EASTER 4
Worship
Scripture Notes
For use with Common, Lutheran and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
The beautiful Easter theme of "The Lord is Our Shepherd," alluded to in the John 10:1-10 analogies and expressed so well in Psalm 23 and 1 Peter 2:19-25, is not maintained in any of the variety of Acts 2, 6, and 7 texts in the Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic First Lesson selections. All or a part of Ezekiel 37:15-28 would fit the theme of "The Lord is Our Shepherd" exceedingly well. If a New Testament selection is desired on this Good Shepherd Sunday, far better than any of the Acts 2, 6, and 7 texts would be Hebrews 13:20-21: "May the God of Peace - who has brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, in the blood of a covenant that shall last forever - enable you in every good way to do his will, accomplishing in us that which is pleasing in God's sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Hebrews 13:20-21 is not used in any place during the Easter Season in this Lectionary Series, and a break in the series of First Lesson Acts readings for the sake of the Good Shepherd theme would be justified.
Psalm 23
In this psalm - so well known to us as Christians because we associate Yahweh, the personal name of God for the Israelites, with Jesus as we perceive him - we have the best proclamation of the gospel in the readings appointed for this day. We as Christians perceive Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior in much the same manner that Israelites since ancient times have perceived Yahweh. In a message based primarily on Psalm 23, we can tell how the Lord has been our Shepherd in our lives and in the lives of people whom we have known. Of course, there have been times when we were far from the Lord, but somehow the Lord has always found us, as indicated in this text. This message can be expressed in a variety of ways, for example in didactic sermon form, in proclamation form, or story form.
Common, Lutheran: 1 Peter 2:19-25
Roman Catholic: 1 Peter 2:20-25
There is a tremendous message in this fine text. The text should be read well, with good feeling, inflection, and intensity. Each of us, including our children, sometimes is made to suffer when we have done the "right" thing rather than the "wrong" thing. We can relate to this text. It is a text good for all periods of human existence, not only for the period late during the first century of the common era when many early Christians were suffering privation and death at the hands of oppressive advocates of Roman Civil Religion. Jesus is our model now just as Jesus was then. Jesus is our Shepherd and our Bishop. Our parents and our church leaders are "undershepherds" and "underbishops." We are all "household servants," as 1 Peter 2:18 indicates.
John 10:1-10
There are two differing analogies in John 10. In the Series A text (10:1-10), the Johannine Jesus is called the "Door" for the sheep, and the shepherd of the sheep enters through the door. It is only in 10:11-30, beyond the limits of the Series A text, that the Johannine Jesus is called the "Good Shepherd." Strictly speaking, therefore, John 10:1-10 is not a "Good Shepherd" text; it is a "Door for the Sheep" text. It is also a text in which - consistent with other portions of the Fourth Gospel - it is claimed that access to God is possible only through the Johannine Jesus. This text claims that all who came prior to the coming of the Johannine Jesus were thieves and robbers (10:8), and that the sheep did not hear them. With these exclusivistic claims, the Johannine community created a problem for us. If we take these claims literally, we say through them that Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the Suffering Servant of the Isaiah traditions, John the Baptizer, and all of the rest of the Israelite saints, including Mary the mother of Jesus and Joseph, were thieves and robbers. In their exclusivistic zeal, the members of the Johannine community went too far. The best of Christian theology and practice has not followed and does not follow the members of the Johannine community in their defamatory anti-Jewish polemic and in their "super-high" exciusivistic Christology. If it had followed them and if it were to follow them today, we would not use Psalm 23 or any of the Israelite Scriptures texts passed down through time to us by what John 10:8 calls "thieves and robbers."
Common:
Acts 2:42-47
In the context of the Psalm 23, 1 Peter 2, and John 10 readings, Acts 2:42-47 depicts the ideal situation of followers of Jesus who continued the work of the Jesus of history with "glad and generous hearts." Acts 2:42-47 then may be said to describe the lives of followers of Jesus as they ought to be as sheep following their Good Shepherd. In this way, this text, more readily than the other Acts 2, 6, and 7 readings in the Lutheran and Roman Catholic selections, can be brought within the framework of the theme, "The Lord is Our Shepherd."
