Commentary

Acts 5:27-32
The disciples continue to preach the Word that Jesus is alive and at God’s right
hand even though they were told otherwise by the leaders. They are put in prison
and through a miracle escape. It is clear that the force behind the disciples is God’s
Spirit.

Acts 5:27 they had brought them – At least a portion, if not the whole group of
followers of Jesus that were previously arrested are once again before their
accusers.

Acts 5:28 We gave you strict orders not to teach – The implicit understanding
is there is a basic disagreement between the leaders of the temple and the
followers of Jesus.
yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching – It is important to
emphasize Jerusalem since the movement of the Word starts here and goes
to the end of the earth.
you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us – A fear, justified or not,
is that the leaders of the Christian movement will ferment revolution so that
the opposition is brought down in a bloody coup.

Acts 5:29 We must obey God rather than any human authority – This verse must
be read hand in hand with Romans 13:5-7. In other words, there are times
where one must follow God, even when it opposes the current government
and popular opinion.

Acts 5:30 The God of our ancestors – The author of Luke/Acts wants to establish
the connection between Jesus and the faith tradition that Rome already al-
lows to exist. This lineage then allows one to argue that followers of Christ
are nothing more than a type of Judaism that should continue without any
type of harassment from the state.
raised up Jesus – The theology of the cross is not the denial of the Resurrec-
tion.1 Instead, it includes the proclamation that, “He is risen.” For if Jesus is
not alive, then we have no faith, no Church, and no hope.
1
James H. Burtness, ‘“The Lamb Who Was Slain Has Begun His Reign. Amen!” Texts from
the Revelation to John for the Sundays of Easter’, Word & World, 12 (1992):2, p. 18.

1
 you had killed by hanging him on a tree – This statement places blame on a
specific person or group and it stands in direct contrast to the words spoken
by the two men on Easter, “handed over to sinners, and be crucified (Luke
24:7).”
Acts 5:31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour – For the
life and the death, Jesus is given a reward that places Him above every other
person and power, including God the Father. Jesus is also recognized as the
One who brings healing to creation.
he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins – The speech by
Peter does not give any reason why the former system used to pronounce
absolution for the people no longer suffices. On the surface, this statement
by Peter is troubling. How does anyone trust a leader that goes back on
promises?
Acts 5:32 we are witnesses to these things – Perhaps the audience already knew
the fate of the first witnesses (μάρτυρες). Many became martyrs.
the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him – The modern
mainline churches doctrine often has issues with this verse. They seem to
believe that the Spirit is unconditionally given in baptism and then it remains
with the person no matter what happens. This interpretation forgets Matthew
12:31; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10 that states situations occur when eternal death
occurs when one condemns the Holy Spirit. The groups that shy away from
following the law, like the ELCA, do not want to hear this verse either since
the inverse holds true. The Holy Spirit is not with the groups who do not
uphold the God’s law.

Psalm 150
The voices of praise provided by the people of God along with every other living
creature should echo throughout all of the universe. Take the instruments of war,
of love, and of life and give them a new purpose. Praise the L ORD!

Psalm 150:1 Praise the L ORD! – The command is clear. The One who created
existence, saved Israel, and continues these mighty deeds to this day must
be recognized by the people.
Praise God in his sanctuary – In the innermost courts where God dwells,
the songs lifted up in honor never cease.

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 Psalm 150:2 praise him in his mighty firmament! – Further away from the king,
the hymns continue.
Praise him for his mighty deeds – Recall what has happened and give God
thanks. Know that what has already occurred is just a sign of what can and
does happen today.

Psalm 150:3 Praise him with trumpet sound – Take the instruments used for other
purposes like calling the troops to battle and rededicate them to the L ORD.

Psalm 150:4 Praise him with tambourine and dance – Use the music and the
movements typically found in erotic situations and give them to the L ORD.

Psalm 150:5 Praise him with clanging cymbals – No matter what these sounds
have done in the past, they too can be part of the celebration in the L ORD’s
house.

Psalm 150:6 Let everything that breathes praise the L ORD! – The songs lifted up
to the L ORD need to be offered by everything that lives for the L ORD gives
life.

