24 Jackson Kemper, First Missionary Bishop in the United States, 1870
25 Bede, the Venerable, Priest, and Monk of Jarrow, 735
26 Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury, 605 was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church.[3]
27 Bertha and Ethelbert, Queen and King of Kent, 616 she was the queen of Kent whose influence led to the Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England. She was canonized as a saint for her role in its establishment during that period of English history.
28 John Calvin, Theologian, 1564
30 Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc), Mystic and Soldier, 1431
31 The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary



FIRST READING: Acts 1: 6 - 14 (RCL)
                            Acts 1: 12 - 14 (Roman Catholic)

Acts 1:1 (NRSV) In the first book, Theoph'ilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2 until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Ol'ivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphae'us, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.


Ezekiel 36: 24 - 28 (alt. for C of E)

Ezek 36:24 (NRSV) I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. 28 Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.


PSALM 68: 1 - 10, 32 - 35   (RCL)

Psal 68:1 (NRSV) Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
let the wicked perish before God.
3 But let the righteous be joyful;
let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with joy.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds --
his name is the LORD--
be exultant before him.
5 Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6 God gives the desolate a home to live in;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.
7 O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness, [Se'lah]
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord, [Se'lah]
33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God in his sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!


68   Exsurgat Deus   (ECUSA BCP)

1  Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; *
  let those who hate him flee before him.

2  Let them vanish like smoke when the wind drives it away; *
  as the wax melts at the fire, so let the wicked perish at
the presence of God.

3  But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; *
  let them also be merry and joyful.

4  Sing to God, sing praises to his Name;
exalt him who rides upon the heavens; *
  Yahweh is his Name, rejoice before him!

5  Father of orphans, defender of widows, *
  God in his holy habitation!

6  God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners
into freedom; *
  but the rebels shall live in dry places.

7  O God, when you went forth before your people, *
  when you marched through the wilderness,

8  The earth shook, and the skies poured down rain,
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, *
  at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

9  You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; *
  you refreshed the land when it was weary.

10  Your people found their home in it; *
  in your goodness, O God, you have made provision
for the poor.


33  Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; *
  sing praises to the Lord.

34  He rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; *
  he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.

35  Ascribe power to God; *
  his majesty is over Israel;
  his strength is in the skies.

36  How wonderful is God in his holy places! *
  the God of Israel giving strength and power to his people!
  Blessed be God!


Psalm 27: 1, 4, 7 - 8 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 27:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

4 One thing I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD,
and to inquire in his temple.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, do I seek.



SECOND READING: 1 Peter 4: 12 - 14, 5: 6 - 11 (RCL)
                                      1 Peter 4: 13 - 16 (Roman Catholic)

1Pet 4:12 (NRSV) Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief maker. 16 Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name.

5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 8 Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

In the final verses of the letter, the author exhorts his readers (who are being persecuted at least to the extent of being made to feel inferior) to accept their “ordeal” as something to be expected and as testing their mettle. Christ is not just an example of suffering-for-doing-good; they are to rejoice that in suffering they actually share in his sufferings. This is preparation for union with him when he comes again (“when his glory is revealed”, 4:13). They are indeed fortunate (“blessed”, 4:14) that the Spirit, the source of oneness with God (“glory”) is with them. For a Christian, to suffer for doing good is not a “disgrace” ( 4:16). Their suffering is in fact the start of end-time judgement. How much worse off will be those who do not “obey” ( 4:17) Christ’s message! So entrust yourselves to God.

In the conclusion, the author addresses fellow “elders” ( 5:1) as one who shares in the certain hope of Christ’s return. He exhorts the leaders to:

care for the faithful,
oversee them in doctrine and discipline,
treat them as equals, and
be examples to them.
All the faithful must make effort to “humble yourselves” ( 5:6) before God, who is always the great deliverer and to whom you owe obedience (“mighty hand”), so that in God’s time (“due time”) you will be brought into full union with him. Trust in God ( 5:7). Remain “alert” ( 5:8) for evil is always trying to divert you from God’s ways! Others also suffer as you do ( 5:9b). Your suffering will be brief; then God who has called you to eternal life will give you strength and the status due to you (“establish”, 5:10).
4:12: “fiery ordeal”: As in 1:6-7. This may be meant literally, but it is more likely to be an allusion to the book of Daniel. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

4:13: See also Acts 5:41; Romans 8:17 (“... we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”); 2 Timothy 2:12; James 1:2. [ NOAB]

4:13: “you are sharing Christ’s sufferings”: In 2:21, they are urged to follow Christ’s example. See also 2 Corinthians 1:5; Philippians 3:10; Colossians 1:24. [ NJBC] [ CAB]

4:14: See also 2:20; 3:14; Isaiah 11:2 (in the Septuagint translation, but with a variant). [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

4:14: “the Spirit of God”: See also Numbers 11:25; Mark 13:11 (“... do not worry beforehand about what you are to say ...”); Matthew 10:20; Luke 12:11-12.

4:15: “mischief maker”: One who meddles in another’s business. See also Acts 16:20-21. [ NJBC]

4:16: Paul says in Philippians 1:20: “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death”.

4:16: “suffers as a Christian”: The same situation as in 2:15; 3:16; 4:4. [ NJBC]

4:16: “Christian”: Acts 11:26 says: “... it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians.’” The Latin word means partisan of Christ. Perhaps it was originally a term of reproach. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

4:17: In Malachi 3:1-5, God’s judgement will definitely begin with the Israelites (who have failed to follow his ways). It is also possible to interpret Jeremiah 25:29, Ezekiel 9:6, Isaiah 10:12 and Zechariah 13:7-9 in this way; however other interpretations are possible. Mark 13:8-13 says that the persecution of Christians will be the beginning of the process leading to the end-times. 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 says that both Christians and others will be judged, but that the effect of the judgement of Christians will be to discipline them, while that of others will be condemnation. [ NJBC]

Whether the godly are judged is a matter of interpretation. Ancient interpreters were divided on the question. For some, judgment is universal, with the godly being vindicated and the wicked damned. For others, only the wicked needed judgement, as the godly are already vindicated

4:17: “what will be the end ...”: See also 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10. [ NJBC]

