CT - Catholic Telegraph

God’s plans are not short-term

Third Sunday of Easter (A), Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-23.

There are six discourses in Acts that deal with the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic significance. Five of them are attributed to Peter and one to Paul. Excerpts from five of these discourses constitute the first readings for the Third and Fourth Sundays of Easter throughout the three year cycle. We have already heard from the remaining one — Peter’s speech to Cornelius and his family — on Easter itself.

This Sunday’s reading is the central portion of Peter’s discourse on Pentecost, the first public proclamation of the meaning of the resurrection and therefore the inaugural proclamation of the church. (We will hear the ending of this speech next Sunday, together with the reaction of those who heard Peter.)

Peter’s point in the verses that we hear is that the resurrection of Jesus is the identifying sign of His messiahship. Through a complex kind of rabbinic argumentation, Peter relates the messianic prophecies to the life of Jesus. He demonstrates that Jesus is the successor promised to David, the Lord who is established at the right hand of God, the channel through which the Holy Spirit of God would be sent into the world.

In order to grasp the force of Peter’s argumentation, we need to be aware of certain presuppositions that would have been taken for granted by those that Peter addressed: 1) that David was the author of all the psalms; 2) that David was somehow God’s "anointed"; 3) that God had promised to David an unending dynasty through his descendants; and 4) that what is spoken of in the psalms refer either to their author (David) or to his descendant, the Messiah.

Our passage begins with a verse of introduction that shows us Peter as the spokesman for all the apostles addressing the full Jerusalem public. Now comes the speech itself. Peter first outlines the public career of Jesus. Jesus worked miracles, as everybody knows. But then He was killed by the populace who used the agency of the Romans for this purpose. God allowed this to happen because it was part of the divine plan. But now Jesus has risen from the dead because God wanted Him to be alive forever.

Next comes the scriptural argumentation that would demonstrate the meaning of the resurrection. Peter quotes from Psalm 16. Here the author (David) speaks of seeing the Lord always, of dwelling in hope, of being liberated from decay and corruption, of having been shown the paths of life. But, says Peter, this can’t refer to David himself, since everybody knows that David died. He was not liberated from corruption. All of Peter’s hearers would have been acquainted with David’s tomb! Therefore, in view of the fact that God had promised David a messianic successor whom he would have been able to foresee thanks to his prophetic gifts, it must be that David is referring to this successor as the one who would not see corruption.

Jesus did not see corruption (having risen from the dead). "We ourselves have seen the risen Christ," Peter says. Consequently, Jesus must be the Messiah that David look forward to. In brief, Peter’s argument is that the Messiah has come, and it is Jesus. Jesus’ messianic identity is demonstrated by His resurrection as it was foreseen in David’s prophetic psalm. This risen Jesus has been reunited to the Father and will serve as the channel to bring the Holy Spirit to all those who are willing to receive the Spirit.

Most 21sst- century Americans probably find Peter’s approach to be rather complicated. His use of Scripture seems strange. We certainly don’t accept the presuppositions about the psalms that Peter and his audience shared. But the central idea of his message is still valid: Jesus is the promised savior of humankind, and His resurrection serves not only to demonstrate His divinity, but also to provide an avenue for continued contact between humanity and God, between sinners and the Spirit. The Messiah promised to David, the anointed king who would reign forever, is the risen Christ that we know and love.

God’s plans are not short-term. They are not short-term in their coming to be. God’s plans for our salvation stretch back all the way to Adam and Eve. They reach out through Abraham and Moses and David to the life and ministry and death of Jesus.

God’s plans are not short-term in their fulfillment. The death and resurrection of Jesus open the way to the final fulfillment of the world. God’s plans are not yet fully implemented, but when they are, we will see that they involve proclamation and prophecy and resurrection and the coming of the Spirit, the very things that Peter spoke about in that inaugural address on the first Pentecost.

For reflection and discussion

What does Christ’s resurrection mean to me?

How do I proclaim the risen Christ?



