John Shearman's
 Liberal Lectionary Analysis

Rev. John Shearman

 INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE

[A more complete analysis follows this brief summary for church bulletins.]

ACTS 2:14a, 22-32 The whole of the New Testament was written long after the resurrection. Hence, it reflects the teaching and preaching of the apostles. This is the classic presentation of that message from Peter’s sermon at Pentecost.

Frequent quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament, about the promised Messiah/Christ, and the story of Jesus’ ministry, crucifixion and resurrection formed the essential elements of the message on every occasion.

PSALM 16 This prayerful meditation points out the blessings of fellowship with God. It expresses supreme trust that apart from God there can be no good. It also presents the fallacy of worshiping other gods. The only real security lies in following the path God shows to the faithful.

1 PETER 1:3-9 Here again we have the essential gospel message of the Apostolic Church, though probably from an early 2^nd century author using Peter’s name. The resurrection of Jesus offered Christians hope of eternal life as faith’s reward in the face of increasing persecution, even though none of them had ever seen Jesus as had Peter.

JOHN 20:19-31 The resurrection appearances of Jesus remain a mystery and a challenge to faith even now as they did on the very day itself. Thomas, who had doubts yet came to believe after coming face to face with Jesus in his post-resurrection state, represents those followers of Jesus with similar doubts.

We do not have that same opportunity. Yet we may find the key to faith in the final words of Jesus to Thomas: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." That blessing still stands for any of us who struggle with the unfathomable mystery of the resurrection.

ACTS 2:14a, 22-32 As we read the New Testament, we often forget that all twenty-six books were written long after the resurrection and that none of them are historical in the sense that we understand history today. Rather they reflect the teaching and preaching of the apostles even more than eye-witness accounts. In his landmark study more than 75 years ago, C.H. Dodd outlined the essential content of this kerygma Peter’s sermon at Pentecost represents the classic proclamation of that message as it was heard not only in Jerusalem, but in every place where the gospel was preached.

It has long been the consensus of scholarly opinion that the frequent repetition of this message, especially in several places in Acts, need not be rigidly interpreted as the actual words uttered on each occasion. Rather, the message we now have in scripture may well be the apostolic tradition as it was recorded for the second or third generation of believers. Frequent quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament, about the promised Messiah/Christ, and the story of Jesus’ ministry, crucifixion and resurrection formed the basic elements of the apostles’ message.

From the very first, however, the apostolic church believed that God had kept the promises of the OT and had brought salvation to Israel. This had occurred through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, now exalted to the right hand of God. The Holy Spirit given to the church at Pentecost was the sign of Christ’s presence and power. Salvation will culminate in the return of Christ to judge the living and the dead. As witnesses to the resurrection, the apostles were the appointed messengers of this Good News (i.e. Gospel). As representatives of Christ in the world, they appealed to all who heard them to repent and offered them God’s forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This reading does little more than introduce the basic message. It omits two of the four OT quotations in Peter’s sermon. It gave a quick summary of the signs and wonders performed by Jesus to reveal his messiahship, then threw out a bold challenge to the same people who had crucified Jesus. Note the thrust of Peter’s words: "this man ... you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law." No shilly-shallying there! This accusation may well reflect the period when Acts appears to have been written. In the 80s CE the apostolic church and Pharisee-dominated Judaism engaged in a strife of major proportions.

Christ’s victory over death symbolized by the resurrection assumed critical significance for the church in the age of persecution soon to follow. A few decades earlier Paul made this a central part of his message and likened baptism to this victory over death. We can presume that it formed an essential part of the original message proclaimed from the beginning of the apostolic witness. While we can never be specific about the details of what happens when we die, we can still proclaim the resurrection as the basis for our hope for life beyond death.

The two OT references are from Psalms 16:8-11, the first (vss. 25-28) more direct than the latter (vs. 31). In fact, where the NRSV prints vs. 31 as an actual quotation, earlier versions follow the Greek text in alluding the psalm. The Davidic reference reflects the view of the Hebrew editors of the Psalms that David was their author. In this instance, the midrash of the passage by the 2^nd century rabbinic school of Palestine gave it a messianic interpretation which later rabbinic exegesis avoided. Obviously, the apostolic church followed the former. The review of the following reading discusses the specific interpretation.

PSALM 16 As it stands in isolation, this prayerful meditation reflects on the blessings of fellowship with God. Like others of similar type (Pss. 4 11, 23, 62, 131), it expresses supreme trust that apart from God there can be no good. It also declares the fallacy of following those who would worship other gods (vs. 4). The only real security lies in following the path God shows to the faithful. Thus one can see why both rabbinic and Christian interpreters found this psalm expressive of the quality of trust the true Messiah would exhibit and provide for the faithful believer.

How this became evidence of a prophesy of the resurrection is not entirely clear. It would seem that the best clue rests in a mistranslation of vs. 10. The LXX of this verse uses the Greek Hades for the Hebrew Sheol (KJV = Hell). The parallel word in the KJV is "corruption," where the RSV reads "the Pit," a synonym for Sheol conceived as a great, dark hole under the earth.

