Texts of the Readings
May 20/21,
2006
Sixth
Sunday of Easter (B)
Rev. Timothy P. Schehr
Acts 10:25-48
X
1 John 4:7-10 X
John 15:9-17
We are weeks into the Easter season
now and will soon be celebrating the Lords Ascension into heaven. But the
gospel for this Sunday takes us all the back to the Lords Supper with his
disciples on the night of his arrest.
Jesus has just finished telling his
disciples how important it is for them to remain faithful to him. They must
remain attached to him like branches on a vine. That will ensure that the
vineyard, an ancient image for the people of God, will at last yield a rich
harvest.
Now Jesus talks about the love his
heavenly Father has for him. It was this love that set in motion the whole
plan of salvation. Jesus wants his disciple to know that he loves them with
the same kind of love. In other words, he loves them to life and wants them
to enjoy all the advantages of life with God.
If they keep his commandments they
will remain in his love and enjoy eternal life. It is quite an honor Jesus
gives them. They have the privilege of imitating their Lord. Just as Jesus
keeps his Fathers commandments and remains in his love, so they are invited
to keep the Lords commandments and remain in his love.
Jesus displays his love by giving
his life for the salvation of the world. They will be called upon to
sacrifice their lives too for the sake of the gospel. Such sacrifice will
not necessarily demand martyrdom, but will it demand total dedication to the
saving work of God.
A clear sign of the special bond
they have with the Lord is the fact that Jesus gives them a new title. He
declares them friends instead of slaves or servants. A number of biblical
figures had the title of slave or servant of God. The list includes Moses,
David, and Job. But on all the figures in the Old Testament only Abraham
carried the title friends (see for example Isaiah 41:8). It suggests that
the disciple will enjoy the kind of close access to God that the great
patriarch enjoyed. Remember his famous exchange with God before the
destruction of Sodom (Genesis 18)? On the other side of the spectrum, it was
unfortunate that during the Lords trial, Pontius Pilate placed greater
importance to being a friend to Caesar (John 19:12).
In the reading from Acts it seems
that even after months in the service of the Gospel, the apostle Peter was
still learning the full implications of being a friend of God. He announces
to the household of Cornelius, an officer in the Roman army but soon to be a
baptized Christian, that he now understand that God shows no partiality. The
apostle admits he is beginning to see the world from Gods viewpoint; he is
beginning to appreciate that Jesus died for the salvation of the whole
world.
In the second reading John neatly
summarizes the whole plan of salvation when he explains
God sent his only
Son into the world so that we might have life through him. John wants us to
be quite clear about one thing especially: God loved us first. Our response
should be to return the favor by loving one another. The kind of love John
is talking about here has little to do with warm feelings and has everything
to do with using all the gifts God has given us to bring others to the Lord,
to lead such lives that we inspire others to serve God.
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