IV EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 13:14,43-52
During the Easter season, we read from the books of Acts and Revelation (Apocalypse) and from the Gospel of John.
In the Acts, we can know how the Church came into existence and how she spread from town to town, mainly along the most important trade routes of the Roman Empire. Paul, who had been an enemy and a persecutor of the Church, became the greatest evangelist, proclaiming the Gospel to all, Jews and Gentiles. His preaching and his understanding of the Gospel was crucial in order to carry the message of Jesus Christ far and wide, breaking the barriers that separated Jews and Gentiles. His contribution was essential to take the Gospel out of the straightjacket of Judaism. In that, he faced a strong opposition from most of the Jews that had become Christians. They wanted to impose on everybody the Jewish culture, considering it as essential to be saved. Paul made it clear that to be a disciple of Jesus, one just needs to believe in Him and to walk in his footsteps, thus making the Jewish culture irrelevant for salvation. One can be Christian in any culture, and Christ challenges all cultures, since all of them are stained by sin.
In this Sunday’s first reading, we are told that Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch in Pisidia. On Saturday, they went to the synagogue. After the readings from the Law and the Prophets, being invited to address the congregation, they proclaimed the Gospel. A good number converted and they “urged them to remain faithful to the grace God had given them.” (Act 14:43). The following Saturday, a big crowd came to hear the word of God. Seeing a great number of Gentiles, the Jews became jealous and started opposing and contradicting Paul. This led Paul to leave them and to concentrate on the Gentiles. This became the pattern of Paul’s ministry. Wherever he went, he would go first to the synagogue. Then he would be expelled from the synagogue and sometimes even from the city, and then dedicated himself to preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, who were ready to accept the good news of salvation.
In the end, this led to a total separation of the emerging Church from the Jewish religious set up. There were many Jews ready to accept Jesus as the Christ and the Saviour, but they considered a strict obedience to all the regulations of the law, as important and as necessary for salvation as to have faith in Jesus. They were guided by pharisaic attitude of exclusivism and separation. Without breaking out from their straightjacket, the Church would have always remained a Jewish affair. However, Jesus had taught that the Kingdom of God is a little yeast mixed with the flour. Paul had understood that the Gospel set us free and that faithfulness to Jesus Christ can be lived in any place and any culture. Because of this approach to the Gospel, Paul was constantly harassed and persecuted, leading to the Christians being expelled from the synagogues. And anyway the Gentiles could not be allowed into the synagogues unless they went through the circumcision, thus accepting all Jewish traditions and customs.
Paul’s battle for the freedom of the Gospel was a hard and difficult battle, and he might have lost the war, since even Peter was afraid of Paul’s radicalism, and was ready to compromise. Many experts think that Paul’s openness to all won the day, because of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which dealt a terrible blow on the Jewish people, leading to the loss of most of the influence of the Church of Jerusalem.
Indeed, Paul had been chosen to be the Apostle of the Gentiles, and Christ, who called him, would not allow is mission to end in failure. The Risen Lord went on and goes on being the Good Shepherd that guides and protects his Church.
Both the book of Revelation and the Gospel of John present Jesus as the Shepherd.
“The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life;
they will never be lost
and no one will ever steal them from me.” (Jn 10:27-28)
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and he will not allow his sheep to be lost or stolen from him. He gives them eternal life.
In the book of Revelation, we are presented with a huge liturgical assembly, where the redeemed gathered together to worship and sing the praises of the Lord. They have found life and salvation, since all suffering and pain have disappeared, since the power of death has been defeated. The Lamb (Jesus Christ) is their Shepherd:
“They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them, because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Rev 7:14-17)
Let us pray to the Lord to give his Church good shepherds who put themselves wholeheartedly at the service of the Gospel.
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