Commentary

Where does hope come from ? What is our source of hope ?This is a commentary on Psalm 4 specifically verses 6-8 by Trinity Episcopal NY which is the appointed Psalm for Sun, April 14. There are some additions afterward by Pope Benedict.

Psalm 4 is an individual lament (or perhaps better a plea for deliverance), possibly due failure of crops as the result of some natural calamity—perhaps drought. By this point in the psalm the writer has moved from critique to a trust in God. The psalmist’s confidence in God is demonstrated by the ability to lie down and go to sleep peacefully even in the face of difficulty. God is the source of the writer’s sense of security.

From the Psalm for April 14

“Many are saying, ‘Oh, that we might see better times!’ Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord. You have put gladness in my heart, more than when grain and wine and oil increase. I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; for only you, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” — Psalm 4:6–8

Commentary by Trinity Episcopal, NY

“The Psalm for this Sunday gets right to the point: “Many are saying, ‘Oh, that we might see better times!’”

“What a familiar refrain! In these complicated times, when division and disunity are rampant, this little phrase seems to be on everyone’s lips. From pulpits to pews, even people of faith decry our current situation — a world where conflict raises its head in every corner of our community and personal lives.

“In such a climate, it might be cold comfort to point out that the Psalmist was writing thousands of years ago, that the people who lived then carried the same concerns in their hearts as we do. They, too, looked at their world and saw only bad news. They, too, longed for better times.

“But for them, and for us, the Psalmist ultimately offers a word of hope. Asking for God’s face to shine upon God’s people, the ancient poet places ultimate trust in God’s providence and will. “You have put gladness in my heart, more than when grain and wine and oil increase,” they sing. In other words, the Psalmist claims their contentment and joy do not depend on external circumstances.

“In both seasons of want and seasons of overabundance, they know with whom they belong. They can rejoice even in a time of depletion. The poet “lies down in peace,” not because the world is a safe place, but because they “dwell” and rest in God. Their practice of hope is internally rooted, under the tenderness of God’s loving, light-filled gaze.

“Trusting in God from the inside out is not a call to ignore the brutalities or suffering around us. On the contrary, secure in God’s love, Christians are called to make the world more secure for everyone. In doing so, we reenact God’s posture of peace-bringing. We learn to create “better times,” not simply as a wish for ourselves and for those with whom we agree, but for all people.

“Because God has provided for us beyond our fears, we must build for others a world in which fear does not have the last say. In the quiet, steady confidence of our convictions — that God is indeed working out all things for our good — we provide witness to an indestructible hope, the kind of hope that does not bow itself to terror. This is Easter hope: a holy acceptance that even death cannot prevail.”

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By Lawrence Moore

"Jesus Christ and the Apostles" – George Roualt (1938)

Jesus has a very busy day on that first resurrection Sunday in Luke’s gospel! He rises, walks the seven miles to Emmaus with the two disciples, returns to Jerusalem, eats a meal with the other disciples, takes the group to Bethany and then ascends. This is concentrated drama!

It is not biography, but symbolic narrative. In Acts, Luke tells us that there was a period of 40 days between his resurrection and ascension. Here in the gospel, his concern is to make clear the significance of what is happening. By compressing everything into a single day, he is making the point that everything that happens is part of the unfolding drama of resurrection. Resurrection is a “new day” – not just chronologically, but qualitatively too. Although there will be many subsequent “days”, they, together with all of human history, take this event as their starting point. It is the dawn of a new creation. In it, the disciples meet their risen Master and learn the meaning and significance of all that has happened. The seismic tremors of resurrection are already beginning to spread from their epicentre in Jerusalem throughout the whole world.

The difference that resurrection makes

This week’s gospel passage has two striking parallels. The first is the one we noted last week, with John 20: 19-23, which, in all likelihood, John knew and was reflecting upon; the second is Luke’s second version of this incident in Acts 1: 3-8. The essence of Luke’s message is very simple: God has vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead, so that all that Jesus proclaimed and promised will come about; Jesus is alive – alive, and not a ghost; Jesus wants his disciples to continue his work in the power of the same Spirit that came upon him at his baptism and empowered his ministry.