Revelation 1:4-8
I find that Holy Week is draining; no matter how many times I have
lived through his crucifixion, my anxiety about his resurrection is
undiminished – I am terrified that, this year, it won’t happen; that,
that year, it didn’t. Anyone can be sentimental about the Nativity; any
fool can feel like a Christian at Christmas. But Easter is the main
event; if you don’t believe in the resurrection, you’re not a believer.
“IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN EASTER,” Owen Meany said,
“DON’T KID YOURSELF – DON’T CALL YOURSELF A CHRIS-
TIAN.”2

These harsh words from Irving burn our postmodern ears that yearn for a universal
god that lets everyone in no matter what they believe. Despite this fact found in
the USA, the Easter Season is a time to raise our voices with Owen Meany.3 Christ
is alive and everything is changed. Believe and live.
2
John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany, (Random House, 2002), p. 289.
3
Burtness, ‘Texts from the Revelation to John for the Sundays of Easter’, p. 182.

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 In the lectionary used by the ELCA, the lessons from Revelation are almost
completely ignored. Consider the number of readings found in the three year lec-
tionary cycle. Lessons from Revelation are found every year on New Year’s Day,
in year B on All Saints’ Day and Christ the King, and in the season of Easter in
year C. Now is the time to speak about them because if these lessons are ignored
once again the church might believe we do not listen to certain parts of the Bible
or that Revelation says things that we cannot hear.4
Revelation is the only book in the canon of the New Testament that claims for
itself the position of prophesy (Revelation 1:3; 22:19).5 Maybe this is one of the
reasons for the Church’s reluctance to talk about the book. She seems to believe
that prophesy is completed in Jesus and this occurred at a specific time. This
category of time makes little sense in Revelation. The past, present, and future
collapse into nothingness.
Additionally, the book specifically offers blessings to those who read the work
and keeps its words (Revelation 1:3). Likewise, there is a curse to all those who
modify the book in any way (Revelation 22:19). This is a unique claim when
compared to all other books in the New Testament.6
The book of Revelation takes its name from the noun ἀποκάλυψις found in the
first verse. It is composed of two parts. The prefix ἀπο means “un” and the suffix
“to cover.” In other words, ἀποκάλυψις is the lifting of the veil. It is to uncover,
to show, or to reveal. Despite the removal of the cloth that hides, the mystery still
remains. This always will be so. God has revealed himself and yet He still remains
a mystery.7
Andrew of Caesarea in his early commentary on Revelation, often made ref-
erences to the liturgy.8 This includes the hymns and the prayers of the Eastern
Church.9 Andrew of Caesarea’s commentary also encompasses many aspects that
the Protestants would like to forget: incense and the prayers of the angels. In the
same manner, Andrew of Caesarea makes references to the sacraments.10 In the
churches that retain a strong sacramental theology, Revelation has points of com-
4
Burtness, ‘Texts from the Revelation to John for the Sundays of Easter’, p. 183-184.
5
Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, Andrew of Caesarea and the Apocalypse in the Ancient
Church of the East: Studies and Translation, Ph. D thesis, (Université Laval Québec, 2008), p. 40.
6
Ibid.
7
Paul Tillich, Systematic Theology Volume One, Volume One, (The University of Chicago
Press, 1951), p. 109.
8
Constantinou, ‘Andrew of Caesarea’, p. 148.
9
Ibid., p. 149.
10
Ibid., p. 150.

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monality: baptism (Revelation 7:17; 22:1, 12), baptism robes (Revelation 3:4),
celebration during baptism and marriage (Revelation 7:11), Holy Communion
(Revelation 2:17), Chrismation (Revelation 7:3; Revelation 9:1-4).11

Revelation 1:4 John – The author is on the island of Patmos which is found in
the Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkey.
to the seven churches – While this letter is directed to named churches and
that seven is a holy number reserved for the L ORD, it seems foolish to be-
lieve that this uncovering of the mystery in the letter is limited to a given
place or even a specific time. These words hold true as long as time exists.
This message hold for the one body of Christ on the earth.
in Asia – This is the name the Romans used for the western province of
modern day Turkey.
Grace to you and peace from him – The blessings found in the letter come
directly from Jesus.
from him who is and who was and who is to come This contains a distant
echo of the name revealed to Moses (Exodus 3:14).
and from the seven spirits who are before his throne – Additional benefits
come from the one who serve the L ORD night and day. These gifts pale
in comparison to those from God but they are important since they show
everyone in the L ORD’s world work together for His benefit.
Andrew of Caesarea states that the throne is not a place of power.12 Instead,
he uses it as a place of rest.13 Consider the altar in a chancel, especially in
an Eastern Orthodox context. The “throne of God” is not place of judgment
but instead a location where God’s mercies are given to the people of God.14

