John Shearman's
 Liberal Lectionary Analysis

Rev. John Shearman

 INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE

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

A note in the listing of the RCL reports that passages from Acts are often substituted for a lesson from the Hebrew Scriptures during Eastertide. The lessons for Easter Evening are also previewed briefly after the following lessons for Easter Day.

ACTS 10:34-43 The resurrection of Jesus, not his life or his teachings, formed the core of early Christian preaching. This is a prime example of what the apostles proclaimed to all who would hear them. The message itself contained only a few details. The resurrection had been revealed to only a few witnesses who had been given the mission of telling the story and proclaiming Jesus as Lord. In this way, the fundamental theological principle of faith in response to hearing of the grace of God in Jesus Christ became the basis for the advance of the apostolic mission.

Note that the Holy Spirit came upon Peter's audience before the Gentiles had been baptized. All of this caused Peter considerable trouble with the Jerusalem church. In the end, the Spirit convinced the church to undertake the Gentile mission in earnest. (11:1-26) Of this mission, we too are the inheritors.

ISAIAH 65:17-25 (Alternate) This lyrical poetry from the school of prophets associated with Second Isaiah (Isa. 40-55) promises the re-creation of heaven and earth with all possible associated blessings. This was the metaphor the exiles returning from Babylon had of their homecoming to Jerusalem in 539 BCE, although the reality was something quite different. John of Patmos used this same metaphor in his summary of the end of God's purpose in the redemption of human history through faith in Jesus Christ in Revelation 21.

PSALM 118:1-2, 14-24 This psalm is the last of six (Pss. 113-118) known as the Hallel psalms which have a special place in Jewish liturgy. It has been used at various festivals in the Jewish tradition, most likely at the harvest festival of Sukkoth. Early Christian communities made use of it as well. It was a special favourite of Luther: "It has helped me out of grave troubles, when neither emperors, kings, wise men, clever men, nor saints could have helped me." Whereas it may have originally celebrated a military victory, its later use by the early church celebrated God's victory over sin and death in the resurrection of Christ.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:19-26 Paul gave the earliest version of the resurrection story in this chapter, no more than 20 years after the event. In this brief selection, he explains what the resurrection means for every believer.

JOHN 20:1-18 Magdalene was the first to experience the resurrection. Her first reaction was disbelief. Because the tomb was empty, she presumed that Jesus' enemies had taken his body from the tomb. She immediately ran to tell Peter and the Beloved Disciple, probably John, what she had seen. When they came to the tomb, the Beloved Disciple is given credit for believing, whereas Peter is credited only with seeing the burial linen. Mary did not leave the vicinity of the tomb when the other two disciples went home.

As the story continues, she has a vision of two angels sitting where the body had lain. This is more a symbolic detail than an actual event. The presence of angels serves to acknowledge the divinely initiated resurrection. Jesus revealed himself to Mary, but she did not recognize him. When Jesus spoke to her, she responded immediately and attempted to cling to him. Warning her not to cling to him physically, he gave her a mission to be a witness to the other disciples.

LUKE 24:1-12 (Alternate) Luke presents a very different story about the discovery of Jesus' resurrection. The women of the Galilean disciple community came first to anoint the body with spices only to find that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. Two men in dazzling white garments – not an angel as in Matthew 28 – told them what had happened, just as Jesus had told them while still in Galilee. The several women returned to the gathered disciples and reported what they had seen and heard, but they were not believed. Peter alone went to the tomb to see for himself. But he too returned home amazed, but was he really convinced?

ACTS 10:34-43 The resurrection of Jesus, not his life or his teachings, formed the core of early Christian preaching. This is a prime example of what the apostles proclaimed to all who would hear them. Professor C.H. Dodd, of Oxford, was the first to suggest that all the sermons in Acts follow the same general formula to which he gave the name "kerygma." F.F. Bruce, of Manchester, added that this principle adopted the form initiated by the Greek historian Thucydides in putting words into the mouths of the speakers "to give the general purport of what was actually said. Following this principle, Luke introduces speeches with proper regard for the speakers and the setting." ["Acts of the Apostles," in The Oxford Companion to the Bible. 1993, p.7.]

Note in particular that this message was delivered to a Gentile audience in the home of a Roman army officer in Caesarea, where the imperial administrative headquarters for the province in which Judea and Samaria were located. The setting was in keeping with Luke's intent to show to the imperial establishment that the Christian faith was a legitimate and honourable religious tradition. When Peter preached this sermon the gospel had already spread well beyond Jerusalem and Judea.