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	*Overtures* Reflection on the first readings of the Sunday liturgy By Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk God’s plans are not short-term Third Sunday of Easter (A), Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-23. There are six discourses in Acts that deal with the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic significance. Five of them are attributed to Peter and one to Paul. Excerpts from five of these discourses constitute the first readings for the Third and Fourth Sundays of Easter throughout the three year cycle. We have already heard from the remaining one — Peter’s speech to Cornelius and his family — on Easter itself. This Sunday’s reading is the central portion of Peter’s discourse on Pentecost, the first public proclamation of the meaning of the resurrection and therefore the inaugural proclamation of the church. (We will hear the ending of this speech next Sunday, together with the reaction of those who heard Peter.) Peter’s point in the verses that we hear is that the resurrection of Jesus is the identifying sign of His messiahship. Through a complex kind of rabbinic argumentation, Peter relates the messianic prophecies to the life of Jesus. He demonstrates that Jesus is the successor promised to David, the Lord who is established at the right hand of God, the channel through which the Holy Spirit of God would be sent into the world. In order to grasp the force of Peter’s argumentation, we need to be aware of certain presuppositions that would have been taken for granted by those that Peter addressed: 1) that David was the author of all the psalms; 2) that David was somehow God’s "anointed"; 3) that God had promised to David an unending dynasty through his descendants; and 4) that what is spoken of in the psalms refer either to their author (David) or to his descendant, the Messiah. Our passage begins with a verse of introduction that shows us Peter as the spokesman for all the apostles addressing the full Jerusalem public. Now comes the speech itself. Peter first outlines the public career of Jesus. Jesus worked miracles, as everybody knows. But then He was killed by the populace who used the agency of the Romans for this purpose. God allowed this to happen because it was part of the divine plan. But now Jesus has risen from the dead because God wanted Him to be alive forever. Next comes the scriptural argumentation that would demonstrate the meaning of the resurrection. Peter quotes from Psalm 16. Here the author (David) speaks of seeing the Lord always, of dwelling in hope, of being liberated from decay and corruption, of having been shown the paths of life. But, says Peter, this can’t refer to David himself, since everybody knows that David died. He was not liberated from corruption. All of Peter’s hearers would have been acquainted with David’s tomb! Therefore, in view of the fact that God had promised David a messianic successor whom he would have been able to foresee thanks to his prophetic gifts, it must be that David is referring to this successor as the one who would not see corruption. Jesus did not see corruption (having risen from the dead). "We ourselves have seen the risen Christ," Peter says. Consequently, Jesus must be the Messiah that David look forward to. In brief, Peter’s argument is that the Messiah has come, and it is Jesus. Jesus’ messianic identity is demonstrated by His resurrection as it was foreseen in David’s prophetic psalm. This risen Jesus has been reunited to the Father and will serve as the channel to bring the Holy Spirit to all those who are willing to receive the Spirit. Most 21sst- century Americans probably find Peter’s approach to be rather complicated. His use of Scripture seems strange. We certainly don’t accept the presuppositions about the psalms that Peter and his audience shared. But the central idea of his message is still valid: Jesus is the promised savior of humankind, and His resurrection serves not only to demonstrate His divinity, but also to provide an avenue for continued contact between humanity and God, between sinners and the Spirit. The Messiah promised to David, the anointed king who would reign forever, is the risen Christ that we know and love. God’s plans are not short-term. They are not short-term in their coming to be. God’s plans for our salvation stretch back all the way to Adam and Eve. They reach out through Abraham and Moses and David to the life and ministry and death of Jesus. God’s plans are not short-term in their fulfillment. The death and resurrection of Jesus open the way to the final fulfillment of the world. God’s plans are not yet fully implemented, but when they are, we will see that they involve proclamation and prophecy and resurrection and the coming of the Spirit, the very things that Peter spoke about in that inaugural address on the first Pentecost. For reflection and discussion** What does Christ’s resurrection mean to me? How do I proclaim the risen Christ?

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