Revelation 1:5 the faithful witness – The only true example is Jesus. He is the
martyr, the faithful (ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός).
the firstborn of the dead – The language of paradox is hard to notice since
we have grown so used to it. The concept includes being the first child
(πρωτότοκος). Others will follow. The world of the dead (νεκρός) normally
does not bring life (ζωή). This fact no longer holds in the new world.
11
Constantinou, ‘Andrew of Caesarea’, p. 150-152.
12
Ibid., p. 149.
13
Ibid., p. 150.
14
Ibid.

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 the ruler of the kings of the earth – Other leaders might believe they are in
charge of their own destiny or at least the future of their people. In reality,
the One who controls all of existence is Jesus.
To him who loves us – Praise is given to Jesus because no matter what hap-
pens, He loves His followers. Psalm 150 captures this concept quite nicely.
freed us from our sins – Sing songs to Jesus. Sin no longer holds His people
captive.
by his blood – In a world that sees blood as an archaic way of winning
forgiveness but yet still calls for life to be poured out on the battle field, this
idea is troubling.
Adding to the confusion is the discussion inside the Church on how salva-
tion is won. The traditional theory of atonement for the Western Church,
presented by Anselm of Canterbury in Why God Became Man, was ap-
proved in a synod called in 1141 C.E. by Bernard of Clairvaux.15 In this
proposal, modeled after the Western justice system,16 Jesus pays the penalty
for our sin through His suffering and death since God’s divine honor was
injured due to human sin and that the sacrifice of God’s Son was the only
way that this honor could be restored.17
One of the weaknesses of this approach is its reliance on restitution. God
is both the One who decides that God needs to be paid for sin and what
amount must be paid.18 This form of logic in turn raises the questions of the
value of the payment and the appropriateness of the amount paid. Neither
does this argument clearly place Jesus in the Trinity, for it seems in this
case that Jesus is just another god who bargains with God for our salvation.
Another weakness in this theory is that the death of Jesus is a sacrifice which
appeases God’s wrath; even though there is not much support for this idea
in the Bible.19
15
Justo L. González, A History of Christian Thought From Augustine to the Eve of the Refor-
mation, Volume II, 2nd edition. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1987), p. 173,174.
16
We should not be surprised with this model since the Western church has been more interested
in the “legal” questions of sin and justice between God and man than the Eastern church which is
more interested in the correct relationship with God both now and in eternity.
17
Ibid., p. 166.
18
William C. Placher, A History Of Christian Theology: An Introduction, (The Westminster
Press, 1983), p. 71.
19
Carl E. Bratten et al., editors, Chap. The Work of Christ In ‘Christian Dogmatics’, Volume 2,
(Fortress Press, 1984), p. 14-15.

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 Gerhard Forde proposes a different theory of atonement. Unlike other the-
ories, one does not do something to change or appease God, but instead
God changes. Forde proposes the analogy of a truck accident as a method
to explain his proposed model.20 In this illustration, a truck is driving along
and a child is playing in the street. The child is completely unaware of the
truck that is about to hit him. A bystander takes the child out of harm’s way
and while the child lives, the bystander is killed by the truck. Forde states
that the child is our neighbor, we are the driver of the truck which kills the
bystander, and Jesus the one who saves the child.21
It is interesting that the NRSV, the RSV, and the ESV translate the text from
NA 27 (καὶ λύσαντι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ) as
“and freed us from our sins by his blood” rather than “and washed us from
our sins in His blood (author’s translation),” which is found in the KJV. Is
the washing of garments in blood no longer an image that is understood or
is it that the translators are using a different text other than NA 27?
Revelation 1:6 made us to be a kingdom – The ones who believe and thus act
faithfully are part of a new reality that can be best expressed as a country.
priests serving his God and Father – Unlike the old world where only a se-
lect group of people wait on the Lord, in this creation everyone does the will
of God. It also adds more people to the promise given to Israel in Exodus
19:6.
Revelation 1:7 Look! – See carefully what is happening right before your eyes.
Behold (ἰδού)!
He is coming – This is a major theme of Revelation. Jesus will return.
with the clouds – These are signs of God’s presence. The rainbow in the
clouds shows the eternal covenant that God will not use water again to de-
stroy life (Genesis 9:13-17). The pillar of cloud that contains the L ORD
sends the people in the wilderness on their way (example Exodus 13:21).
The L ORD speaks to His people from a cloud (Exodus 19:9). Clouds cover
the mountain when the L ORD is there (Exodus 24:15).
every eye will see him – Time and distance make no difference here. All, the
living and the dead, the willing and unwilling, the ones with eyes and the
blind will see Jesus.
20
Bratten et al., ‘CD II’, p. 88.
21
Ibid., p. 89.

