Commentary
Sunday, 5/12/2019, Fourth Sunday of Easter
Headed in the Right Direction
First Reading Commentary: Acts 13:14, 43-52
Paul and Barnabas traveled to Antioch and urged the people to remain faithful to the grace of God. Crowds of people followed them and the Jews became jealous. Paul and Barnabas told the Jews that it was necessary that they speak the word of God to them first.
Why was it necessary for Paul and Barnabas to speak to the Jews first? I believe that there were several reasons and I will mention four. First, Jesus was a Jew, lived His life as a Jew and professed His faith as a Jew. No doubt, this was all because the Jews were God’s chosen people who Moses led to the promised land of Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas were also Jews and like anyone else, they wanted their own people to be among the first to accept the Word.
Second, Jesus never told the Jews to abandon anything in Scripture or to not live by the Law. To the contrary, Jesus wanted the Jews to recognize Him as the Messiah who was promised in the Scripture. Paul and Barnabas also wanted the Jews to recognize who Jesus was.
Third, remember that Paul was very zealous in persecuting the followers of Christ who were known as followers of the Way. Paul wanted the Jews to understand his conversion—why he made it and especially the incidents surrounding his conversion. One would think that the Jews would have thought that maybe they should reconsider their disbelief about Jesus being the Risen Christ knowing how zealous and devout to his faith, Paul was.
But since the Jews would not believe, Paul and Barnabas turned their attention to the Gentiles citing what the Lord had commanded them, “I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.”
The Gentiles were delighted. Once again, we see that even though we might expect those who are closest to us to listen to us, they are usually the last people on earth to believe a word that we say. But those who we may not expect to listen to us pay the closest attention.
Paul and Barnabas were rejected just as Jesus was rejected in Nazareth and that brings about reason number four for having to go to the Jews first. For Paul, I believe that it was necessary that he experience that rejection as a way of gaining strength as he moved forward.
Why? Because it brought Paul closer to Jesus and made him more like Jesus by feeling what Jesus felt. If they could reject Jesus and He was/is the Christ; they could reject Paul but because of his zeal and faith, he was not caving in. This was also true for Barnabas but more so for Paul because of his zealous acts of persecution prior to his conversion.
What the Jews did reminds me of Eve in the garden with the serpent. They incited the women of prominence and the leading men of the city and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas.
The word “incited” is an interesting word here. It means that the Jews influenced or persuaded the prominent women and leading men and then instigated them into stirring up the persecution against Paul and Barnabas.
Is that not what the serpent did to Eve? He persuaded her to commit the sin and instigated her into persuading Adam to do the same. That is why the Jews would not believe—the evil one was in their heads.
Sometimes, we have to stop and think about some of the positions that we take. Sometimes, we rationalize a stand that is wrong but refuse to hear anything to the contrary because we are being influenced in the same way that Eve was in the garden and the Jews were with Paul and Barnabas. I could give examples but I don’t want to go off on that tangent in this commentary. Just think about it.
The Jews expelled Paul and Barnabas from their territory. So, Paul and Barnabas shook the dust from their feet in protest. They went to Iconium and the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Remember that Jesus had told the disciples that when they entered a house and offered their peace, if that peace was not returned, shake the dust off their sandals and leave. So, Paul and Barnabas were doing as Jesus said. Shaking the dust off their feet was the equivalent of saying, “I’m not wasting my time with you.”
The loss of the Jews was the gain of the Gentiles and the Gentiles knew it. But more importantly, they listened to the Word, understood it, believed and became followers of the Way.
Together with Barnabas, Paul began his ministry and found; himself on the receiving end of the persecution brought against the followers of the Way. He felt the jealousy of the Jews but he was unmoved. Paul had been put on a mission from God and he was committed to carrying that mission out.
Part of the reason why this mission was given to Paul and Barnabas was because God knew what was in the hearts of the Jews and that the Jews were not going to listen. How much do we listen to the Word? How much do we understand it and how much do we believe?