4:18: The quotation is Proverbs 11:31 in the Septuagint translation. [ NJBC]

4:19: See also 2:20. This is the only place in the New Testament where the word “Creator” occurs. [ NOAB]

5:1: “elder”: In 1:1, the author refers to himself as “an apostle”. [ NJBC]

5:1: “witness”: The Greek word does not imply that the author was an eye-witness. [ NJBC]

5:2-4: A picture of the ideal pastor. See also John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11. [ NJBC]

5:2: “not for sordid gain”: Paul was paid for his services at times; other pastors probably were too. See also Acts 20:33-34; 1 Corinthians 9:7-14; 2 Corinthians 12:13-18; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; Matthew 10:9-10. Other warnings against greed are found in Titus 1:7; 2:5. [ NJBC]

5:4: “the chief shepherd ...”: See also 2:25. This verse echoes the language of Isaiah 53:1-12 (part of the fourth Servant Song). [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

5:4: “the crown of glory”: See also Jeremiah 13:18; 1QS (*Qumran Rule of the Community) 4:7; 1QH (Qumran Hymns) 17:25 ( Vermes: 9:25).

5:5: “clothe yourselves”: Literally tie about you, as a slave tied on an apron for menial work. So it takes effort! [ NJBC]

5:5: The quotation is Proverbs 3:34 (in the Septuagint translation). It is also quoted in James 4:6-10.

5:6: “the mighty hand of God”: For use of this phrase with reference to God’s great acts of deliverance, see Exodus 3:19; 6:1l; Deuteronomy 9:26. For it referring to the obedience he expects, see Job 30:21; Psalm 32:4; Ezekiel 20:34-35. [ NJBC]

5:7: This verse is Psalm 55:22 (in the Septuagint translation) with an echo of Wisdom of Solomon 12:13. See also Matthew 6:25-34 (“‘do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink ... ‘”). [ NJBC]

5:8: “keep alert”: See also 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; Matthew 24:42; Luke 21:34-36; Romans 13:11-12. [ NJBC]

5:8: “a roaring lion”: Psalm 22:12-13 says “Many bulls encircle me, ... they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion”. [ NJBC]

5:8: “your adversary the devil”: This adversary is as in a lawsuit, so this points to the Day of Judgement. For Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness, see Matthew 4:1-11.

5:8: “the devil”: In the Septuagint, the Greek word diabolos, devil, is used to translate the Hebrew word satan, literally accuser – as it is translated in Job 1-2. The word was later applied to the leader of the fallen angels. [ NJBC]

5:9: “him”: i.e. the devil. See also Ephesians 6:11-18. [ NOAB]

5:10: “... suffered ... grace ... called ... glory”: This verse sums up some of the chief elements of the letter. [ NJBC]

5:10: “God of all grace”: This is the “God of all consolation” of 2 Corinthians 1:3. According to 4:10, “grace” is in part the ability to serve one another in the Church. [ NJBC]

5:10: “who has called you”: See also 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 5:24.

5:11: A doxology to the Father.


GOSPEL: John 17: 1 - 11 (all)

John 17:1 (NRSV) After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
6 "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

Jesus has just ended his instructions to his disciples; he has concluded with “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” Now he prays to the Father. He summarizes the significance of his life. The time appointed by God for his departure (crucifixion, resurrection and ascension) has come. Glory can be defined as divine heavenly splendour where heaven is the state of ultimate good and love existing outside of time. In v. 1, the Father giving this splendour to the Son adds to the Father’s splendour because of the “authority” (v. 2) given to the Son over humans, especially “to give eternal life” to us. V. 3 explains that “eternal life” is knowing the Father and the Son intimately. Vv. 4-5 state how the Son adds to the splendour of the Father (by completing his assigned task) and how the Father adds to the Son’s splendour: by restoring him to the Father’s “presence”, to heaven – a state he enjoyed before God’s creative act. V. 6 expands on “the work” (v. 4) the Son has done: to make the Father’s character and person (“name”, v. 6) known to those chosen by the Father. These elect are the mutual possession of Father and Son; these have been faithful to God’s “word”, his command. Vv. 7-8 expand on keeping the Father’s word: the disciples know that:

the Father is the source of all that the Son has been given;
Jesus is from (out of) the Father; and
the Father sent him into the world.
Looking forward to the time after his departure, Jesus asks the Father to “protect” (v. 11) the disciples from evil influences in the alien “world”, that they may have a unity modelled on that of the Father and the Son.

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam


This prayer of Jesus for his followers and those who will believe in him through them is a fitting culmination to Jesus’ ministry, and leads on to the cross.

Verses 1-26: This is Jesus’ high priestly prayer. It falls naturally into three parts:

Vv. 1-5: Jesus’ prayer for himself
Vv. 6-19: His prayer for his disciples, left in the world after his ascension, and
Vv. 20-26: His prayer for the Church universal. [ NOAB]
There are parallels to the Lord's Prayer. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “looked up to heaven”: Presumably standing – the conventional Jewish attitude of prayer. See also 11:41; Luke 9:16; 18:13; Mark 6:41; 7:34; Matthew 14:19; 1 Enoch 13:5.

Verse 2: “you have given him authority”: To judge, lay down and take up his life. See also 5:27; 10:18; 19:10-11 (Jesus before Pilate); 3:27, 35.

Verse 4: “by finishing the work”: See also 4:34; 5:36; 19:28, 30.

Verse 4: “that you gave me to do”: See also 10:25.

Verse 5: “before the world existed”: See also 1:1ff; 8:58; 17:24.