Lutheran: Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60
This series of readings begins with the Lukan writer's introduction to the second major action area of the Acts of Apostles account, which extends from 6:1--12:24. Our English translations of ton Helleniston and of tous Hebraious, particularly in the Good News Bible and in the Revised Standard Version, are inadequate according to the sense of this account. The grumbling described in 6:1 was not as the Good News Bible renders it: "A quarrel between the Greek-speaking Jews and the native Jews." What the Lukan writer depicted was grumbling of Greek-speaking followers of Jesus against Arainaic-speaking followers of Jesus. The newer, rapidly expanding group of followers of Jesus are said to have had a complaint against the older, earlier group. Neither faction should be considered to be Jews at this point in their development, as the description of them as "disciples" in 6:2 makes clear. The GNB translation is inaccurate, therefore, and the RSV translation "the Hellenists" and "the Hebrews" inadequate, and both put anti-Jewish polemic into the translation where it is not present in the Greek text. The GNB compounds the anti-Jewish polemic by putting "Jews" into the English translation in 6:9 where it is not present in the Greek text.
Acts 7 amply illustrates the style of the Lukan writer. In the composition of Acts 7 the inspired Lukan writer utilized the Mark-Matthew tradition, the Lukan writer's own Luke, and the Israelite Scriptures (particularly the self-critical recital of Jerusalem's abominations in chapters 16, 20, and 23 of the Ezekiel traditions). Also, it is probable that the inspired Lukan writer used the Apostle Paul's statements in Galatians 1:13-23 and in 1 Corinthians 15:9 that he "had persecuted the church" in the composition of the literary drama that extends from Acts 7:1--8:1. We note that in Acts 6:9-14 the Lukan writer attributed to Jews from the Diaspora many of the same tactics that were said in Mark and in Matthew to have been employed by the enemies of Jesus. In this way the Lukan writer demonstrated that Jews from the Diaspora, along with their Palestinian counterparts, were guilty of continuing opposition to Jesus and to his followers, that all Jews - in the Diaspora as well as in Palestine - opposed the Spirit of God and betrayed and murdered Jesus, the Righteous One. Since it was not possible for the inspired Lukan writer to portray the death of well-known early Christian leaders such as Peter, or Paul, or even James the brother of John (Acts 12:2) as executed by Jews, because it was known that they had been executed by Roman authorities, an otherwise rather obscure figure, Stephen, was depicted as stoned to death by an angry mob of Jews. Unfortunately, the beautiful witness of the martyr figure Stephen as depicted in this scene was spoiled to a great extent by the bitter, vitriolic denunciations that are written in Acts 7:51-53, included in the Lutheran Jectionary reading for this day.
Repudiation of the vicious, defamatory anti-Jewish polemic in Acts 7:51-53 of the Stephen speech is especially difficult, since his bitter verbal attack provides what may seem to be the necessary provocation for the action of the angry mob. The first and most obvious step that should be taken in this repudiation is to revise our lectionary readings. It is unconscionable for us as Lutheran Christians to include Acts 7:51-53 within the Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60 reading here on Easter 4, Series A, and to retain Acts 6:11-14 and 7:51-53 within the Acts 6:8-7:2a, 51-60 reading on the lesser festival of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, as we now do. In Proclamation, The Lesser Festivals 1 (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975), pp. 8-11, on the festival of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, only our Lutheran Lectionary includes the vitriolic, name-calling denunciations of 7:51-53 and the material concerning false charges brought against Stephen in 6:11-14. The Lutheran reading is 6:8-15; 7:1-2a, 51-60. The Roman Catholic is limited to 6:8-10; 7:54-59 and the Episcopal to 7:55-60, both of which exclude the vitriolic anti-Jewish denunciations. Our Lutheran Lectionary selection currently being used, therefore, here as in numerous other places is the most anti-Jewish among the Christian groups sharing this lectionary. Certainly other selections are possible that remove the emphasis from the violence and from accusations that accuse all Jews of guilt, from the denial of continuing validity in Jewish spirituality, and place the emphasis instead on the beautiful witness of this archetypal Christian martyr Stephen.
