the child would trace the letters to learn to write.
Like children, we “trace” Christ’s example of response to suffering. Footsteps is better translated footprints or even tracks. We walk in the very tracks that Christ has already walked, tracing his pattern. Many who preach a “prosperity gospel” will try to say that suffering comes only when one is not following God. Peter suggests that suffering comes precisely because we are following the path Christ laid out for us and in that path we are also shown how to respond to the suffering. The Suffering Servant Songs picture a response that is submissive and yet strong in submission.
In what ways has your own life traced the track that Christ has walked? What is your response to suffering? Does it mirror Jesus’ response?
John 10:1-10
Today is commonly called “Good Shepherd Sunday” but in actuality, this passage is focused not on the image of the Good Shepherd but rather on Jesus as the Gate. “Good” in this context means an ideal model. Many parishes may focus on vocations, especially to the priesthood, this Sunday, but it’s vital to remember that all vocations flow from our common baptism. We are all anointed at baptism “prophet, priest, and king.” There are, of course, roles that only the ordained can fulfill in our current structures. But we can all preach the gospel with our lives. We can all participate in the sacraments. We can all go and make disciples. How are you living out the vocation that is yours through baptism?
In verses 1-5 Jesus gives them the image of the gate but verse 6 says they don’t get it. So in verse 7 Jesus states his point more explicitly: I AM THE GATE!
In the other gospels, Jesus might have said something like “The kingdom of heaven is like a sheepfold….” John’s gospel uses different language for a different time and audience. It’s a good reminder to us that the words of the gospel are expressions necessarily limited to a particular time and place but the values and ideas conveyed are timeless. The metaphor of God as “father” is a good example of this: It was meaningful enough for Jesus to use it extensively but it doesn’t mean the first person of the Trinity is a male any more than today’s readings means that Jesus is literally a gate. We can speak of Jesus as Good Shepherd and Gate just as much as we can speak of God our Mother or Creator.
One thing I stress over and over again is that most people wanted Jesus to fit in their picture of a Messiah as someone who would conquer Rome. The imagery Jesus gives here is sheep and shepherding – not exactly coming with a conquering army! Rather, he’s a Messiah who loves and tenderly cares for those in the flock. He is a Messiah who loves so much and so deeply that he would and did pay the ultimate price of that love.
What’s your image of heaven? Growing up I was put off by the image handed to me of a place where everyone sat quietly in white robes (don’t get your clothes dirty now!), strumming harps while they said very pious things back and forth to each other. Thankfully, as I’ve matured, my image of heaven has also matured. Jesus gives us an image of heaven today as a place of sanctuary and refuge; a place where we are protected from assault; a place where we can clearly hear God’s voice speaking to us. The way to get into this sanctuary is by coming to know Jesus. In the last verse he says that all this is so we might live abundantly. This enriches my image of heaven: instead of sitting quietly doing things that perhaps aren’t in my nature to do, I can picture myself doing things that are: enjoying the company of friends, making art, playing the piano. What I like most about this image is that these are the things I can do on a regular basis, making life here and now my own heaven. Remember Jesus constantly says the kingdom is here and now!
What makes for abundant life / heaven for you? How might you live more into that this coming week?
Verses 4-5 talk about the importance of recognizing God’s voice, of being able to separate it out from the myriad of voices we hear all the time. What spiritual practices help you be able to recognize God’s voice?
Notice in verse 3: not only do the sheep know their shepherd’s voice – better than that, the shepherd knows each sheep so intimately that he calls each of them by name. Spend some time this week simply sitting in God’s presence and asking to hear God call your name.
Questions to ponder
Think of a time when someone’s words (whether a homily or a conversation or a book) moved you to a change of heart. What was it about those words that touched you? How could you share that with someone else?
How are you living out the vocation that is yours through baptism?
In what ways has your own life traced the track that Christ has walked? What is your response to suffering? Does it mirror Jesus’ response?
What makes for abundant life / heaven for you? How might you live more into that this coming week?
What spiritual practices help you be able to recognize God’s voice?
Spend some time this week simply sitting in God’s presence and asking to hear God call your name.
I love that this image shows a “black sheep” being found and held!
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
© 2023 Kelly Sollinger