Verse 6: “I have made your name known”: The Greek verb ephanerosa is used of the manifestation of Jesus, or of his glory, or of God’s works, in 1:31; 2:11; 9:3; 21:1, 14. Here it is to those given to Jesus by the Father that Jesus, by his words and deeds, makes known God’s “name”, i.e. his character and person. [ BlkJn]

Verse 7: “‘everything you have given me’”: i.e. the entire ministry of Jesus with all that this involves. [ BlkJn]

Verse 8: “‘for the words ...’”: Jesus’ words are the Father’s words: 3:34 says “He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure”. See also 7:16; 12:49-50; 14:10, 24. [ BlkJn]

Verse 8: “they ... know in truth that I came from you”: See also 16:27. In context, Jesus does not merely mean that he is Messiah, far less that he is a superman, one of the divine heroes of the ancient world, but that his claims to pre-existence (see v. 5) are justified. [ BlkJn]

Verse 9: “‘I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me’”: Others are not capable, unless they come to faith in Jesus (see v. 20), of sharing in what the Father gives. [ BlkJn]

Verses 11-12: 13:1 tells us that Jesus’ departure is imminent: “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father ...”. On the disciples being left exposed to the hostility of the world, in 15:18 Jesus says “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you”. See also 17:14 and 16:1-5a (for an alternative presentation of the ideas). [ BlkJn]

Verse 11: The unity of believers is modelled on the shared purpose and character of the Father and the Son, who are in complete unity. [ BlkJn]

Verse 12: “‘the scripture’”: That “scripture” is in the singular implies that John has a particular passage in mind. It may be Psalm 41:9 (“Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.”), which Jesus quotes in 13:18. [ BlkJn]

Verse 12: “the one destined to be lost”: This phrase is also found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3; there it refers to the Antichrist. [ BlkJn]

Verse 14: “‘word’”: See also 1:1-19: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...”.

Verse 17: “your word is truth”: God’s “word” (Greek: logos) is the means of sanctification. The Father’s “word” is characterized as the revelation of ultimate reality. 1:14 says that the incarnate “Word”, Jesus, is “full of grace and truth”. The “truth” sets free those who persevere in Jesus’ word: see 8:31-36. [ BlkJn]

Verse 18: In 20:21, in his appearance to the disciples, Jesus tells them: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. [ BlkJn]

Verse 19: “‘sanctify myself’”: In the Septuagint translation, the Greek verb agiadzo (“sanctify”) is used both for the setting apart for God (in Exodus 3:2 and Deuteronomy 15:19) and for the consecration of people to God’s service (in Jeremiah 1:5, of a prophet, and in Exodus 28:41, of priests). Christ’s perfect self-offering is the means by which the disciples whom he is sending into the world are dedicated in obedience to God. [ BlkJn]

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

17 William Hobart Hare, Bishop of Niobrara, and of South Dakota, 1909
19 Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988 was an English bishop. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint.[3] His work restored monastic life in England and reformed the English Church. His 11th-century biographer Osbern, himself an artist and scribe, states that Dunstan was skilled in "making a picture and forming letters"
20 Alcuin, Deacon, and Abbot of Tours, 804  also called Ealhwine, Alhwin or Alchoin – was an English scholar, clergyman, poet and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Archbishop Ecgbert at York. At the invitation of Charlemagne, he became a leading scholar and teacher at the Carolingian court, where he remained a figure in the 780s and '90s. During this period he perfected Carolingian minuscule, an easily read manuscript hand using a mixture of upper and lower case letters
21 John Eliot, Missionary among the Algonquin, 1690
23 Nicolaus Copernicus, 1543, and Johannes Kepler, 1630, Astronomers
24 Jackson Kemper, First Missionary Bishop in the United States, 1870
25 Bede, the Venerable, Priest, and Monk of Jarrow, 735  was an English Benedictine monk at the monastery of St. Peter and its companion monastery of St. Paul in the Kingdom of Northumbria of the Angles (contemporarily Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey in Tyne and Wear, England).
Born on lands belonging to the twin monastery of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow in present-day Tyne and Wear, Bede was sent to Monkwearmouth at the age of seven and later joined Abbot Ceolfrith at Jarrow, both of whom survived a plague that struck in 686, an outbreak that killed a majority of the population there. While he spent most of his life in the monastery, Bede travelled to several abbeys and monasteries across the British Isles, even visiting the archbishop of York and King Ceolwulf of Northumbria.
He is well known as an author, teacher (a student of one of his pupils was Alcuin), and scholar, and his most famous work, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, gained him the title "The Father of English History". His ecumenical writings were extensive and included a number of Biblical commentaries and other theological works of exegetical erudition.


.
FIRST READING: Acts 17: 22 - 31   (RCL)

Acts 17:22 (NRSV) Then Paul stood in front of the Areop'agus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. 23 For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, "To an unknown god." What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. 26 From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him--though indeed he is not far from each one of us. 28 For "In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said,
"For we too are his offspring."
29 Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. 30 While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."


Acts 8: 5 - 8, 14 - 17   (Roman Catholic)

Acts 8:5 (NRSV) Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. 6 The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, 7 for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.


Genesis 8: 20 - 9: 17   (alt. for C of E)

Gene 8:20 (NRSV) Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.
22 As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night,
shall not cease." 9:1 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 For your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for human life.
6 Whoever sheds the blood of a human,
by a human shall that person's blood be shed;
for in his own image
God made humankind.
7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, abound on the earth and multiply in it."
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." 12 God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." 17 God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."


PSALM 66: 8 - 20   (RCL)
Psalm 66: 1 - 7, 16, 20   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 66:1 (NRSV) Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise.
3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you;
they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name." [Se'lah]
5 Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations--
let the rebellious not exalt themselves. [Se'lah]
8 Bless our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept us among the living,
and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net;
you laid burdens on our backs;
12 you let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay you my vows,
14 those that my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. [Se'lah]
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.
17 I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me.


66   Jubilate Deo    (ECUSA BCP)

7  Bless our God, you peoples; *
  make the voice of his praise to be heard;

8  Who holds our souls in life, *
  and will not allow our feet to slip.

9  For you, O God, have proved us; *
  you have tried us just as silver is tried.

10  You brought us into the snare; *
  you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.

11  You let enemies ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water; *
  but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.


12  I will enter your house with burnt-offerings
and will pay you my vows, *
  which I promised with my lips
  and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble.

13  I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts
with the smoke of rams; *
  I will give you oxen and goats.

14  Come and listen, all you who fear God, *
  and I will tell you what he has done for me.
15  I called out to him with my mouth, *
  and his praise was on my tongue.

16  If I had found evil in my heart, *
  the Lord would not have heard me;

17  But in truth God has heard me; *
  he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

18  Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, *
  nor withheld his love from me.


