Third Sunday of Easter

Open our minds

Peter’s Second Sermon

Acts 3:12–19 RSVCE

And when Peter saw it he addressed the people, “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name, by faith in his name, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

If you read the RCL daily, yesterday was the opening ten verses of this chapter, the healing of the crippled man at the gate of the Jerusalem temple called Beautiful. He is healed and goes walking and leaping and praising God. The man comes back to Peter and John and while clinging to him, Peter gives this sermon. Note the second person plural pronouns here “you delivered up Jesus…you asked that Barabbas be released…you killed the Author of Life, that’s a beautiful phrase. Let it always be said that Christians are on the side of life.

An Evening Hymn (in despondency)

Psalm 4 RSVCE

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my right! Thou hast given me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer. O men, how long shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Be angry, but sin not; commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Lift up the light of thy countenance upon us, O Lord!” Thou hast put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for thou alone, O Lord, makest me dwell in safety.

v. 2 (GW) "How long are you going to love what is empty and seek what is a lie?" this statement is pretty generic, that's probably why the NLT interprets this for us "make groundless accusations and continue your lies" this puts the action of the people squarely in slander of the Psalmist (David). Also focused on 5, NCV might be best "do what is right as a sacrifice to the LORD, and trust in the LORD."

Doing What is right

1 John 3:1–7 RSVCE

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous.

As long as we rightly understand 6a "So anyone who lives in Christ does not go on sinning" then we can make good use of this scripture. 1Jo 1 is the chapter that says if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, so taken in that context, what John is saying (as I understand it) is that there is a purity that will be final when we see Christ at the end of time but we have that purity, yes it is imputed to us, but in Francis Schaeffer's sense we have a significant measure of it now. Without getting into percentages, we are more pure than not pure now and not just because of imputation. If we can't say that then what we're saying is Christ didn't do the lion's share of the work on the cross and that his words "it is finished" have to be qualified a thousand times. Rather we are "to be like Christ" (vs. 7, NCV).

Jesus appears do the disciples in the upper room

Luke 24:36b–48 RSVCE

As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to You.” But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet.And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, “These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

The Luke account sounds like what Jesus said to Thomas "put your fingers in my side, touch my nailprints" and what he said on the road to Emmaus "law, prophets, Psalms" but there's no reason to think this couldn't have happened 2, 3, 4 times. When we have something amazing happen to us we tell the same story over, 2, 3, 4 times - we do the same.