The message itself contained only a few details: The resurrection had been revealed to only a few witnesses who had been given the mission of telling the story and proclaiming Jesus as Lord. In this way, the fundamental theological principle of faith in response to hearing of the grace of God in Jesus Christ became the basis for the advance of the apostolic mission.

The late Professor Heinz Guenther, formerly professor of NT at Emmanuel College and the Toronto School of Theology, proposed a different analysis of The Acts of the Apostles. To him, the book is a fictionalized 'faith history' of the early Christian mission rather than an account of the actual events. The central character in the story is the Holy Spirit, not the apostles Peter and Paul who appear as the chief evangelists of the mission. In this passage, the work of the Spirit extends even to Jesus' ministry (v.18). In the passage subsequent to this excerpt, the Spirit is particularly evident. "While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word." Jews who accompanied Peter "were astounded that this gift had been poured out even on the Gentiles." This occurred before the Gentiles had been baptized. All of this caused Peter considerable trouble with the Jerusalem church. In the end, the Spirit convinced the church to undertake the Gentile mission in earnest. (11:1-26) Of this mission, we too are the inheritors.

PSALM 118:1-2, 14-24 This psalm is the last of six (Pss. 113-118) known as the Hallel psalms which have a special place in Jewish liturgy. It has been used at various festivals in the Jewish tradition, most likely at the harvest festival of Sukkoth. Early Christian communities made use of it as well. It was a special favourite of Luther: "It has helped me out of grave troubles, when neither emperors, kings, wide men, clever men, nor saints could have helped me." (Quoted from Kittel in The Interpreter's Bible, iv. 661)

Whereas it may have originally celebrated a military victory, its later use by the early church celebrated God's victory over sin and death in the resurrection of Christ. The motif of vss. 17-18 can also be found in the OT story of Hezekiah's sickness (2 Kings 20:1-11) and in Paul's claims of God's providential aid (2 Cor. 6:4-10) during his mission to the Gentiles.

Vs. 22 became an often repeated motto for NT authors: See Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Eph. 2:20; 1 Peter 2: 4, 7. Such extensive literary use points to it being part of the earliest liturgical tradition of the church. On the other hand, the festival day referred to in vs. 24 may well have celebrated the completion of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem with God's help after the return from exile. (Neh. 6:16)

1 CORINTHIANS 15:19-26 Paul gave the earliest version of the resurrection story in this chapter, no more than 20 years after the event. In this brief selection, he explains what the resurrection means for every believer.

First, it is the only basis for hope of life beyond death. (vs.19) We are not naturally immortal. Our faith has to do with resurrection, not immortality.

Second, Christ has been raised from the dead. What is more important, his resurrection is "the first fruits of those who have died." This promises to all who mourn that we too shall share in Christ's life beyond death.

Third, the humanity of Jesus which ended in his death made God's initiative in the resurrection both necessary and possible. Because of this, our humanity is not a tragedy ending in a manifest disaster. Frail and imperfect though we are, grace has much more in store for us.

Fourth, human sin and death, for which Adam was the metaphoric example, is the natural result of our sinfulness, but have been overcome by the resurrection of Christ.

Fifth, when Christ returns it will be to reign over all that is opposed to God and God's reign of gracious love. (vss. 24-26)

Finally, in this passage at least, Paul does not claim equality with God for Jesus Christ. (vs. 28 cf. Phil.2:6). He too will be subject to divine sovereignty.

JOHN 20:1-18. In John's Gospel, women play an unusually large part in the story. This could indicate that either the community for whom John wrote was led by a woman or the author of the Gospel herself may have been a woman, a disciple or the spouse of John, "the Beloved Disciple." Here it is Mary Magdalene who is the first witness to the resurrection. It has even been speculated that she herself may have been "the Beloved Disciple".

Mary's first reaction was disbelief. Because the tomb was empty, she presumed that Jesus' enemies had taken his body from the tomb. It was a natural reaction considering the environment in which she had seen the crucifixion take place. She immediately ran to tell Peter and the Beloved Disciple, probably John, what she had seen. The two disciples ran to the tomb, but John got there first. He did not go into the tomb, but "bent down to look in." (v.5) Therein is a problem.

In all examples of 1st century sepulchres yet discovered, it would be virtually impossible to do what the Gospel says the Beloved Disciple did. Normally tombs were hewn out of a soft, limestone rock-face. In some instances, they were below ground level with several steps and a long channel leading down into them. Even above ground, the entrance into the tomb would have been rather small so that a circular stone lodged in a narrow, inclined track could be rolled across it. A stone like this, about three feet diameter, stands on display near the Garden Tomb in Jeruslaem. Beyond the entrance, there could be one or two chambers large enough for several people to stand erect. The second chamber, farthest from the entrance, would have been the burial chamber with niches carved into the rock where bodies were laid. These niches could be slightly inclined so that body fluids could drain into a small depression beyond the feet of the laid out body. In the outer chamber mourners could assemble when bringing spices to counter the odours of decomposition. It would appear that the author of the Gospel was not familiar with the burial customs of Jerusalem.