SECOND READING: 1 Peter 3: 13 - 22   (RCL)
                                      1 Peter 3: 15 - 18   (Roman Catholic)

1Pet 3:13 (NRSV)  Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you--not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

The author has noted the persecution being endured by his readers; now he treats the topic explicitly. Who will weaken you in your faith or cause you to lose it? (v. 13) As v. 16 (“when you are maligned”) shows “if” (v. 14) is an understatement: when is meant. Suffering for good conduct puts you in a happy and fortunate (“blessed”) state with God. Reverence for God should transcend all fears. Be prepared to defend your commitment to Christ, and your faith (“hope”, v. 15) in him, to anyone who asks. Continue to live ethical, godly lives (“keep your conscience clear”, v. 16) so that your persecutors may be shamed (and desist from harrowing you). It is morally “better” (v. 17) to suffer for doing God’s will.

Christ, “the righteous” (v. 18), is your example of suffering; he brings you to God. He really died (“in the flesh”), but he overcame death. Even the condemnation carried out in the Flood is overcome by the power of the gospel, for Jesus proclaimed it (while dead) to the wayward dead (“spirits in prison ... who did not obey”, vv. 19-20), so that their fate might be reversed. (See also 4:6.) The saving of Noah and his family (“eight persons”, v. 20) “through water”is the forerunner of baptism. It saves not by ritual cleansing (“removal of dirt”, v. 21) but rather by putting you in a state to be found worthy at the Last Day (“appeal”), sharing as we do in Christ’s death and resurrection. Christ is now in heaven, where heavenly powers (“angels ...”, v. 22) are subject to him.

emies your footstool’’”. See also Romans 8:34; Hebrews 8:1. This phrase reflects the ancient Near East (especially Egyptian) custom of depicting the king seated at the right hand of god, thus denoting his divinity as god’s viceregent to whom all authority and power are entrusted. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 22: “with angels ...”: Christians, with Christ, share victory over hostile spirits, over all who represent disobedience, rebellion and persecution. “Authorities” and “powers” are also heavenly beings. See also Philippians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 15:24, 27; Ephesians 1:21; Colossians 2:10, 15. [ NJBC]




GOSPEL: John 14: 15 - 21   (RCL, Roman Catholic)

John 14:15 (NRSV) "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."

Jesus continues to prepare his disciples for his departure. He has given them a special commandment: to “love one another” just as he has loved them ( 13:34). Love requires obedience and (v. 21) those who love him are those who obey. Keeping Jesus’ commandments makes possible the continuance of their relationship with him – but how? The Father will send them “another” (v. 16) representative of God, also in God, as their “Advocate” or champion: one who will support, help and intercede for them. This is the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth” (v. 17), of faith, of revealed doctrine. He is neither perceivable nor knowable by unbelievers, so they have no access to him. But “you” both recognize (“know”) him, because he will be within you and will remain (abide ) in you. Jesus will come to you in the Spirit (v. 18). After Jesus’ death, unbelievers will not perceive him, but you will; because he lives (in a special way), so will you (v. 19). When he returns at the end of this era (v. 20), you will recognize that you have been taken into intimate association with both the Father and the Son. But (v. 21) this will only be so for followers who have divine love and show it by obeying me. Only to them will Jesus, the risen Christ, appear.

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

Although Jesus will be gone from them in ordinary terms, his and the Father’s continuing presence will be with them through “the Spirit of truth” (the “Advocate”, one who comes alongside to help and to counsel), and through his disclosure of himself to the community, where he and the Father will “make our home” (v. 23).

Verse 16: “Advocate”: The Greek word is Parakletos, which BlkJn translates as Champion. The Greek word is derived from a verb meaning call to one’s side. The Latin word advocatus has the same meaning, but there is a distinction to be made between the Greek and Roman judicial systems. In a Roman court, an advocatus pleaded a person’s case for him, but a Greek parakletos did not: in the Greek system, a person had to plead his own case, but he brought along his friends as parakletoi to influence the court by their moral support and testimony to his value as a citizen. BlkJn argues that the sense in John is of giving help – as is usually the sense in the New Testament, e.g. encourage, comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:4 and exhort in Romans 12:1. A Champion is one who supports by his presence and his words.

Verse 16: “another”: The Greek word is allos, meaning another example of the same kind, as contrasted with eteros, an example of another kind. The Champion is, like Christ, “another” representative of God and, again like Christ, given or sent by God. But he has a distinctive function as champion, as helper and intercessor, which John does not ascribe to Christ. Thus the Church is set on the way to formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity. (Christ as intercessor is found in 1 John.)

Verses 18-20: The Holy Spirit imparts Christ’s life (see also Acts 2:33) and unites believers to God. [ NOAB]

Verse 18: For the start of this theme, see v. 3.

Verse 20: “I am in my Father ...”: See also 17:21-23: “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ...”. It is helpful to insert a few words, as the NRSV does (although they are not in the text): “you are in me, and I am in you”. The divine society has been introduced in v. 10.

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

10 Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Prophetic Witness, 1760 was a German religious and social reformer, bishop of the Moravian Church, founder of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, Christian mission pioneer and a major figure of 18th century Protestantism.
13 Frances Perkins, Public Servant and Prophetic Witness, 1965
16 Martyrs of Sudan Christianity has a long history in the region that is now Sudan and South Sudan. Ancient Nubia was reached by Coptic Christianity by the 2nd century. The Coptic Church was later influenced by Greek Christianity, particularly during the Byzantine era. From the 7th century, the Christian Nubian kingdoms were threatened by the Islamic expansion, but the southernmost of these kingdoms, Alodia, survived until 1504.
17 William Hobart Hare, Bishop of Niobrara, and of South Dakota, 1909


FIRST READING: Acts 7: 55-60   (RCL)

Acts 7:55 (NRSV) But filled with the Holy Spirit, he [Stephen] gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" 57 But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died.


Acts 6: 1 - 7   (Roman Catholic)

Acts 6:1 (NRSV) Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. 2 And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, 4 while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word." 5 What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Proch'orus, Nica'nor, Ti'mon, Par'menas, and Nicola'us, a proselyte of An'tioch. 6 They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.


