Third Sunday of Easter (B) Acts 3:13-19
If you live – or spend any significant time – away from the lights of a city, you have the opportunity to observe the night sky when the weather is favorable. If you watch the heavens on a nightly basis, it will appear, from your perspective, that the moon and stars are orbiting Earth along circular paths. Based on such observations, some ancient cultures came to certain conclusions. If heavenly bodies, which are above us both physically and existentially, all move in circular paths, then the circle must be the perfect or ideal shape.
That theory sounded good to ancient ears, except for one thing. Not all heavenly objects were well-behaved. Five ‘stars’ didn’t follow that circular pattern. (Remember that only five planets, besides Earth, are visible to the naked eye.) The ancient Greeks called them ‘wanderers’ – where we get the word ‘planets’. These planets went across the sky in a looping pattern. Picture an old landline phone. Now picture the cable that connects the receiver to the base. Imagine stretching that cable just a bit. That is a good image for how planets appear to move across the sky. It became necessary to find some explanation to account for these ‘wanderers’ that refused to behave as expected. That effort at finding a more adequate explanation eventually led to more accurate theories about the solar system.
For scientists, whenever one encounters an anomaly that cannot be explained by the current theory, it means that the current theory is inadequate in some way. A newer, better one needs to be found that can explain the anomaly as well as everything else. That is how, in science, one ‘repents’ and ‘believes the good news’!
This is easier said than done, however. Even scientists are human and have their ‘pet’ theories. In his younger years, Einstein was responsible for innovative, breakthrough theories on relativity. In his later years, he famously resisted some of the implications of quantum theory because they ran counter to a few of his favorite presuppositions about the universe. Even to scientists, ‘conversion’ is not easy.
Now, let’s shift our venue from science to the human heart. We are born without the benefit of user’s guides or FAQ’s. Human life in general, and our individual lives in particular, can seem like scientific phenomena that require some kind of explanation. Or, as riddles or questions that call out for some kind of answer. Many explanations of the meaning of human life have been offered throughout history. As individuals, we may find that we have accepted at least one of these explanations as the way to envision our personal lives – possibly including a few elements, here and there, from other explanations. We may not even be conscious of this until something happens that does not fit our adopted personal theory. We encounter a ‘wanderer’, a ‘planet’ that cannot be explained by conventional means. We need a new and better theory.
But we usually resist. We are comfortable with our current theory. Indeed, we have built our life around it. Changing the theory has personal implications.
Now, let’s take this theoretical discussion and see if we can bring it closer to home, under the guidance of the first reading for this Sunday.
Our reading is drawn from the third chapter of Acts. Here is the context. Peter and John are in the Temple area in Jerusalem. They encounter a crippled man, and heal him through the power entrusted to them by the Holy Spirit. This healing immediately draws a crowd. It raises a question: what can this mean? It challenges the personal theories of the people gathered around. Crippled people don’t suddenly walk. The medicine of the day did not often heal. Some explanation was required.
Even in that time, there were several possible explanations. Jesus encountered some of them as he healed people during his earthly ministry. Some claimed that these healings were signs that the power of the Evil One – not God – was present in Jesus. Others said that the one who claimed to be healed was not the one who had the infirmity but someone who only looked like him. People who witnessed the events of Pentecost, not long before today’s reading, passed them off as merely proof that the apostles had started Happy Hour a little earlier than usual that day. Lastly, faithful Jews believed that God could – and did – heal people (and do other wondrous things). But how did this man, whom everyone acknowledged to be the one who was crippled, become able to walk?
Peter then addressed the crowd. His words are a model of how any of us should proclaim the Gospel message. Peter begins with the good news of God’s grace. “The God of Abraham… has glorified his servant Jesus… and raised him from the dead”. It was the power of the Risen Lord Jesus, acting through Peter and John, that made the crippled man well. If true, that meant that Jesus of Nazareth, the very one who seemed to be discredited because he suffered the utterly degrading death of crucifixion, was in fact – and is – the Holy and Righteous One, the Messiah chosen by God, the new David, the Son of God.
From the perspective of the gathered crowds, this was a new theory, a new perspective. This new theory had some definite implications, as Peter was unafraid to point out. The gracious presence of God, the utterly Holy One, also reveals to us the true nature of our sin. Just as a brighter light in our room shows more clearly the presence of any dust or some mess we have made, so, too, the inbreaking of God’s grace reveals more clearly the reality of our sin. Isaiah, when given a vision of God in glory, immediately declares himself unclean. Peter, after Jesus gave him an abundance of fish, said, “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” We begin by proclaiming the Good News of what God has done for us. Then, in the light of that Good News, we can see the nature of our sin much more clearly, and seek reconciliation.
Accordingly, Peter reminds the crowd of what recently happened in Jerusalem. They and their leaders had rejected Jesus and condemned him to death. Peter allows that they did so out of ignorance, but the time for ignorance has passed. Through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, God has achieved something new, something unique. God has fulfilled all the promises made to his people and offered his people an overflowing gift of life, healing, forgiveness, and love. To accept this gift, however, meant also to acknowledge one’s need for it. The cross simultaneously reveals God’s love for us and our sin. Would the crowd accept this new ‘theory’ with all its implications? Would they accept the gift of God, thus acknowledging their sin and their need for forgiveness and salvation? Some would believe; others would walk away, clinging to their former ‘theories’.
In our own time, we live in a society that seems to be based on the conviction that either God does not exist at all or, if there is a God, this God is distant, unknowable. Therefore, my pet idea of God is as good as yours. Yet, the God of Abraham, the God of Jesus Christ, continues to act among us. Many people find healing and reconciliation on all levels. Many still believe. Others, reluctant to part with their pet theories, offer explanations for why this appears to be so. We Christians are ‘immature’, afraid to face life as it is, locked in blind faith, ‘unscientific’, and – the worst insult of all in our society – ‘judgmental’.
But if we, as Christians, are faithfully following the Lord – and, just as faithfully, announcing the Good News of what he has done, and is doing, among us – we are not the ones who are passing judgment. We are merely announcing, like Peter, the news of God’s grace and God’s activity among us. To stand in the light of God’s presence is to see ourselves for who we really are – the good as well as the sin. It is the Gospel itself that offers judgment. We can accept its judgment, acknowledge our sin, and then be healed and remade as God’s own people. Or, we can reject its judgment and choose to remain with our sin. It is like going to a doctor and being diagnosed with some illness. We can accept the diagnosis, and only then will we be open to treatment and a possible cure. We can reject the diagnosis. But then, we only condemn ourselves to endure what may follow. The Lord has seen our plight and acted to save us. He has offered us a theory, a diagnosis. This diagnosis offers us judgment (what our condition is) and salvation (what the Lord has done about it). We cannot have one without the other.
As Christians – people who believe in the Lord Jesus – we strive to be faithful and to commit our lives totally to him. Nevertheless, remnants of other theories remain in us. Some nooks and crannies of our hearts and souls remain places where dust gathers. The light of Christ exposes these places – for our own good – and offers us his unique cleaning service. May we remain true to our commitment to the Lord. We know well that what the Lord offers us is far more than any pet theory we may want to hold on to. May we trust always in his love.
P.S. A couple of readers expressed concern for me recently because I hadn’t published a post in about two weeks. Between recovering from Holy Week, dealing with a parish funeral, and beginning CPAP treatment, it was a challenging two weeks. I didn’t have the energy to do a post last week. Now, I feel a little better, so here we go. It may not be my best effort, but it’s important to get back in the game!