Reflections on the Fourth Sunday of Easter
In our First Reading, Peter addresses the people and, at first glance, seems accusatory: “This Jesus whom you crucified.” As if to get their attention, Peter goes on to offer a fresh perspective and a new way. He challenges the people to recognize what had happened (Jesus crucified and resurrected). He challenges them to not stay the same, to be transformed and not guilty, and to take the step of seeing new horizons. Peter calls for repentance. Through this acknowledgement, the people can have access to a new mind and a new understanding. They/we can now share in Jesus’ death and resurrection and find the chance to be reborn into a new life and circumstance.
At our RCIA sessions, questions often center around who put Jesus to death. Jesus knew full well how this would end. Roman authority allowed the people to worship as they saw fit, but was ever mindful of sending a strong message to enforce their authority over their conquered land. The Jewish religious authority clearly wanted Jesus removed by any means possible. Remember the phrase, “Zeal for his father’s house consumes him,” as Jesus overturned the money changers’ tables and drove them out of the temple along with livestock necessary for sacrificial offerings. Remember that Jewish authorities made a lot of money promising the forgiveness of sin with the purchase of an animal and its blood sacrifice. Jesus, clearly sickened with the practice, did not discriminate. He drove all of them out, men and beasts. Picture a man alone driving out this throng physically from a temple. By his strength, they were removed physically and later spiritually, when he atoned, once and for all, the last bloodshed for sins. Not only was this a religious statement, but an economic one, as well.
Through Christ we are rescued from the corruption of wrong beliefs. Peter is interpreting for the people what has happened. In addition, Peter is causing new things to occur. He is connecting baptism with the spirit and promoting the idea that God’s promise extends to all people. Baptism declares a new identity. Sinners are forgiven. This forgiveness sets us free. This new freedom will clear the way for them (and us) to have the Holy Spirit at work in our everyday lives.
In our Second Reading, Peter addresses the people as to how to be Christ-like. Just as Jesus points the way to the Father, Peter now points the way to Jesus and tells us how we can be pleasing in God’s sight. He tells us to have patience, just as Jesus was patient. In doing so, we receive God’s grace. Jesus suffered for us, despite the fact that he was without sin or blame. The symbolism of the lost sheep is further revealed, for we have gone astray by not following the Shepherd. The people of the first century were intimately aware of the relationship that a shepherd had with his sheep. The sheep know the shepherd’s voice. Similarly, through patience of mind, we can know Jesus’ voice and come into communion with Christ.
Patience is a mature reaction to provocation, anger, threats, gossip, and insult. It is a tall order, one that I don’t always abide by as I should. We discuss this at our RCIA sessions with real life experiences and how we handled them. We generally conclude that we all fall short at times when attacked verbally or not treated with respect. We ponder how Jesus remained calm and patient. Being calm brings power to the situation. With patience, you can go about solving problems in a kind and rational way.There is glory in patience.
In our Gospel reading, Jesus explains to the people what God’s heart is like, as opposed to what human hearts are like. He knows there is division among the people around him. He knows that the people need to know what God is like. We can extrapolate that the crowd is questioning faith, questioning who Jesus is and whether or not he can be trusted. Jesus fashions a response that hits at the heart of what first century people would understand - that of the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep. It has been said that a shepherd knows each lamb, just as we know our loved ones. Our cherished mother, father, child, aunt, uncle, etc., have a personality all of their own. They know us and we know them. A first century shepherd is intimately aware that the sheep depend on him for safety. The sheep will surely die if they fall into the wrong hands. Jesus goes to great lengths to make the point that the shepherd is not a thief or a bandit. The “good” shepherd will enter the fold through the gate with soothing and calm (there’s that patience again!). The sheep are lead out of the fold by the shepherd. The sheep experience a whole new world of serenity. Witness the Responsorial Psalm 23:1-6:“The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose…”
Jesus then spoke about the thief or the bandit in order to close the gap. The sheep would scatter when the bandit entered the fold though the gate. There was confusion and mistrust. Jesus then drives the point home, “I am the door, I am the good shepherd, I am the way.” Jesus is the way in and out of the fold. Our pasture is life in Christ. The imagery does not confuse the first century listener. The gate and the shepherd are not separate but are viewed as one. The lesson is the current social system. People struggle for leadership. We tend to look at most leaders with suspicion. We yearn to trust. We feel abandoned and lost when our trust is not respected. Like the sheep, we are better together in a community of believers. Jesus promises us abundant pasture in the knowledge of God. Honest, open, unconditionally loving, and simply comforting, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is the Gate.
In his ministry, Jesus continually pointed the way to the Father. He always spoke in terms of what the Father (God) is like. Interestingly, the many descriptions possess both masculine and feminine attributes. We see God as a father running toward his wayward son and asa woman searching her house for a coin. We see God in Jesus allowing an entire bottle of perfume to be emptied on him andspeaking with a Samaritan women drawing water from a well. We encounter God in Jesus weeping one minute for his friend who has died and then ordering the stone to be removed, yelling “Lazarus come out - untie him”.
We, in turn,can possess the character of Chris and God-like unconditional love through the Holy Spirit working in our lives. When we experience the many faces of adversity, we can follow the example of St. Mother Teresa. When asked why she cared for these dying people, she responded, “I see Jesus in all of his distressing disguises.”
Through faith, we can be bold and point out Jesus to others. We can claim him as our Good Shepherd.
~ Kevin Gaffney, RCIA Instructor