Genesis 8: 1 - 19   (alt. for C of E)

Gene 8:1 (NRSV) But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the domestic animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided; 2 the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters gradually receded from the earth. At the end of one hundred fifty days the waters had abated; 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ar'arat. 5 The waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.
6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; 9 but the dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; 11 and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.
13 In the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was drying. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh--birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth--so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." 18 So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. 19 And every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the ark by families.


PSALM 31: 1 - 5, 15 - 16   (RCL)

Psal 31:1 (NRSV) In you, O LORD, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name's sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
6You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.

15 My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.


31   In te, Domine, speravi    (ECUSA BCP)

1  In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame; *
  deliver me in your righteousness.

2  Incline your ear to me; *
  make haste to deliver me.

3  Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold; *
  for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.

4  Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me, *
  for you are my tower of strength.

5  Into your hands I commend my spirit, *
  for you have redeemed me,
  O Lord, O God of truth.
 

15  My times are in your hand; *
  rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
  and from those who persecute me.

16  Make your face to shine upon your servant, *
  and in your loving-kindness save me.”



Psalm 33: 1 - 2, 4 - 5, 18 - 19, R. v. 22 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 33:1 (NRSV) Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
2 Praise the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.

4 For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.


NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Peter 2: 2 - 10   (RCL)
                                    1 Peter 2: 4 - 9   (Roman Catholic)

1Pet 2:1 (NRSV) 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture:
"See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,
"The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very head of the corner,"
8 and
"A stone that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall."
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God's people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.

It seems that the first readers were recent converts to the faith, “newborn infants”. If they have had a genuine conversion experience (“tasted ...”, v. 3), may they enjoy God’s nourishment (“spiritual milk”, v. 2) as an aid to growing into the salvation Christ brought us. In vv. 4-5, the author uses two metaphors for believers:

as living stones making up God’s building, “spiritual house”, and
as a “priesthood” dedicated to God (“holy”) presenting lives of faith and love (“sacrifices”) to him on behalf of all humans.
Christ is the “living stone”, the cornerstone, the foundation of the building, the Church.

The author then shows that Psalms, Isaiah and Hosea foretell this building image of Christ, Christians and the Church (vv. 6-8). In v. 7, Christ is the “stone”; he is rejected by the community’s pagan persecutors but to us he is of great value (“precious”). Their rejection was ordained by God before time (“as they were destined ...”, v. 8). In v. 9, the terms used of Christians are all from the Old Testament – where they refer to Israel. The Church, the new Israel, is “chosen” by God to proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection (“mighty acts [of God]”); it is God who chose the new Christians for conversion from paganism, “out of darkness into ... light”. In baptism, they have come from having no relationship to God (“not a people”, v. 10) to being “God’s people”, to receiving God’s gift of “mercy”.

Verse 1: “Rid”: The Greek word, apotithemi, is a technical term connected with baptism. See also Romans 13:12 (“lay aside”); Ephesians 4:22 (“put away”), 25; Colossians 3:8; James 1:21. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “newborn infants”: In 1:3, the author writes “By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” and in 1:23 “You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God”. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “pure”: i.e. without deceit. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “spiritual milk”: This metaphor is also found in 1 Corinthians 3:1-12, Hebrews 5:12-13 and Philo, On Husbandry. Perhaps the first readers are to conclude that the exhortation contained in this letter constitutes such “pure, spiritual milk”. [ IntPet]

Verse 2: “spiritual”: The Greek word is logikos. John 1:1 begins: “In the beginning was the Word”, Greek: logos. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “tasted that the Lord is good”: This is from Psalm 34:8: “O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him”. Here “Lord” is taken as a reference to Christ. This psalm is much used in 1 Peter, e.g. in 3:10-12. [ IntPet] [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 4: In Matthew 21:42, Jesus answers the chief priests and elders (who are questioning the source of his authority): “‘Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’’”. [ NOAB]

Verse 4: “rejected by mortals”: IntPet says that unlike in Mark 12:10 and Acts 4:11, this is not a reference to Jews. Those who reject are simply human beings.

Verse 5: See also Romans 12:1; Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 4:18. [ NJBC]

Verse 6: The quotation is adapted from the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 28:16, with the same deviation as in Romans 9:33: “... See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame”. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 7: The quotation is Psalm 118:22: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone”. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 8: The quotation is from Isaiah 8:14-15: “He will become a sanctuary, a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles over – a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken”. [ NOAB]

Verse 8: “they”: The author says more on the pagan persecutors in 4:5 (“they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead”) and 4:17-18 (“For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And ‘If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinners?’”). [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “chosen race”: Deuteronomy 7:6 says of the Israelites: “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession”. In 1 Peter 1:1 the author speaks of his first readers as “the exiles of the Dispersion” and speaks in 5:13 of “Your sister church in Babylon, chosen together with you” (where “Babylon” is a cryptogram for Rome, as it is in Revelation). [ NJBC] IntPet says that “chosen race” is a quotation from the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 43:20.

Verse 9: “royal priesthood, a holy nation”: See Exodus 19:6 ( Septuagint translation) and Isaiah 61:6 . NOAB suggests that “royal” and “priesthood” are both nouns: see also Revelation 1:6; 5:10.

Verse 9: “God’s own people”: A combination of the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 43:21 and Malachi 3:17 (“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them”). [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “him”: i.e. God. See also 1:15 (“he who called you is holy”); 2:21; 5:10 (“the God of all grace, who has called you”). [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “out of darkness into ... light”: This is a quotation from Isaiah 9:2. [ IntPet]

Verse 10: “you were not a people ...”: The following verses are applied to the Church:

Hosea 1:6: “She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them”
Hosea 1:9: “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God”
Hosea 1: 10: “in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God’”, and
Hosea 2:23: “And I will have pity on Lo-ruhamah, and I will say to Lo-ammi, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God’”. [ NJBC]


GOSPEL: John 14: 1 - 14   (RCL)
                  John 14: 1 - 12   (Roman Catholic)

John 14:1 (NRSV) "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

Judas Iscariot has left to do his dastardly deed. Jesus now prepares his disciples for his departure. Belief in God includes belief in him (v. 1). He is going, through resurrection and ascension, to the Father, to prepare a place of permanent fellowship for them (vv. 2, 3). He will return to take them there, a place where there is ample room (“many dwelling places”). Thomas is logical, and bewildered. Jesus is the road map, “the way” (v. 6); he is ultimate “truth” and the source of “life” itself. Access to God is only through him. Being both God and human, to know him is to know the Father. Knowing him, they are already getting to know the Father and “have seen him” (v. 7) in Jesus.

