Sunday Reading

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

Readings:
Acts 13:14, >43-52
Psalm 100:1-3, 5
Revelation 7:9, 14-17
>John 10:27-30

Abbreviations: NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh).

God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments, and that is why we read and relive the events of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).

The Theme of the Readings: Finding Joy in Christ Despite Persecution
Despite hardships and persecutions, the Church has persevered in remaining faithful to her mission to be God's vehicle of salvation "to the ends of the earth" (Mt 28:19; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:47-48 and Acts 1:8). Saints Paul and Barnabas, in our First Reading, had the joyful experience of bringing many people to Christ, but they also had to endure rejection and persecution. However, even in those experiences, they were not discouraged but continued to be "filled with joy and the Holy Spirit."

In our Psalm Reading, we are invited to proclaim with joy the Lord's kingship over the whole earth. The reading reminds us that we should express our praise and worship of God with joy because we have the Lord's assurance that we are the covenant children of a Divine Father. Our joyfulness stems from our faith that "the Lord is God" and the conviction that we belong to Him and feel secure in our unique relationship with Him as His covenant people.

The Second Reading continues the theme of joy in Christ even when confronted by persecution. In the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John, the Lord grants John a glorious vision of the saints of the universal Church from every nation, race, people, and tongue who suffered martyrdom for the sake of their faith in Jesus Christ. The multitude of persecuted Christian saints that John sees has been washed clean in "the blood of the Lamb." They joyfully worship for eternity in the Presence of the Most Holy Trinity in the heavenly Sanctuary.

The Gospel Reading is from Jesus's teaching when He visited the Jerusalem Temple for the Feast of Dedication (Jn 10:22-29). Those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior are the "sheep of His flock" who know His "voice" and "follow Him" (Jn 10:27). To His faithful "sheep," Jesus extends the gift of eternal life and the reassuring promise that no one can separate them from Him (10:28-29). Like Saints Paul and Barnabas, we are also called to be joyfully confident that Christ, the Good Shepherd, will continually care for the members of His faithful flock and His promise that nothing can separate us from God's love.

The First Reading Acts 13:14, 43-52 ~ St. Paul Proclaims the Gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles
14 Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats. 43 Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God. 44 On the following Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. 46 Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, "I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth." 48 The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, 49 and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. 50 The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. 52 The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit directed the Christian community at Antioch (Syria) to send Barnabas and Paul on a missionary journey to the Gentiles of Cyprus, Pamphylia, and Pisidia. To have more in common with his Gentile audience, Paul began using the Roman Gentile name "Paulus" instead of his Hebrew name Saul. After preaching in Cyprus, they continued to the city of Perga in Pamphylia and then to Antioch in Pisidia. As was their custom, following Jesus's missionary instruction to His disciples, they went first to the Jewish Synagogue (Acts 13:14), to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mt 10:6; Acts 13:46). At Antioch in Pisidia, they preached to a mixed congregation of Jews, Gentile converts, and "God-fearers," Gentiles who believed in the One True God but had not yet undergone circumcision other conversion rites (Acts 10:2, 22, 35; 13:16, 26).

Paul spoke in the Synagogue, professing Jesus as the promised Messiah who died and then was resurrected to life in fulfillment of the prophecies of the holy prophets and through whom forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life is proclaimed (13:16-41). Paul's testimony moved many of the Jews and the Gentiles who were Jewish converts (13:43). But other Jews were united in opposition to their Gospel message, so Paul and Barnabas turned to the Gentiles of Antioch, who responded with joy and faith (13:46-49). When influential Jews had them expelled from the territory, Paul and Barnabas shook the dust of the community off their feet in protest as Jesus directed His disciples (13:51; see Mt 10:14; Mk 6:11; Lk 9:5; 10:11) and continued with their mission, filled with joy and the power of the Holy Spirit (13:50-52).

Responsorial Psalm 100:1-3, 5 ~ An Invitation to Praise God
The response is: "We are his people, the sheep of his flock" or "Alleluia."

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD [Yahweh], all you lands; 2 serve the LORD [Yahweh] with gladness; come before him with joyful song.
Response
3 Know that the LORD [Yahweh] is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends.
Response
5 The LORD [Yahweh] is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Response

Psalms 93-99 proclaimed the Lord's kingship, and now Psalm 100 is the liturgical conclusion of the previous psalms and a canticle of praise that summarizes the faith and hope of Israel in Yahweh's universal sovereignty as the Divine Shepherd over "all you (plural) lands." The psalm begins with an invitation (verses 1-2), followed by the reason God extends the invitation (verses 3 and 5). The psalmist is eager to have all people respond to God's gracious message. His "Serve the Lord" in verse 2 is the equivalent of "Worship the Lord."

An expression of joy should always accompany the believer's sincere praise and worship of God that stems from one's faith that "the Lord is God" and the conviction that, as the people of God, we belong to Him and feel secure in our relationship with Him. The Lord deserves the praise of the entire earth (verse 1) and all His faithful covenant people (verse 3) because of His steadfast love and faithfulness that is eternal for all generations (verse 5). In this Psalm, we, the congregations of the Universal New Covenant Church who are the "sheep of His flock," proclaim our continuing joy in offering worship to the Lord God. We are like Jesus's disciples Paul and Barnabas in our First Reading, who worshipped and served the Lord in their proclamation of the Gospel of salvation.

The Second Reading Revelation 7:9, 14-17 ~ The Faithful Who are Cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb
9 After this, I [John] had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. 13a Then one of the elders said to me ... 14b, "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. 15 For this reason, they stand before God's throne and worship him day and night in his Temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. 16 They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. 17 For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." [...] not in the Greek text but added for clarity.

