April 14
Third Sunday of Easter
“Lord, let your face shine on us.”
Readings
Reflection
We hear today Peter tell the people that they have put to death God’s servant, Jesus the Christ. Peter goes on to exhort them to repent of their sins and change the way they live in order that Christ might wipe away their sins.
Often we hear Peter sound mad or upset with the people. Scripture readers over the centuries have accused Peter of being anti-Jewish, but in reality, Peter is upset and angered because the authorities have put to death a person that he has followed and believed in. Peter, furthermore, is angered that the people to whom he speaks do not seem to care or believe that Jesus was the one sent from God the Father. Peter considers this the utmost travesty.
When we read or hear Scripture that refers to Peter, we must remember his experiences and feelings. Often, Peter is probably yelling at the crowd. He would do this not only so the crowd would hear him, but also to show his disbelief in their refusal to believe in Christ.
Imagine if we were that passionate about our belief in Christ. How would our world look? Scripture is not as metered and clean as we often portray it. More often, Scripture possesses the real life emotions of the people who lived the experiences portrayed in Scripture. These people were real as we are. They possessed real emotion and human reaction. In part, their humanity makes the Scriptures real for us, all these many centuries later.
Peace,
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