In our translations intended for popular use, it would be appropriate to relegate Acts 7:51-54 to footnote status as Lukan anti-Jewish bias, intended perhaps to reduce pressure of persecution by Roman Civil Religion authorities late during the first century from followers of Jesus. The portions that precede and follow Acts 7:51-54 fit together well, with the heaven motif in the Acts 7:49-50 quotation of Isaiah 66:1-2a followed immediately by 7:55 in which Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, having looked intently into heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. It is neither accurate nor just to accuse the Jewish people of always opposing the Spirit of God, much less of being stiff-necked and "uncircumcised in their hearts and in their ears," and of betraying and murdering Jesus as the Lukan writer does in Acts 7:51-53.
Roman Catholic: Acts 2:14, 36-41
Please see the consideration given to this text in the Easter 3 section above.
Psalm 23
In this psalm - so well known to us as Christians because we associate Yahweh, the personal name of God for the Israelites, with Jesus as we perceive him - we have the best proclamation of the gospel in the readings appointed for this day. We as Christians perceive Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior in much the same manner that Israelites since ancient times have perceived Yahweh. In a message based primarily on Psalm 23, we can tell how the Lord has been our Shepherd in our lives and in the lives of people whom we have known. Of course, there have been times when we were far from the Lord, but somehow the Lord has always found us, as indicated in this text. This message can be expressed in a variety of ways, for example in didactic sermon form, in proclamation form, or story form.
Common, Lutheran: 1 Peter 2:19-25
Roman Catholic: 1 Peter 2:20-25
There is a tremendous message in this fine text. The text should be read well, with good feeling, inflection, and intensity. Each of us, including our children, sometimes is made to suffer when we have done the "right" thing rather than the "wrong" thing. We can relate to this text. It is a text good for all periods of human existence, not only for the period late during the first century of the common era when many early Christians were suffering privation and death at the hands of oppressive advocates of Roman Civil Religion. Jesus is our model now just as Jesus was then. Jesus is our Shepherd and our Bishop. Our parents and our church leaders are "undershepherds" and "underbishops." We are all "household servants," as 1 Peter 2:18 indicates.
John 10:1-10
There are two differing analogies in John 10. In the Series A text (10:1-10), the Johannine Jesus is called the "Door" for the sheep, and the shepherd of the sheep enters through the door. It is only in 10:11-30, beyond the limits of the Series A text, that the Johannine Jesus is called the "Good Shepherd." Strictly speaking, therefore, John 10:1-10 is not a "Good Shepherd" text; it is a "Door for the Sheep" text. It is also a text in which - consistent with other portions of the Fourth Gospel - it is claimed that access to God is possible only through the Johannine Jesus. This text claims that all who came prior to the coming of the Johannine Jesus were thieves and robbers (10:8), and that the sheep did not hear them. With these exclusivistic claims, the Johannine community created a problem for us. If we take these claims literally, we say through them that Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the Suffering Servant of the Isaiah traditions, John the Baptizer, and all of the rest of the Israelite saints, including Mary the mother of Jesus and Joseph, were thieves and robbers. In their exclusivistic zeal, the members of the Johannine community went too far. The best of Christian theology and practice has not followed and does not follow the members of the Johannine community in their defamatory anti-Jewish polemic and in their "super-high" exciusivistic Christology. If it had followed them and if it were to follow them today, we would not use Psalm 23 or any of the Israelite Scriptures texts passed down through time to us by what John 10:8 calls "thieves and robbers."
Common:
Acts 2:42-47
In the context of the Psalm 23, 1 Peter 2, and John 10 readings, Acts 2:42-47 depicts the ideal situation of followers of Jesus who continued the work of the Jesus of history with "glad and generous hearts." Acts 2:42-47 then may be said to describe the lives of followers of Jesus as they ought to be as sheep following their Good Shepherd. In this way, this text, more readily than the other Acts 2, 6, and 7 readings in the Lutheran and Roman Catholic selections, can be brought within the framework of the theme, "The Lord is Our Shepherd."
Lutheran: Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60
This series of readings begins with the Lukan writer's introduction to the second major action area of the Acts of Apostles account, which extends from 6:1--12:24. Our English translations of ton Helleniston and of tous Hebraious, particularly in the Good News Bible and in the Revised Standard Version, are inadequate according to the sense of this account. The grumbling described in 6:1 was not as the Good News Bible renders it: "A quarrel between the Greek-speaking Jews and the native Jews." What the Lukan writer depicted was grumbling of Greek-speaking followers of Jesus against Arainaic-speaking followers of Jesus. The newer, rapidly expanding group of followers of Jesus are said to have had a complaint against the older, earlier group. Neither faction should be considered to be Jews at this point in their development, as the description of them as "disciples" in 6:2 makes clear. The GNB translation is inaccurate, therefore, and the RSV translation "the Hellenists" and "the Hebrews" inadequate, and both put anti-Jewish polemic into the translation where it is not present in the Greek text. The GNB compounds the anti-Jewish polemic by putting "Jews" into the English translation in 6:9 where it is not present in the Greek text.