The message of the resurrection is startling, amazing and exciting! This is the faith by which Luke’s community lives, and is a matter of ongoing, genuine rejoicing – holy glee in the best sense! That’s reflected in the way Luke tells the story, where he almost caricatures the disciples’ inability to grasp what has happened. Here are the disciples, gathered in a room, listening to the astounding story of their two companions, breathless from having hot-footed it straight back to Jerusalem from Emmaus. This is the second bunch of possible crazies from among their number: first the women, back from the tomb in the morning, and now two of their number from Emmaus in the evening. Perhaps they’re thinking, “It’s not safe to go outdoors! It must be grief – or is it something in the water? After all, everyone who steps outside the room starts seeing Jesus! Better to stay right here in this room, where it’s safe!”

At that moment, Jesus appears in their midst! And he says, “Peace be with you.” There’s something deliciously ironic here, isn’t there? After all, “peace” is probably the last thing Jesus’ entry and comment provokes! They’re hallucinating – seeing a ghost – and the ghost is saying, “Relax! It’s ok!” Then the ghost goes on: “Why are you frightened?” Is Jesus being serious? Wouldn’t you be? What a ridiculous question! Then another killer: “Why do doubts arise in your hearts?” Well, Jesus (or whoever you are), do you really expect us to just roll over and say, “Oh, it’s you! Good to see you back. Come sit down – we were just talking about you!” Can’t you hear Luke chuckling as he plays with his readers?

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1 The gospel readings for these first three weeks of the season focus on stories of the risen Jesus appearing to his followers; the next four weeks will explore Jesus’ teachings about intimacy with God. The implication of this order of readings is that the Easter season isn’t just about the astonishing “wow!” of Jesus’ rising; it’s also — and preeminently — about the equally astonishing invitation for human beings to rise into greater intimacy and life together with God.

2 As we saw last week, a recurring theme in the resurrection appearance stories is how early Christian communities struggle to perceive and believe. Jesus has come back, but only a few have eyes to see; even his disciples need help recognizing him. What’s more, Jesus not only seems to look different; he also vanishes into thin air (Luke 24:31) and walks through locked doors (John 20:19). Is he some kind of spirit or ghost? This week’s passage in Luke addresses this question directly.

3 “Touch me and see,” Jesus says, directly addressing fears and doubts that, rather than a resurrected Jesus, they were actually seeing a ghost: “for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39). Thus Luke frames Jesus’ act of showing his wounds as not only an act of demonstrating who he is (as in, “look, I’m the one you saw crucified”) but also an act of demonstrating his physicality (as in, “look, I’m a human being, not an ethereal spirit”).

4 Why was a physical resurrection important to early followers of Jesus? The Christmas witness is that God becomes flesh and dwells among us, clarifying that the physical world is indeed both “very good” (Genesis 1:31) and well-suited to being indwelt by divine presence and power. In this way, the physical Incarnation and the physical resurrection — Christmas and Easter — are bookends around the radiant good news that creation is profoundly, irradicably good. And second, the physicality of the resurrection underlines its astonishing, miraculous character, its sheer impossibility, and so strengthens its status as a decisive sign of the dawning of God’s realm (and of many more “impossibilities” to come).

Forward Movement is publishing a meditation everyday during Easter Tide. Access 50days here>

From their introduction – “Easter gives us 50 days to celebrate, 50 days to begin new habits so we can live an Easter life” – and celebrate!

“We get 50 whole days to celebrate the glory of Easter. And we need it. It’s not easy to grasp the mystery and majesty of what happened when Jesus walked out of the tomb on Easter morning.”

“On Good Friday, the powers of the world did their best to extinguish God’s perfect love. It looked like evil had won. But early on the morning of Easter, women found an empty tomb. They went and told others who were disciples of Jesus. The disciples saw that Jesus’s promises had come true.

“Before long, those followers of Jesus told others. And they told others. Soon thousands and thousands, and millions and millions, of people wanted to know the power of God’s transforming love in Jesus Christ. The Easter season invites us to remember that Easter changes everything, not only for Jesus but for us and for the whole universe.”

I.Theme –   Joining resurrection faith with experiences of community 

 "Incredulity of Thomas" –  Duccio, di Buoninsegna (1308-1311)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Acts 4:32-35
Psalm – Psalm 133 Page 787, BCP
Epistle –1 John 1:1-2:2
Gospel – John 20:19-31

Commentary by Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell:

As we enter into the season of Easter, we read from the Acts of the Apostles, remembering how the early Christians fared in the days after Jesus’ resurrection. We hear the beginnings of the early church, the house-meetings, the agape love feasts, the witnesses and martyrs, and all of the disciples of Jesus.