The idea may also have arisen as a midrash on the passage which took some interpretative liberties with the Hebrew text. As noted above, a 2^nd century rabbinic midrash also gave it a messianic interpretation. The apostolic church appears to have found this an attractive resource in their enthusiasm to show how the OT prophesied Christ’s resurrection. Vs. 11 may have a hint of immortality, although it would seem more likely that this is no more than an elaboration of the security promised in vs. 9 and did not extend beyond the grave.

Any of us who has stood at the graveside of a loved one can be sure of nothing but the trust that beyond this life we are secure in the embrace of everlasting love. As Paul wrote in1 Cor. 15:19, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied."

1 PETER 1:3-9 Here again we have the essential gospel message of the early church, though probably from an early 2^nd century author using Peter’s name. Pseudonymous writing was a common form of giving authority to a literary work. Other known writers made use of this letter ca. 120-130 CE, so it must have been composed prior to that. Other theories of its authorship include a strong argument that it came from the hand of Peter himself, or that of Sylvanus, either dictated by Peter or after Peter’s death. The excellent quality of the Greek text causes scholars to discount it as Peter’s own work; and the self- praise of Sylvanus in 5.12 mitigates his role. The debate continues without proof one way or the other.

Another important factor to consider is whether the account of the death of Jesus in 2:22-24 is that of an eyewitness or a later Christian leader’s reflection on a messianic interpretation of Isaiah 53. The letter as a whole represents an advanced state of doctrinal development and a pastoral perspective in an institutional situation not likely to have prevailed in the 60s CE when Peter presumably died in Rome during Nero’s persecution. So also the long list of Christian (and probably Gentile) communities in vss. 1-2 to which the letter is addressed shows how far the gospel had spread. This is the territory of Pliny the Younger, governor of Bythinia, whose correspondence to Trajan (ca. 110) dealt with problematic Christian refusals to worship the emperor. Read against such a background, the letter has relevance for Christians soon to face imperial persecution once again (cf. 2:13-17; 5:8).

The salutation to the churches moves quickly into a striking doxology similar to Ephesians and 2 Corinthians. The intent of this brief passage is to give hope to people living in fear of sudden and perhaps violent attack which could well end in death. The resurrection of Jesus offered these Christians the hope of eternal life as the outcome of their faith in the face of increasing persecution. None of them had ever seen Jesus as had Peter (vs. 8). However, their loyalty to the faith and love for their Lord would reassure them as they experienced imminent trials and suffering (vs. 6).

One wonders if this is a letter frequently read today in Christian communities in such places as where persecution is once again a serious threat. How would they likely interpret it?

JOHN 20:19-31 The post-resurrection appearances of Jesus remain a mystery and a challenge to faith now as they did on the very day itself. Scholars have generally agreed, with some noteworthy dissent, that this narrative formed the original ending of John’s Gospel. In this incident Thomas represents those followers of Jesus who had doubts and came to believe after coming face to face with Jesus in his post-resurrection state.

We do not have that same opportunity, nor did most of John’s audience, some sixty years later. Yet we may find the key to faith in the final words of Jesus to Thomas: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." That blessing still stands for any of us who struggle with the unfathomable mystery of the resurrection. How it happened is not the point; that it happened means everything to faith.

Yet there are some strikingly relevant details to the story which may be of help to us in this agnostic age. Remember that Thomas’ love for Jesus was such that when Jesus set out for Bethany after Lazarus had died, he blurted out, "Let us also go, that we may die with him!" (11:16) Like the rest, Thomas grieved deeply when Jesus died and apparently withdrew from the company of disciples to grieve alone. Thus he missed the first opportunity to meet Jesus on the evening of Resurrection Day. At times of deepest sorrow, even the most faithful Christians often escape from the fellowship of closest friends. Loneliness and isolation come easily to those who cannot express their sincerely held doubts and fears.

According to the tradition reported here, the risen Christ did not possess the same characteristics as those of a normal living person. By his resurrection, he had already attained the supernatural capacity to reveal himself at will, even behind locked doors (vss. 19, 26). As Raymond E. Brown has suggested, he was in the process of ascension. Yet he was recognizable, even to doubting Thomas and he came eight days later explicitly so that Thomas might see and touch him. But Thomas believed without touching Jesus’ wounded hands and side. That detail has been crucial for doubters ever since. Note also that the word Jesus used in the Greek text of this challenge to Thomas was apistis. Strictly this means unbelieving, although many English versions translate is as doubt.

It is no sin to doubt or to be unbelieving, in the sense of not yet convinced. Uncertainty like this frequently leads to a more intensive search for faith and a deeper probing of the tradition, especially if carried on in a strong, supportive fellowship. Such searching may find its reward in a far richer experience than second-hand reports could ever yield. At first, all Thomas had at first were his doubts -- loudly spoken (vss. 24-25). Today that is all many church folk have too. Like Thomas, in such circumstances, we are open to meeting Christ again for the first time. And no, that is not a fallacious ambiguity.