Show me someone who is always miserable and I will show you someone who is in disbelief even if they are a regular church goer. We see over and over again, where those who are believers and those who are converted and become believers are filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Oh, they might have their bad days but everybody does. But believers are not miserable all of the time. God gives them every reason that they need not to be miserable. No matter what their trouble may be, you will find a smile in them and joy in their heart.
This is also true today. We have all met people who have a heavy cross to carry in life but always have a smile on their face and always praise God. These people understand that what is of this world is not important. Being blessed by the grace of God and looking forward to the eternal happiness of heaven is the only thing that matters. Like the Gentiles that followed Paul and Barnabas, they are headed in the right direction.
No Tears Just Life—Giving Water
Second Reading Commentary: Revelation 7:9, 14b-17
The promise contained within today’s reading from the book of Revelation is the reason why I submit that the book of Revelation is the most beautiful book in the bible.
In this part of his vision, John saw too many people to count from every nation and race. But they are not merely people who happen to come from different parts of the world. Among them are the descendants of Abraham. Remember that more than once, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be more plentiful than the stars.
Consider these questions: Who are the descendants of Abraham and what do we know about them? Abraham’s descendants are anyone and everyone who is a believer in God whether they be Jew or Gentile—Non-Jew. They include people from every nation and every race just as God promised.
John says, “They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” This tells us that they are disciples, of Christ who believed in Him and were among His followers as He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Did I just disqualify anyone who was not in Jerusalem that day holding a palm branch and crying out, “Hosanna?” Absolutely not! Ask yourself, “Would I have been among those disciples that day?” If your answer is, “Yes,” you are among those who stand before the throne of the Lamb in John’s vision.
The elders said to John, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” In other words, these people are the people who gave their lives for the sake of their faith—they are the martyrs of the Church.
The martyrs are among the people that Jesus spoke of when He gave us the Beatitudes and said, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.”
But the ones who have made their robes clean with the blood of the Lamb include more than martyrs. They are also the ones who have been baptized and repented for their sins. When we are baptized, we are given a white garment as a symbol of our being washed clean of original sin and when we make a good confession; we are washed clean of the sins that we commit.
John’s vision promises that the people in the Kingdom of heaven will stand before God’s throne and they will be protected and taken care of in every way. God will wipe away their tears and the Lamb who sits at the center of the throne, will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water.
Some people are uncomfortable with the Book of Revelation because of some of the imagery. They say that it frightens them. I say that if you focus on the promise of God wiping away our tears and the Lamb leading us to springs of life-giving water, Revelation is the most beautiful book in the bible.
No One Can Take Us Out of God’s Hand
Gospel Commentary: John 10:27-30
Jesus tells us that He knows His sheep, they follow Him and that He gives them eternal life. No matter what our problems are, no matter how difficult our struggles may be, as long as we keep our faith in Jesus, He will take care of us. We may not feel His protection if we keep our attention on that which is physical. But if we focus on Him, listen to His voice and follow Him, we will enter the Kingdom.
Jesus talking about His sheep says, “No one can take them out of my hand…My Father, who has given them to me…no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
You might ask if that is true, why is it that some people will perish in hell? Well, that wonderful gift of a free will, which allows us to make decisions, sometimes gets us into trouble. Sometimes we make bad decisions which lead us into sin and when we do that, we stop following our Shepherd. We are not taken away from God. Rather, we submit ourselves to being captured and devoured by the devil or one of his predators. Sadly, that submission is a deliberate choice.
The good news is that Jesus our Shepherd will stop at nothing to save His sheep. That is why Jesus gave us the sacrament of Confession. You see, the devil cannot snatch us away from Jesus. If we fall into sin, it is because we choose to do so. But Jesus can and does snatch us away from the devil through Confession. Catholics and Non-Catholics alike; take note—we should take advantage of the Sacrament of Confession. But even if we do not go to Confession, Jesus can and will snatch us away from the devil if it is in our hearts to be with Him in heaven.
