Wait in Jerusalem...

Year B: Seventh Sunday of Easter

Each feast of the Liturgical Year is both an event to be celebrated and a grace to be received. The grace of Christmas is to know Christ in his humanity. The grace of Epiphany is to know him in his divinity. The grace of Holy Week is to know him in his emptying and dying. The grace of Easter is to know him in his triumph over sin and death. The grace of the Ascension is to know him as the cosmic Christ. It is to know the glorified Christ, who has passed, not into some geographical location, but into the heart of all creation.¹ —Thomas Keating

Year B, Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 12 2024

First Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Psalm: Psalm 1

Second Reading: 1 John 5:9-13

Gospel: John 17:6-19

Sermon - Wait in Jerusalem…

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. While we know now that they only had to wait ten days until Pentecost, they were not privy to that knowledge. Instead, Jesus had told them, “It is not for you to know the times or periods…” (Acts 1:7).

We all know how frustrating waiting can be, and in light of the resurrection of Jesus, I can imagine how hard it must have been for the disciples to sit still.

I remember how the anticipation built as my son’s arrival into the world approached. The closer we got to his due date, the more impatient I became, but that sense of expectation was nothing compared to what Laura experienced.

I didn’t know about this, but apparently “nesting” is that burst of energy pregnant mothers sometimes get where they want to clean and organize everything before the baby’s arrival.

I get that sense that the disciples must have experienced something similar in Acts 1 because after being told to “wait,” they quickly found something to do.

During those days, there was a group of men and women, around 120, who constantly devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 1:14). It was around this time that Peter stood up, reminded everyone what Judas had done, and then used a few passages to suggest that they ought to replace Judas with someone else who had witnessed the resurrection.

There is no mention that Jesus or one of the angels told Peter to do this. As far as I can, this was Peter’s idea.

So the disciples picked out two candidates for apostleship: Joseph (who was also called Barsabbas and Justus) and Matthias.

Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1:24–26

Though we have no record of them being instructed by God to call for a vote, they asked God to bless the vote and their prayer was apparently answered.

This brings up an interesting side point: if the disciples were able to take the initiative here to appoint another apostle, could it be that we also can use wisdom to make decisions for our churches today even when we don’t have book, chapter, and verse for every point? If they had the liberty to make this decision, then might we have more liberties than we let on? (cf. Acts 6:1-6)

I think it’s important to also note why they felt the need to appoint another apostle, which really goes back to why Jesus appointed twelve to begin with.

While things can get a little out of hand when talking about numbers in the Bible, I think this one is fairly straightforward: the twelve apostles function as representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus called twelve apostles to lay the foundation for a new Israel (not exclusive of the old Israel) who would embark on a new exodus.

Thus, the awkwardness of having eleven apostles, instead of twelve, was felt by the disciples in Jerusalem, and while God has plans to appoint Saul, the disciples took the initiative to fill the hole left by Judas and induct Matthias.

There is not some profound point here I am trying to make. This new group of apostles are later referred to as “the twelve” in Acts 6:1-6.

But I do think this story highlights the humanity of the apostles, and it makes me feel better for the times in my life when I find it hard to wait and take the initiative in certain situations. But even in those times, God can still bless us and use us for the good of the world.

Psalm: Delight in the Law of the Lord

When we think about Law, the first word that comes to our head is not typically “delight” (Psalm 1). But for the psalmist, possibly David, nothing could be more true. While we might think of the Law as being hard to follow, binding, limiting, and perhaps even a kind of bondage, for the people of God, Israel, the Law was a Way for them to connect with their Creator, live in harmony with each other, and live fully human, as image-bearers of God.

However, there was another path Israel could follow, and that was the advice of the wicked and the path of the sinners. This way is often alluring to us because it seems like a kind of freedom. We want to do what the flesh desires and enjoy any fleeting pleasure we can. But when we examine this way, we find it to be fruitless. “The wicked are not [stable and fruitful like a tree] but are like the chaff that the wind drives away” (Psalm 1:4).

As the people of God, our delight should be in God’s laws. We should meditate on the teachings of Jesus day and night. This means that we find, in every occasion, an opportunity to love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Paul says this is how we fulfill the Law of God (Romans 13:8).

Reading scripture should be a joy, not a burden. And contemplating the Law of God that is written on our heart should bring us peace, not feel like a chore. When we find ourselves falling more and more in love with the Way of God, we will discover that it is where true freedom, prosperity, and joy lies, not with the false freedoms, riches, and fleeting joys of this life. Let’s meditate on God’s law together!

Thanks so much for keeping up with this blog. If you have any suggestions, recommendations, or critiques, you can always comment here or reach out through my website: https://danielr.net.

1. Keating, Thomas. The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience. New York: Continuum, 2008. Print.