Philip shows by his question in v. 8 that he still does not understand (“know”) Jesus, for Jesus is the revelation of God. The Son is present (“dwells”, v. 10) in the Father, and the Father in the Son. Father and Son are one and the same. A master entrusted his agent to act on his behalf in every way. Jesus is the Father’s agent, empowered to act completely for the Father. Jesus says, in essence, if you do not buy this mutual presence, then trust in me on the basis of what I do: you are seeing the Father’s “works” (vv. 10, 11), including miracles.

The faithful will continue these works. (The ones they do will be “greater”, v. 12, because Jesus has nullified sin.) By asking Jesus in prayer (“in my name”, v. 14), God will do whatever the faithful ask.

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

Verse 2: “my Father’s house”: Jesus has already spoken of this in 8:34-38 (“... The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever ...”). [ BlkJn]

Verse 2: “‘many dwelling places’”: 1 Kings 6:5 describes the Temple in similar terms. [ BlkJn]

Verse 3: Previously Jesus has only hinted at the possibility of the disciples following him: in 12:26, he says: “‘Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also’”. See also 13:36. Because the disciples follow his example, particularly in mutual love, they can eventually be with him, whereas the Pharisees cannot: see 7:33-36; 8:21; 13:33. [ BlkJn]

Verse 5: “Thomas”: Thomas expresses their bewilderment with characteristic bluntness: see also 11:16 (“‘Let us also go, that we may die with him’”) and 20:24-25. [ BlkJn]

Verse 6: “‘I am the way’”: He is the sole means of access to the Father: Jesus says in Matthew 11:27: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him”. See also Luke 10:22; John 1:18; 3:3 (to Nicodemus); 6:46; Acts 4:12 (Peter’s speech before the Council) Romans 5:2; Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 10:20. [ BlkJn] [ NOAB]

Verse 6: “‘I am ... the truth, and the life’”: Jesus is all-sufficient because he is both God and human. [ BlkJn]

Verse 6: “the truth”: 1:14 says “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth”.

Verse 6: “the life”: See also 1:4; 6:35 (“‘I am the bread of life’”), 6:48; 11:25 (“‘I am the resurrection and the life’”).

Verse 7: On Jesus being God, 1:1 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. In 10:30, Jesus says “‘The Father and I are one’”.

Verse 7: “‘If you know me’”: They can know him since he is a human.

Verse 7: “you do know him”: BlkJn offers you are getting to know him. Because they know Jesus, they are getting to know the Father.

Verse 8: Moses makes a similar reasonable request in Exodus 33:18: “‘Show me your glory, I pray’”. Philip's misunderstanding, like Thomas’, helps Jesus to make his meaning clear. [ BlkJn]

Verse 10: For Jesus as agent of the Father, see also, for example, 3:34; 7:17-18; 8:28, 47; 12:47-49. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: “Do you not believe that ...”: BlkJn translates the Greek in a more understandable way: You believe, do you not, ...

Verse 10: “on my own”: The Greek literally means from myself . BlkJn translates it as on my own authority.

Verse 11: “I am in the Father and the Father is in me”: The unity of the Father and the Son is a recurrent theme in this part of the book: see also vv. 7, 9, 20 and 16:15; 17:21-23. [ BlkJn]

Verse 12: See also Luke 17:6 (“‘faith the size of a mustard seed”) and Matthew 17:20. [ NJBC]

Verse 12: “‘Very truly, I tell you”: In the Greek, “Very truly” is Amen, Amen. This double amen is characteristic of, and peculiar to, this gospel and is used to introduce solemn, almost oracular, declarations. See also 1:51; 3:3, 5, 11; 5:19, 24, 25; 6:26, 32, 47, 53; 8:34, 51, 58; 10:1, 7; 12:24; 13:16, 20, 21, 38; 16:20, 23; 21:18. [ BlkJn]

Verse 12: “works”: i.e. miracles. [ BlkJn]

Verse 13: For variants, see Matthew 7:7-8; 18:19; 21:22; and in Johannine writings, see John 15:7, 16; 16:23, 24, 26; 1 John 3:21-22; 5:14-15. Sometimes Jesus will answer the request, and sometimes the Father will answer when asked in Jesus’ name. At times the Father is addressed directly, and at times neither Father nor Son is specified (but one presumes that the Father is meant). [ NJBC]

Verse 13: “in my name”: This means ask as Jesus’ representative, while on his business, rather than invoking Jesus as a kind of magic spell. The meaning here is the same as when Jesus speaks of having come in his Father’s name in 5:43 and 10:25, and when Acts tells us that the apostles performed miracles in Jesus’ name: see Acts 3:6 (healing of a man lame from birth), 16; 4:10; 16:18 (a slave girl is cured). [ BlkJn]

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

4 Monnica of Hippo, Mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387 was an early Christian saint and the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo. She is remembered and honored in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, albeit on different feast days, for her outstanding Christian virtues, particularly the suffering caused by her husband's adultery, and her prayerful life dedicated to the reformation of her son, who wrote extensively of her pious acts and life with her in his Confessions.
7 Harriet Starr Cannon, Religious, 1896
8 Dame Julian of Norwich, c. 1417 , was an English anchorite of the Middle Ages. She wrote the earliest surviving book in the English language to be written by a woman, Revelations of Divine Love.
9 Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, 389 , was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople, and theologian. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age.[4] As a classically trained orator and philosopher he infused Hellenism into the early church, establishing the paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church officials.[4] Saint Gregory was saint patron of medieval Bosnia before the Catholic conquest when he was replaced by Saint Gregory the Great.[5]
10 Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Prophetic Witness, 1760



FIRST READING: Acts 2: 42 - 47 (RCL)

Acts 2:42 (NRSV) They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.


