Sixth Sunday of Easter Year B 5th May 2024
Lectionary Readings: Acts 10 v44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5 v1-6; John 15 v9-17.
Jesus said “I command you to love each other” (John 15 v17).
OK, Jesus, I hear your command, but Lord, some people are difficult to love! You, Lord, know that human siblings don’t always love each other as they should. We can choose our friends, but not our family. Maybe that’s the root of my problem, I want to be the one in control, choosing who is to be my brother or sister in Christ. Maybe I, like the apostle Peter, need to acknowledge that you are in control, not me or any other human being.
In today’s reading from Acts chapter 10, Peter is still speaking to Cornelius and his household, when ‘the Holy Spirit takes control of everyone who is listening’. (v44).
The penny drops for Peter, that God wants him to realise that God is in control. God is doing the inviting. God wants Peter to baptize Cornelius and the other ‘Gentiles’ into God’s family. The ‘good news’ is not to be restricted to the Jews.
Peter goes on to say, “These Gentiles have been given the Holy Spirit, just as we have! I am certain that no one would dare stop us from baptizing them.” (v47).
Peter, it seems, had been under the influence of Jewish converts, those who assumed that in order to be a true follower of Jesus, a ‘Gentile’ should first convert to the Jewish religion.
Now that the Holy Spirit had intervened and made clear God’s intentions, “Peter ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” (v48).
Although the Jews knew that their ancestor Abraham and his descendants had been blessed by God, they had forgotten the second part of God’s blessing, that they should become the means of blessing other nations. (Genesis 12 v1,2)
The Psalmist had not forgotten, “The Lord has shown the nations that he has the power to save and to bring justice. God has been faithful in his love for Israel, and his saving power is seen everywhere on earth.” (Psalm 98 v2,3).
John in his letter says, “If we believe that Jesus is truly Christ, we are God’s children.” (v1a). If we love and obey God, we know that we will love his children.” (v2).
Jesus says, “I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you.” (John 15 v9).
God’s love is for all. The challenge to me and you as followers of Jesus is to obey his command “To love each other as I have loved you.” (v12). We are encouraged to let God’s love work within us, softening our hearts, especially towards those we find difficult to love. As the Lord’s Prayer reminds us, we can also show God’s love to others by “forgiving those that trespass against us, just as we have been forgiven our trespasses, by our heavenly Father God.”
The thought of God’s love at work within us brings to mind the words of a Graham Kendrick worship song ‘Soften my heart Lord’.
Soften my heart, Lord, Soften my heart, From all indifference Set me apart, To feel your compassion, To weep with your tears. Come soften my heart, O Lord, Soften my heart.
Bible quotations are taken from the Contemporary English Version.