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 all the tribes of the earth – Universality is contained here also. The entire
company will see Jesus. This includes those that welcome Him and those
who do not. The dead and the living will be present.
will wail – The Greek verb is κόπτω and it indicates great fear.
So it is to be. Amen. – To punctuate the point that Jesus is coming again, the
author strongly states “Yes” (ναί) and then adds “Very, truly” (ἀμήν). This
means the same in Greek and in Hebrew.22

Revelation 1:8 I am the Alpha and the Omega – The beginning and the end of
everything is held by the One who controls all.
says the Lord God – The statement that God is the Lord means that there
can be no other. This is another theme of Revelation. God has no equals.
The government is not God. The economy is not God. Technology is not
God.
the Almighty – The definition of the One with all the power is another ex-
ample of paradox that is no longer heard in our context. The One in charge
is the One who allowed death. The One with the power allowed power to be
used to kill. The lamb who was slain has begun His reign.

John 20:19-31
The narrator starts out this portion of the Gospel by telling us the basic facts.
Thomas was not there the first time the disciples saw Jesus in the locked room
(John 20:24). They kept telling him that they had seen the risen Lord (John 20:25).
Thomas’ response to their witness of the resurrection is very harsh. Thomas wants
to throw his hand into Christ’s wounds and until this happens he will not believe
(John 20:24). A week later Jesus appears to the disciples and tells them, “Peace is
with you (John 20:26)!” Jesus then invites Thomas to touch and see the wounds
on His body (John 20:27a).
We now are at the verse of contention. In 1611, the King James Version had
Jesus commanding Thomas to, “be not faithless, but believing.”23 The Revised
22
Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, Andrew of Caesarea and the Apocalypse in the Ancient
Church of the East: Part 2: Translation of the Apocalypse Commentary of Andrew of Caesarea,
Ph. D thesis, (Université Laval Québec, 2008), p. 21.
23
John 20:27b KJV 1611.

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Standard Version in 1946 used almost the exact same translation, “do not be faith-
less, but believing.”24 This all changed in 1973. The New International Version
decided that being without faith meant that you where doubting, so they have Je-
sus tell Thomas to, “Stop doubting and believe.”25 The New Revised Standard
Version, the translation that we normally use at Tree of Life, follows the lead of
the New International Version with the words, “Do not doubt but believe.”26
The last two English translations are wrong. Thomas does not doubt. The
Greek text is very clear on this one point. The original text plainly reads, “Do
not have no faith but faith.”27

John 20:19 Peace be with you. – The Greek εἰρήνη ὑμῖν does not have the verb
to be (Peace with you). This is a promise to the disciples that may be used
to calm down the situation. The disciples are to be at shalom within the
currently difficult situation. As Peterman states in his sermon on April 4,
1997 given at Christ the King Lutheran in Houston Texas –

What he actually said was not in the subjunctive but in the declar-
ative. What Jesus said was, Peace is with you. Now this may not
seem like much of a difference, but I assure you that the differ-
ence is as dramatic as night and day. Peace be with you is a sub-
jective wish. Peace is with you is an objective statement. Jesus
was not expressing the hope that peace might be with Thomas
some day in the sweet bye and bye. He was announcing that
peace was in fact with Thomas in that moment. Jesus was not
making a wish. He was declaring a fact.

John 20:20 he showed them his hands and his side. – This is proof that the person
before them is Jesus.

John 20:21 Peace be with you. – The Greek is εἰρήνη ὑμῖν and should read “Peace
to you.”28 Jesus brings peace.29
so I send you. – Jesus tells His followers that they must go.
24
John 20:27b RSV 1946.
25
John 20:27b NIV 1973.
26
John 20:27b NRSV 1989.
27
καὶ μὴ γίνου ἄπιστος ἀλλὰ πιστός (John 20:27b NA-27.)
28
S.D.B. Francis J. Moloney; S.J. Daniel J. Harrington, editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4,
Sacra Pagina Series, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 534.
29
Ibid.