Acts 2: 14a, 36 - 41 (Roman Catholic)

Acts 2:14 (NRSV) [On the day of Pentecost] Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them,
36 [L]et the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." 40 And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.


Genesis 7 (alt. for C of E)

Gene 7:1 (NRSV) Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground." 5 And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. 7 And Noah with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah with his sons, Shem and Ham and Ja'pheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons entered the ark, 14 they and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every bird of every kind--every bird, every winged creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
17 The flood continued forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 The waters swelled so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered; 20 the waters swelled above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all human beings; 22 everything on dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, human beings and animals and creeping things and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters swelled on the earth for one hundred fifty days.


PSALM 23 (all)

Psal 23:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters; 
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff--
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.


23   Dominus regit me   (ECUSA BCP)

1  The Lord is my shepherd; *
  I shall not be in want.

2  He makes me lie down in green pastures *
  and leads me beside still waters.

3  He revives my soul *
  and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

4  Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
  for you are with me;
  your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5  You spread a table before me in the presence of those
who trouble me; *
  you have anointed my head with oil,
  and my cup is running over.

6  Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life, *
  and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.


SECOND READING: 1 Peter 2: 19 - 25 (RCL)
                                      1 Peter 2: 20b - 25 (Roman Catholic)

1Pet 2:19 (NRSV) For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
22 "He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth."
23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

It seems that the first readers were seen as inferior socially by their pagan neighbours. The author has exhorted them to “conduct yourselves honourably” (v. 12), even when maligned (as they are), for God wills that they live blameless, ethical lives – thus inviting their neighbours to examine the Christian way. Being “servants of God” (v. 16), they are “free” from the burden of sin; they should use this freedom for good. The Greek word translated as “servants” also means slaves, so what the author says now applies equally to Christian slaves and other Christians. (The early church saw no inherent evil in slavery. All Christians were free spiritually and members of “the family of believers”, v. 17.)

“Slaves” (v. 18) are to obey their masters, whether they are considerate or “harsh”. Being beaten for wrong-doing is to be expected, but God notices when slaves endure wrongfully inflicted “pain” (v. 19). Of this, Christ is the great “example” (v. 21): accept it as he did, as predicted in Isaiah. Christians see the Servant Songs of Isaiah as predicting the events of Jesus’ life. Isaiah 53:5-9, part of the fourth Servant Song (quoted in part in vv. 22-25), foretells his suffering and death: when “abused” (v. 23) he entrusted himself to God’s care, “the one who judges justly”. Jesus carried our sins on the cross, thereby enabling us to live “free from sins” (v. 24) and to attain union with God (“righteousness”). Through Jesus’ suffering they have access to eternal life.

The addressees have turned their lives around by accepting Christ (v. 25a). The “shepherd”-flock image of God and his people is found in today’s psalm and elsewhere in the Old Testament; in the gospels, Jesus is the shepherd. In this book, the image is applied to Christian leaders and those in their care. Later the Greek word episkopos (“guardian”) came to mean bishop.

2:11-12: How Christians are seen outside the Church. See also 3:16; Titus 2:7-8; 3:1-2. [ CAB] Stoic wisdom of the time exalted persons who were not driven by passions, but here such conduct is to the glory of God. [ IntPet]

2:11: “aliens and exiles”: One scholar offers visiting strangers and resident aliens. By becoming Christians, they were demoted to a lower social class: see Hebrews 10:32-34. In 1 Peter, the true home of the Christian is not so much the world to come (as in Hebrews) as the Christian community: see, for example, v. 17: “Love the family of believers”. [ NJBC]

2:11: “wage war”: In Romans 7:23, Paul says of himself: “I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members”. [ NOAB]

2:12: “Conduct”: A favourite word in 1 Peter: see also 1:15, 17; 2:12; 3:1, 2:16. [ NJBC]

2:12: “they malign you”: Christians were accused of immoralities during their secret meetings. [ NOAB]

2:12: “when he comes to judge”: When God makes the innocence of the suffering faithful known. [ NOAB]

2:13-17: Respect for civil authority. See also Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-3; Titus 3:1-8. All civil institutions, whether good or bad, are ordained by God. [ CAB] [ NOAB]

2:14: “governors”: i.e. of Roman provinces. [ NOAB]

2:15: In 3:15-16, the author writes: “Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence”. [ NJBC]

2:16: NOAB suggests that the following insertions are helpful to understanding: “[Live] as servants of God, [so you can] live as free people ...” Christians should even honour those who malign them.

2:16: “live as free people”: In John 8:32, Jesus says: “the truth will make you free”. See also Matthew 17:26; Luke 4:18-31; Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians 7:22; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1. [ NJBC]

2:17: “Fear God. ...”: An adaptation of Proverbs 24:21. In Matthew 22:21, Jesus tells some Pharisees: “‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s’”. In Romans 13:6-7, Paul writes: “For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due them – taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honour to whom honour is due”. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

2:18-3:7: A section on the obligations of Christians. Guidelines are given for the behaviour of three groups: slaves ( 2:18-25), wives ( 3:1-6) and husbands ( 3:7). For other similar household codes, see Ephesians 5:22-6:9; Colossians 3:18-4:1; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9-10. While the passages in Ephesians and Colossians contain instructions to both the inferior and superior members of the household, here masters are not addressed at all and husbands are addressed with the short form typical of household codes (in 3:7). [ NOAB] [ NJBC] [ CAB] IntPet notes that only those who are dependent on superiors (slaves and women) are addressed; he suggests that the masters and husbands here were pagans.

2:18: “accept the authority ... with all deference”: IntPet suggests that in all fear is a better translation, that this describes the slaves’ individual relationships to God rather than to their masters.

