Reflection by Frances Flatman on next Sunday's Readings :-
For ancient people death, either in the case of oneself or ones loved-ones, spelt annihilation, nothingness. Even Jews of the 1st century CE, who believed in some form of resurrection largely thought of it as the material result of the wiping out of the Roman invaders and the assumption of world domination by Jewry. But as we have seen, the Christian sect (within Judaism until 70 CE) and converts from paganism were attracted to the faith by the deeply relational power which encompassed the believer and the divine. Hence Paul’s description of Christians as ‘heirs of God’ in Romans and in the Petrine letters which speaks of us as a ‘new creation’. This has been brought about by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and by his work on our behalf every follower is understood to be given eternal life in God himself. This clearly was not simply about earthly existence, but something beyond this realm and its catastrophic failures and problems in which they/we will enjoy forever the company of the blessed. Ancient people did mourn the loss of beloved children and partners, and the new Christian faith led them to explore this ‘life beyond physical death’.
It is clear that John (10:27-30) is part of his reflection on this phenomenon, as he worked to understand the teaching of Jesus. Jesus was teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem during the feast of the Dedication of the Second Temple. But we know that by his time the Temple was corrupt, and its rule shared by two families who controlled all aspects of its life, liturgy, sacrifice, banking, treasury and its police force. Our passage is part of a much longer sheep-shepherd teaching in which Jesus was clearly highly critical of its rulers, describing them variously as ‘strangers’, ‘thieves and bandits’, and ‘wolves’. In dramatic contrast, he describes himself in the following terms ‘I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.’ v.14, and again in our text ‘The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one.’ So here we have both a statement of Jesus’ identity with God, and of their power to give security, eternal life to believers. We can appreciate how, in a world of daily food uncertainty, war and even geophysical uncertainty such a message might well catch on, as major cities like both Antioch’s were destroyed by earthquakes or fires and riots.
In Acts (13:14.43-52) we find Luke, a near contemporary of John, writing for converts from paganism and recalling the mission of Paul and Barnabas some twenty years previously. It appeared that the Apostles had struck lucky on Crete, where they found a patron in the Pro-consular Governor Sergius Paulus. No doubt the patronage of such a high up imperial official worked well in their missionary endeavours and it was the same man, a native of Antioch in Pisidia, a great city with all the trappings of Roman power who aided their travel and mission in his homeland. Clearly he still owned villas and land in the territory. Yet, as Paul so frequently remarked in his own Letters, his mission was frequently dogged by hard-line Jews who subsequently worked to draw wealthy converts away and back to their form of Judaism with circumcision and full observance of the Torah. Clearly they did not carry so much clout with ordinary Godfearers and converts, but were determined to keep the elite within their own control where possible. They got the local governing powers in the city to expel the Apostles. Nonetheless, a Christian community was established in Antioch. What we do know is that there was a thriving Jewish diaspora in what we call Turkey, and of ancient duration, and that their devout way of life was attractive to thinking pagans. Despite Paul’s lengthy and here omitted discourse on the rise of Judaism and the story of Jesus, it is clear that rival attractions to Christianity, eastern paganism included, meant it was by no means plain sailing for the Christian community.
By the time we come to Apocalypse (7:9.14-17), which I suspect was written quite a bit later, our other John writes to encourage converts to the faith during times of active persecution. Since early disputes were often initiated by Jews, and Romans did not in the early days see Christianity as a threat or persecute them (Nero apart and for quite different reasons) what we seem to have here is the author’s encouragement of martyrs. ‘These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and because they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb, they now stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary.’….They will never hunger or thirst again…God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.’ Clearly here, the martyrs are now in glory, and eternally secure in the service and grace of God. Persecutions begun by Roman authorities were very sporadic, even in the second century, in Lyons and in North Africa, and as the writer does not seem to mention any instigated by the Jewish communities we must think of the ones spoken of here in the province of Asia as very local, but nonetheless significant to the cities to which the author was writing. It is strange for us, rejoicing in Eastertide, to focus upon persecution, yet this is a central part of our message and for the Orthodox Christians of the Ukraine at present it is very much a reality. Witnessing to the faith in an Easter at War, as Pope Francis said, is both scandalous in our age and a reminder of where we all come from.
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