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John 20:22 he breathed on them – The Greek is ἐνεφύσησεν. Jesus animates the
disciples just like God breathed into Adam (LXX Genesis 2:7).
Receive the Holy Spirit – The group receives the Spirit. No matter how much
the disciples have failed God, God has never failed the disciples.30

John 20:23 if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. – The Greek reads
ἄν τινων κρατῆτε κεκράτηνται It seems that a better translation of κρατέω
would be “arrest.”

John 20:24

John 20:25 So the other disciples told him – Some authors consider the verb
ἔλεγον from λέγω to be a “conative imperfect,” which means that the others
tried to tell him.31 The disciples witness and try to tell Thomas about Jesus.
We must do the same today to those inside our community who are weak.
Unless I see . . . – Thomas is requiring a physical body be part of the resur-
rection.32
put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side – The Greek is
βάλω τὸν δάκτυλόν μου εἰς τὸν τύπον τῶν ἥλων καὶ βάλω μου τὴν χεῖρα
εἰς τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ more violent. Thomas wants to throw his hand into
the wounds.33
I will not believe. – The Greek here (οὐ μὴ πιστεύσω) is strong.34 Thomas
exclaims that he will not believe.

John 20:26

John 20:27 doubt – The Greek ἄπιστος is only used here and it means without
faith.
Do not doubt but believe. – More is at stake than the requirement that Jesus
have a body.35 The word doubt is found in the NRSV, NIV, and NAS not in
the RSV or the KJV.
30
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 532.
31
Ibid., p. 539.
32
Ibid., p. 537.
33
Ibid., p. 539.
34
Ibid.
35
Ibid., p. 537.

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 John 20:28 My Lord and my God! – Scholars disagree about the importance of
this statement.36 Some view it as the highest confession while others say
that it is not as important as those people who believe without sight.37 This
of course begs the question of eternal life with God. Do those people and
angels who are in God’s presence have no faith since they see? The closing
of John shows that there are two types of followers: those who have seen
and those who have not.38
Notice that the beloved disciple, probably important to the community that
John is written for, never sees the risen Lord but yet believes. (John 20:1-
2; 20:8)39 Jesus carefully leads the two “disciples” Mary Magdalene and
Thomas into faith even though they both want to touch Him.40

John 20:29 Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe. –
After talking with Thomas called the twin, Jesus announces in John 20:29
that those who believe without sight are blessed. This message is not only
directed to the disciples since they have seen the Lord and have come to
believe but it is also being said to all of those who have come to believe
in Jesus without seeing the risen Lord. These words from Christ to us are
words of mission because the community must exist to hear them.

John 20:30

John 20:31

References
Bratten, Carl E. et al., editors, Chap. The Work of Christ In ‘Christian Dogmatics’,
Volume 2, (Fortress Press, 1984), pp. 5–99.

Burtness, James H., ‘“The Lamb Who Was Slain Has Begun His Reign. Amen!”
Texts from the Revelation to John for the Sundays of Easter’, Word & World,
12 (1992):2, pp. 182–187.
36
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 537.
37
Ibid.
38
Ibid., p. 538.
39
Ibid.
40
Ibid.

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Constantinou, Eugenia Scarvelis, Andrew of Caesarea and the Apocalypse in the
Ancient Church of the East: Part 2: Translation of the Apocalypse Commen-
tary of Andrew of Caesarea, Ph. D thesis, (Université Laval Québec, 2008).

Constantinou, Eugenia Scarvelis, Andrew of Caesarea and the Apocalypse in the

Ancient Church of the East: Studies and Translation, Ph. D thesis, (Univer-
sité Laval Québec, 2008).

Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B.; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of John,
Volume 4, Sacra Pagina Series, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical
Press, 1998).

González, Justo L., A History of Christian Thought From Augustine to the Eve
of the Reformation, Volume II, 2nd edition. (Nashville: Abingdon Press,
1987).

Irving, John, A Prayer for Owen Meany, (Random House, 2002).

Placher, William C., A History Of Christian Theology: An Introduction, (The

Westminster Press, 1983).

Tillich, Paul, Systematic Theology Volume One, Volume One, (The University of
Chicago Press, 1951).

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