In the Second Reading, we continue the theme of joy in Christ, even when we experience persecution because of Jesus's Gospel of salvation. In the Book of Revelation, the Resurrected Jesus grants St. John a glorious vision of the Universal Church from every nation, race, people, and tongue who suffered martyrdom for their belief in Christ Jesus (Rev 7:16). Their white robes and palm branches signify their purity and joy (Rev 7:9; also see 3:5). The vision John witnesses is a reversal of the scattering of the sinful human family in the judgment event of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9) at the restoration of the covenant family at the Jewish feast of Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus's Resurrection (Acts 2:1-12). At that Jewish remembrance feast, God restored the human family, no longer as children in the family of Adam but as holy children of God through spiritual regeneration by God the Holy Spirit. The multitude of persecuted Christians John saw in his vision were washed clean "in the blood of the Lamb" and would never again face earthly struggles as they joyfully worship for eternity in the heavenly Sanctuary; the Lamb who is the center of the throne who will lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Rev 7:17).

The Gospel of John 10:27-30 ~ The Sheep of Jesus's Flock Know His Voice
(Jesus said) "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one." (...) not in the Greek text but added for clarity.

The Gospel Reading is from Jesus's teaching when He visited Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication (Jn 10:22-39) and comes after His Good Shepherd Discourse (Jn 10:1-18). Those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior are the "sheep of His flock" who know His "voice" and follow Him (10:27). To His faithful "sheep," Jesus promises the gift of eternal life and the reassurance that no one can separate them from Him (10:28-29). Notice that Jesus says I give them eternal life in the present tense, not "I will give." His gift is present and continuous!

And then, in verse 30, He says The Father and I are one; it is the third time in the Gospel of John that Jesus made this declaration that He and the Father are One (also see Jn 5:17 and 8:58). Jesus and the Father are One because they do the same work and stand in the same relation to the "sheep" who are the believers in covenant union with Him. God the Father accomplished His work in the world uniquely through the Son. The sheep "know" Jesus because they are in a covenantal relationship with Him that creates a holy family bond in which the Holy Spirit permanently marks the baptized believer's soul (Lk 22:20; CCC 73, 1272). It is a relationship that promises the blessings of eternal life and a bond with Christ that is unbreakable unless the baptized believer rejects Christ as Savior and Lord. Still, even in that case, the indelible mark cannot be removed (CCC 1265-1274).

Jesus's protection for those who believe in Him and remain faithful is equivalent to the Father's divine protection. Jesus is claiming unity and equality with the Godhead. God the Father and God the Son are united in the loving embrace of God the Holy Spirit. The oneness of the Most Holy Trinity cannot be divided even when we distinguish between the three Divine Persons. St. Augustine wrote: "Listen to the Son Himself, 'I and the Father are one.' He did not say, 'I am the Father' or 'I and the Father are one [Person].' But when he says, 'I and the Father are one,' notice the two words 'we are' and 'one'... for if they are one, then they are not diverse; if 'we are,' then there is both a Father and a Son" [In Ioannis Evangelius - The Gospel of John, 36,9].

Jesus is one in substance with the Father as far as divine essence or nature is concerned, but the Father and the Son are distinct Persons. Pope Paul VI, in Creed of the People of God, 10 wrote: "We believe then in the Father who eternally begets the Son; in the Son, the Word of God, who is eternally begotten; in the Holy Spirit, the uncreated Person who proceeds from the Father and the Son as their eternal Love." Also, see CCC 202, 252-255, 590 and the Agape Bible Study document "The Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity."

But how do we "hear" His voice and recognize that He is our Divine Shepherd and the only one we must follow? We recognize His voice through the study of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church. We will have our eyes opened to Him in the same way that the disciples from Emmaus had their "eyes opened" and recognized Jesus when He blessed and broke the bread in their presence (Lk 24:13-31). In Luke 24:25-27, He taught them, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. In that encounter, Jesus teaches two truths:

Belief in Jesus cannot be separated from a proper understanding of the Scriptures.

All Scripture bears a prophetic message and significance concerning Jesus and His mission of salvation.

One cannot truly recognize the Good Shepherd to follow Him or the Divine Presence of Christ in the Eucharist who is One with the Father without studying and understanding the Scriptures. Jesus of Nazareth, the heir of David (Mt 1:1), is the Shepherd-God promised in the prophecies of Ezekiel when the prophet wrote: For thus says the Lord GOD [YHWH]: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so I will tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark [...] I will appoint one shepherd over them to pasture them, my servant David; he shall pasture them and be their shepherd. I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I the LORD [YHWH], have spoken (Ezek 34:11-12, 23-24).

Catechism References (* indicates Scripture quoted in the citation):
Acts 13:48 (CCC 2640)

Revelation 7:9 (CCC 775, 1138)

John 10:30 (CCC 590)

Christ the Shepherd and Gate (CCC 754*, 764*, 2665)

The Pope and bishops as shepherds (CCC 553*, 857*, 861*, 881*, 896, 1558, 1561, 1568, 1574)

Priests as shepherds (CCC 874, 1120*, 1465, 1536, 1548-1551, 1564, 2179, 2686)

The Church is made up of Jews and Gentiles (CCC 60*, 442*, 543*, 674*, 724*, 755*, 775*, 781*)

Our communion with the martyrs (CCC 957*, 1138*, 1173, 2473-2474)

Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2013; revised 2022 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.