2:19: “a credit”: The Greek word, charis, elsewhere in 1 Peter means “grace” (in 1:2) and “salvation” (in 1:10, 13). Charis is connected with God’s gift of salvation. [ IntPet]

2:19: “aware of”: i.e. conscious of. [ NJBC]

2:20: “approval”: Again the Greek word is charis. [ IntPet]

2:21-25: This seems to be part of an early Christian hymn. [ NJBC]

2:21: The quotation is from the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 53:9b. “Sin” has been substituted for lawlessness, thus tying this quotation with the allusion to Isaiah 53:4, 12b in v. 24, “he ... bore our sins”. [ IntPet]

2:23: See Mark 15:29-32 (Jesus on the Cross); 14:65; Luke 23:11, 36-37; John 19:1-5. [ CAB] This verse reformulates Isaiah 53:9 so that the example can be applied directly to the experiences of persecuted Christians. [ IntPet]

2:24: “bore our sins”: In Isaiah 53:4, a verse in the fourth Servant Song, we read “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted”. See also Hebrews 9:28. [ CAB] [ NJBC]

2:24: “cross”: Literally tree. Tree or wood is a very early Christian term for the cross: see Acts 5:30 (“Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree”); 10:39; 13:29; Galatians 3:13. [ NJBC]

2:24: “free from sins ...”: The REB offers “we might cease to live for sin and begin to live for righteousness”

2:25: The suffering servant, vindicated by God in the Resurrection, becomes the Good Shepherd. Ezekiel 34:5-16, a passage that promises that God will shepherd the neglected sheep underlies the transition from straying sheep to the injunction to return to the shepherd. [ IntPet]

2:25: “guardian”: The Greek word, episkopos, also occurs in 5:2-4 and Acts 20:28, where it is translated as “oversight” and “overseers” respectively. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: John 10: 1 - 10   (all)

John 10:1 (NRSV) "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

In Chapter 9, Jesus has raised the ire of some religious leaders by giving sight to a blind man on the Sabbath. Some of them have heard Jesus say “‘I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind’” ( 9:39). Some have asked him, “‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’” ( 9:40), to which he has replied. “‘If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.’” ( 9:41) Thinking themselves worthy makes them unworthy in God’s eyes.

Now Jesus uses a metaphor to expand on his point (but no metaphor works perfectly). In Palestine, sheep belonging to villagers roamed freely during the day but were confined to a common enclosure at night, to protect them from predators. Each morning, each shepherd called his sheep who followed him to pasture.

While “this figure of speech” (v. 6) is hard for us to understand in detail (as it was for those who heard Jesus), we can get the drift. So irate does the metaphor make the leaders that they try to stone him (in v. 31) and, in v. 40, Jesus flees across the Jordan. As he explains (v. 7), he is the “gate” of v. 2, so presumably the thieves and bandits are the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus, both the “gatekeeper” (v. 3) and the “shepherd” (v. 2) is the true leader. He calls the faithful to follow him (v. 4); they don’t follow a “stranger” (v. 5). The people listen to him and not to the “Pharisees” ( 9:40), “all who came before me” (v. 8). He is the only “gate” (v. 9) to eternal “life” (v. 10), to freedom (“come in and go out”, v. 9, a Jewish idiom), and to nourishment beyond measure (“find pasture ... abundantly”).

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam

The division between Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 is unfortunate. (Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, who died in 1208, is credited with dividing the Bible into chapters.)

This chapter is difficult to understand partly because Jesus switches metaphor several times, a practice which was common in his time and for centuries after, but which is frowned on (to say the least!) today.

Verses 1-10: There is a selection of shepherds (leaders) here and also one of sheep (followers).

Verse 1: “climbs in”: No metaphor is perfect!

Verse 2: “shepherd”: Jesus may mean either the leader of the community or himself. If the latter, he shifts metaphor between v. 2 and v. 3. Both the shepherd and the gatekeeper/gate protect. The metaphor definitely shifts in v. 11ff to Jesus as the shepherd.

Verse 6: “figure of speech”: The Greek word is paroimia , meaning metaphor, parable, proverb, or enigmatic or fictitious illustration. The REB translates the word as parable. In spite of Jesus’ explanation (vv. 7-8), it is hard to understand, and has been interpreted in various ways.

Verses 7-10: A quotation from BlkJn (adapted to the NRSV translation) is an attempt to help in understanding this passage:

If the “gate of the sheep” here represents accurately what Jesus said, then ... [vv. 7-10] are in an almost intolerable state of confusion. But if the suggestion is adopted that in an Aramaic original the accidental repetition of one letter (a tau) has caused the shepherd to be read as “the gate”, then verses 7 and 8 give an interpretation consistent with the original parable, and the allegory does not begin until verse 9.

This suggestion does depend on a lot of conjecture. It assumes first that there was an Aramaic original, second that it got corrupted, third that it was translated into Greek from one who was working from text and not oral tradition, fourth that the translator did not pick up on the error and fifth that there is still an allegory about an entrance further down. Note that, as we have the text, “I am the gate” occurs twice: in v. 7 and v. 9. We have no fragments of the gospels in Aramaic other than translations from the Greek.

Verse 7: “I am the gate”: i.e. I determine who is admitted to the community.

Verse 8: “All who came before me”: Some scholars understand this to mean messianic pretenders; however, for this to be the case, Chapter 10 would need to be a separate unit from Chapter 9.

BlkJn sees the “thieves and bandits” as pseudo-Messiahs. He says “this is indicated by the absolute use of came, i.e. claiming to be the coming one”. Grouping thieves and bandits with pseudo-Messiahs fits with the first-century Jewish historian Josephus’ view that there are four philosophies of which this group, which includes revolutionaries, is the fourth. (The other three are the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes.) Recall that Jesus was crucified with thieves and bandits.

But I think that this does not take the context into account. How can we account both for the previous discussion with the Pharisees, and their subsequent reaction? They are not thieves and bandits, nor are they false Messiahs. Rather they are good, upstanding, moral, respectable religious leaders. Why would they be so upset at Jesus for this Good Shepherd metaphor/allegory? Or are the Pharisees the hired hands of v. 12?

Verse 9: “will be saved”: i.e. will escape from the perils of having gone against God’s ways.

Jesus fulfils Old Testament promises that God will himself come to shepherd his people: see Isaiah 40:11 (“He will feed his flock like a shepherd”); Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ezekiel 34 (especially v. 11: “thus says the Lord God : I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out”).

© 1996-2020 Chris Haslam