Acts 4:32-35 recalls the beginnings of the church as also described in 2:42-47, but the message is even stronger that in the early church, the believers held all things in common–there were no possessions. The community’s purpose was to give testimony and witness to Jesus’ resurrection, and they lived out the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. For centuries since, we the church have attempted to recreate this fellowship and have fallen short. Our desire for what others have limits our relationships and comes into conflict with the desire of Christ, that we be one body, one church family, and that there be none among us in need.

The psalmist sings in 133 about they wondrous joys of being together in community, of being part of God’s family. God’s blessing is life forever, a life that is in communion with all of our brothers and sisters. Indeed, our practice of God’s family on earth is preparing us for the heavenly home we hope for–a home in which we are in fellowship, in community, with all those who have gone before us, with our brothers and sisters.

John 20:19-31 tells the familiar story of Jesus appearing the disciples after his Resurrection, and how they did not believe until they had seen. And there is the story of “Doubting Thomas.” Thomas is not unlike his brothers, he just was not present when Jesus showed his scars the first time. Perhaps Thomas is like most of us–we want to believe, but there are some things beyond our comprehension, things that blow apart the very understanding of how our world works: Jesus continues to turn the tables on our thinking, even in the resurrection.

The lectionary follows much of 1 John in the season of Easter. In this first portion, we are reminded that Jesus is the Word and the Light, and that through Christ we have forgiveness. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, as Paul reminds us in Romans 8; however, we also need to recognize that we all sin. If we say we are without sin, we are lying to ourselves. To walk the Christian path, we have to give fully of ourselves, and that requires our honesty. We need to recognize that we are all sinners, that we still sin, and that through Christ we are forgiven. We need to constantly recognize our need to turn back to God, for God is the light of the world, and what is hidden in darkness will be revealed in the light.

Perhaps this Sunday could be called “Doubters Sunday.” Celebrate the doubts that you have, for doubting is part of the journey of faith. Recognize that at times the whole resurrection story is a bit hard to swallow. Honor the times you have doubted God’s existence when there is so much pain and suffering in the world. Accept that at times the Bible does not seem to make sense. But also recognize that you and me are still sinners. Honor the fact that we need another chance to turn back, to set our lives on right paths again. Accept that we need God, we need Christ in our lives, because if nothing else, Christ shows us the path to be our true selves, to be honest before God and the world. Stripped away of the easy answers given to us in Sunday School and the blind acceptance we may have been taught to hold onto, we are naked before God. We can fake it for others–either our religious sincerity, or our all-knowledgeable ego that says we don’t believe that anymore–but we cannot fake it before the Creator. And if God’s created image is in us, we cannot fake it before ourselves. Before God, everything is stripped away, our doubts and fears, our blind acceptance–we simply come before God as who we are. Christ knows who we are, knows that we have our faults and shortcomings, and continues to love and accept us as children of God.

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3 kinds of doubts on Easter 2

1. Fear that all is lost.
2. Suspicion that death still has dominion, that physical resurrection is impossible, that no one can die and rise again.
3. Mere resurrection isn’t enough, that only a wounded-and-risen savior is the genuine article

Key points

This is the second week of Eastertide (there are seven such weeks, poetically one more than the six weeks of Lent). This week and next are stories of the risen Jesus appearing to his followers, and the following four weeks will explore Jesus’ teachings about faith and intimacy with God.

A recurring theme in the resurrection appearance stories is how, from the very outset, Christian communities struggled to perceive and believe. For starters, the risen Jesus isn’t recognized at first. Mary Magdalene thinks he’s the local gardener, and later in John, the disciples don’t recognize him on the beach (John 20:15; 21:4). Likewise, as we’ll see next week, in Luke, two of Jesus’ followers have an extended conversation with him (and about him!) without realizing who he is (Luke 24:13-27). In this way, both John and Luke go out of their way to suggest that resurrection means something more mysterious than simple resuscitation: Jesus has risen, and at the same time he is somehow different. Part of what’s going on here is early Christian communities wrestling with the fact that great numbers of people didn’t notice Jesus’ return (as they did, for example, in the case of Lazarus’ resurrection (see John 12:9)). And part of it is an exploration of the idea that “resurrection” defies conventional categories. In any case, Jesus is back, but only a few have eyes to see that it’s really him; even his closest followers need help.

Thomas just forthrightly asks for what the others have already received, including the opportunity to inspect Jesus’ wounds. Thomas is no different than the rest of the disciples. On the contrary, he’s a representative icon for their doubts, and for their dependence on “signs and wonders” in order to believe.

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