Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for April 12, 2015
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Rembrandt, 1634. Pushkin Museum, Moscow.
Throughout Eastertide, our First Readings will be taken from the Acts of the Apostles, the Evangelist Luke’s story of the life of the early church. In his Gospel, Luke consistently emphasizes Jesus’ command to shun riches and to serve the poor, the weak and the oppressed. It should be no surprise, then, that in Acts Luke presents the practice of sharing all possessions and caring for the poor as the customary lifestyle of the apostles. Is there a message in this for us today?
Psalm: Psalm 133
Sounding a theme that resonates with the sharing lifestyle that Luke presents in the early church, the Psalmist hails the joy of a community that lives in unity like brothers and sisters. The earthy image of anointing oil running down Aaron’s head, beard and robe may sound odd to our modern ears, but perhaps our ancestors heard in it a sense of abundantly sharing our most desirable luxuries.
Second Reading: 1 John 1:1-2:2
Our Eastertide readings will take us through the First Letter of John in our Second Readings. This letter was probably not written by John the Evangelist, but its emphasis on love, and on Jesus as the Word and the Light, is consistent with the style of John’s Gospel, and hints that it may have come from the same early Christian community. You may recognize its message, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,” as a familiar Lenten Opening Sentence for Morning Prayer.
Gospel: John 20:19-31
Jesus has died. Christ has risen! And now Jesus begins appearing to the disciples, often in mysterious ways that defy imagining. The doors are locked, the apostles are terrified; and suddenly Jesus is there with them in the locked room, and fear is transformed to joy. Thomas, who missed Jesus’ first appearance, remains doubtful, and for this he is remembered forever as “Doubting Thomas.” Who wouldn’t doubt, though? Wouldn’t you? But Jesus surely understands. And Thomas, too, with all the rest, goes on to testify that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that we all have life in his name.