On the other hand, the Beloved Disciple is given credit for believing, whereas Peter is credited only with seeing the burial linen. These latter artifacts were necessary to contain the body during decomposition and to hold the spices and unguents. After decomposition was complete, the remaining bones would be gathered and placed in a small urn or stone box. Many ossuaries of this type have been found dating from the 1^st century CE. With recent publicity about discoveries such as "the James ossuary" and in the controversial documentary in 2007, "The Tomb of Jesus", we have a better knowledge of how burials of people of importance were made. Note, however, that believing did not include understanding (vs. 9). Ours is not merely a matter of faith; it also has intellectual content. Of all the Gospels, John has this rational, theological perspective.

Mary did not leave the vicinity of the tomb when the other two disciples went home. As the story continues, she has a vision of two angels sitting where the body had lain. This is more a symbolic detail than an actual event. The presence of angels serves to acknowledge the divinely initiated resurrection. Jesus revealed himself to Mary, but she did not recognize him. Supposing he was the gardener, she asked what he had done with the body. When Jesus spoke to her, she responded immediately and attempted to cling to him. He forbade her, but the words are more than formulaic. They have real significance. Mary was warned not to cling to his physical presence. Don't we still want to do that, even in our discussions about the exact nature of the resurrection as physical of spiritual? Instead, in keeping with the feminine emphasis of the whole narrative Jesus gave her a commission: She was to tell the "brothers" - note the masculine gender. A woman was to be the first witness to his resurrection.

LUKE 24:1-12. (Alternate) Luke's version of the resurrection presents a very different story. A group of women of the Galilean disciple community who had seen Jesus buried two days earlier came to anoint the body with spices only to find that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. Perplexed, they were met by two men in dazzling white garments – not an angel as in Matthew 28 – who told them what had happened, just as Jesus had told them while still in Galilee. They also gently rebuked the women for their unbelief.

The several women whom Luke identified as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and others, returned to the gathered disciples and reported what they had seen and heard, but they were not believed. Peter alone went to the tomb to see for himself. He looked into the tomb – did not enter it, as John reported – and saw the empty linen shroud. But he too returned home amazed, but was he really convinced?

How much like us still? We still search for evidence that will prove the resurrection beyond a shadow of doubt. This is a faith story, not historical data, although there is as much or more testimony to the event in scripture and elsewhere than for most other ancient history.

ISAIAH 25:6-9. This brief excerpt from a longer passage (chs. 24-27) presumed to come from a prophetic movement later than Isaiah (8^th century BCE) with the eschatological outlook of the post-exilic period. It conveys a universalist attitude and celebrates the victory of God over death and suffering.

PSALM 114. Another of the so-called Hallel Psalms, this brief poem uses illustrations from Israel's history and nature to celebrate God's presence.

I CORINTHIANS 5:6B-8. This unusual reading brings forward a passage found in some hymnbooks as the beginning of an Easter canticle including other selections about the resurrection. Brief as it is, the reading includes two metaphors referring to the Jewish festival of the Passover: the sacrificial lamb and unleavened bread.

LUKE 24:13-49. This extended passage includes Luke's two post-resurrection narratives. Both have links to the apostolic larger community and so could have special meaning to Luke's audience circa 80 CE. In the first instance, the travelers to Emmaus were not members of the twelve disciples. One of the two is not even named and this is the one mention of Cleopas in the New Testament. Imaginative but unproved attempts have been made to identify him with the Clopas, the husband of one of the women at the foot of the cross.

As usual, Luke is specific about the location of Emmaus. No modern village of this name has ever been located, but the best attested is El-Qubeibeh, seven miles west of Jerusalem just north of the expressway to Tel Aviv. Ruins of a Crusader church and a still existing 19^th century Franciscan church mark one of four traditional sites. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmaus )

In narrating this post-resurrection appearance of Jesus, Luke sought to show how the early church depended on the Hebrew Scriptures to understand what the resurrection meant. He also sought to establish the celebration of the Lord's Supper as the means by which the church could experience the living presence of the risen Christ.

Jesus' subsequent appearance to the assembled community in Jerusalem reiterated the same point about the opening of the scriptures to their understanding as well as giving them their mission to be witnesses to all nations of his suffering, death and resurrection as the means of bringing about repentance, forgiveness and salvation. This is not a fully stated theory of the atonement, but it is a neat thumbnail sketch of what is involved.