5th Sunday of Easter B

David Luebbert

5^th Sunday of Easter B

Readings: Acts 9:26-31  1 John 3:18-24  John 15:1-8

The readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter present a perennial challenge of Christian faith: how to maintain unity in a community frequently rent by division, suspicion, endless theoretical discussion, and lack of fidelity.  Only in the crucified and risen Christ, who joins us to the Father, do we find the strength to be united to one another in courageous and charitable deeds.  Having struggled with the divisions that mark our lives as Christians, let us find in the glorified Christ the power to pray the words of our responsorial psalm: “I will praise you, O Lord, in the assembly of your people” (Ps 22).

The first reading from Acts continues the twin Lucan themes of the Spirit’s guiding the apostles to fearless witness to the risen Christ and leading the Church to peace and unity, despite opposition.  Luke presents his version (contrast Galatians 1:18-20) of Saul/Paul’s potentially divisive return to Jerusalem as an example of how division can be overcome and lead to productive preaching of the gospel.  When Saul, the former zealous persecutor of the Church in Jerusalem (see Acts 7:58-8:3; 9:1-2), returns to the city after his call on the road to Damascus, the disciples there are understandably afraid of him and refuse to believe that he is a disciple of Christ.  To his great credit, Barnabas, who had earlier been an example of generosity in selling his farm and giving the proceeds to the apostles (Acts 4:36-37), now boldly takes the lead in introducing Saul to the Jerusalem apostles.  He explains that Saul “had seen the Lord (and) conversed with him” and had spoken out fearlessly in Jesus’ name in Damascus.  Barnabas’ courageous action bears immediate fruit.  Saul stays in Jerusalem with the apostles and continues to preach the gospel.  Ironically, he even takes up the mission of Stephen, in whose death he was something of an accomplice, by debating Greek-speaking Jews, who try to kill him as they did Stephen.  Again, communal charity triumphs over potential disaster when “the brothers” take Saul down to Caesarea and send him off to Tarsus.  The incident is followed by an idyllic summary of the peaceful growth of the church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria.

"The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.  It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers."

The second reading from 1 John addresses the problem of the foundation for true Christian fellowship.  For some reason (incipient Gnosticism?), members of John’s community were debating how to “know” if they were still committed to the truth of salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ (1 John 3:18-19).  The author of 1 John cuts through their confusion by offering simple, straightforward advice based on the teaching of Jesus in the farewell discourse of John’s gospel (John 13-17).  He exhorts the community as “little children” to love “in deed and truth and not merely talk about it,” and he assures them that their consciences will have nothing to charge them with before God if they believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded (John 14:13f; 13:34; 15:17).  Those who keep Jesus’ love command have the indwelling presence of God and the gift of his Spirit which he promised in the farewell discourse (John 14:11ff).  The signs of the Spirit’s presence are not the spectacular apocalyptic marvels usually associated with the Messianic age (e.g. Acts 2:17ff; Joel 3:1-5), but concrete acts of charity.  In the previous section (3:11-17) the author of 1 John illustrates what is meant by love of the brethren.  It is not an emotional feeling of affection, but simple communal charity modeled on Jesus’ love in laying down his life for us. “We too must lay down our lives for our brothers.”  Cain, who killed his brother, is the antithesis of Christian love, and “anyone who hates his brother is a murderer.”  The test of true knowledge of God is the answer to a very simple question: “I ask you, how can God’s love survive in a man who has enough of this world’s goods yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need?” (3:17).

The Gospel reading from Jesus’ farewell discourse in John uses the beautiful allegory of the vine and branches to speak of another aspect of the mystery of Christian unity: Jesus brings about the union between his Father and his disciples, and they must abide in him in order to bear fruit.  Jesus proclaims to his disciples that the source of unity is “the word I have spoken to you” (John 15:3,7).  Reception of this word makes the disciples “fruitful” and “clean” branches in contrast to the barren ones who are pruned away by the Father (15:3).  Continued fidelity to this word assures the disciple that they will bear much fruit and not become withered branches to be cut off and thrown into the fire (15:8).

What is “the word I have spoken to you”?  The essence of Jesus’ word of revelation in John is that the Father has loved him and has extended that love to his disciples who are to now live in it by keeping his commandments.

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.  Live on

in my love.  You will live in my love if you keep my command-

ments, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and

live in his love” (John 15:9-10). 

Love of Christians for one another is a sharing in the very love of the Father and the Son.