Acts 7 amply illustrates the style of the Lukan writer. In the composition of Acts 7 the inspired Lukan writer utilized the Mark-Matthew tradition, the Lukan writer's own Luke, and the Israelite Scriptures (particularly the self-critical recital of Jerusalem's abominations in chapters 16, 20, and 23 of the Ezekiel traditions). Also, it is probable that the inspired Lukan writer used the Apostle Paul's statements in Galatians 1:13-23 and in 1 Corinthians 15:9 that he "had persecuted the church" in the composition of the literary drama that extends from Acts 7:1--8:1. We note that in Acts 6:9-14 the Lukan writer attributed to Jews from the Diaspora many of the same tactics that were said in Mark and in Matthew to have been employed by the enemies of Jesus. In this way the Lukan writer demonstrated that Jews from the Diaspora, along with their Palestinian counterparts, were guilty of continuing opposition to Jesus and to his followers, that all Jews - in the Diaspora as well as in Palestine - opposed the Spirit of God and betrayed and murdered Jesus, the Righteous One. Since it was not possible for the inspired Lukan writer to portray the death of well-known early Christian leaders such as Peter, or Paul, or even James the brother of John (Acts 12:2) as executed by Jews, because it was known that they had been executed by Roman authorities, an otherwise rather obscure figure, Stephen, was depicted as stoned to death by an angry mob of Jews. Unfortunately, the beautiful witness of the martyr figure Stephen as depicted in this scene was spoiled to a great extent by the bitter, vitriolic denunciations that are written in Acts 7:51-53, included in the Lutheran Jectionary reading for this day.
Repudiation of the vicious, defamatory anti-Jewish polemic in Acts 7:51-53 of the Stephen speech is especially difficult, since his bitter verbal attack provides what may seem to be the necessary provocation for the action of the angry mob. The first and most obvious step that should be taken in this repudiation is to revise our lectionary readings. It is unconscionable for us as Lutheran Christians to include Acts 7:51-53 within the Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60 reading here on Easter 4, Series A, and to retain Acts 6:11-14 and 7:51-53 within the Acts 6:8-7:2a, 51-60 reading on the lesser festival of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, as we now do. In Proclamation, The Lesser Festivals 1 (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975), pp. 8-11, on the festival of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, only our Lutheran Lectionary includes the vitriolic, name-calling denunciations of 7:51-53 and the material concerning false charges brought against Stephen in 6:11-14. The Lutheran reading is 6:8-15; 7:1-2a, 51-60. The Roman Catholic is limited to 6:8-10; 7:54-59 and the Episcopal to 7:55-60, both of which exclude the vitriolic anti-Jewish denunciations. Our Lutheran Lectionary selection currently being used, therefore, here as in numerous other places is the most anti-Jewish among the Christian groups sharing this lectionary. Certainly other selections are possible that remove the emphasis from the violence and from accusations that accuse all Jews of guilt, from the denial of continuing validity in Jewish spirituality, and place the emphasis instead on the beautiful witness of this archetypal Christian martyr Stephen.
In our translations intended for popular use, it would be appropriate to relegate Acts 7:51-54 to footnote status as Lukan anti-Jewish bias, intended perhaps to reduce pressure of persecution by Roman Civil Religion authorities late during the first century from followers of Jesus. The portions that precede and follow Acts 7:51-54 fit together well, with the heaven motif in the Acts 7:49-50 quotation of Isaiah 66:1-2a followed immediately by 7:55 in which Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, having looked intently into heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. It is neither accurate nor just to accuse the Jewish people of always opposing the Spirit of God, much less of being stiff-necked and "uncircumcised in their hearts and in their ears," and of betraying and murdering Jesus as the Lukan writer does in Acts 7:51-53.
Roman Catholic: Acts 2:14, 36-41
Please see the consideration given to this text in the Easter 3 section above.
