Jesus’ litany was directed to his disciples — and to us

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ In the readings for Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, we were told of an historical moment in the Acts of the Apostles.

In Acts, Chapter 11, Verse 26, we were told that after a year of preaching in Antioch, it was there that the disciples were called for the first time.

Christians. Yes, Christians: followers of the Christ! Ah! Quite a historic moment since 2,000 years later we continue to call followers of Jesus the Christ “Christians.” It stuck!

Well, another historic moment pops out of the word today when almost the whole city came to listen to the word as preached by Paul and Barnabas.

And once again many became so jealous, as some began to vociferously contradict Paul; both Paul and Barnabas did exactly what we have come to believe Paul and Barnabas did — they “got in the face” of the crowd (who were Jews).

They told them “straight out” that they had rejected God’s word — both God’s words as spoken by them and by the Christ; and God’s word who was the Christ, the Son of God, who came down from heaven and became flesh, was born among them, and was crucified by them.

And because of their rejection of the word of God and their rejection of the Christ — and here is the clicker, the punch line, the historic moment in time — they boldly told them —

“You condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.”

Wow! Take a snapshot of this moment! For at this moment in time, we now see the power of God burst forth, and the unthinkable now becomes not only thinkable, but “doable,” too.

And Paul and Barnabas name it so as they quote God’s prediction aloud —

“I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.”

God’s plan gets revealed, and this plan is big! Still alive! Like the Energizer bunny, it just keeps on going! What a moment in time, indeed!

And similarly, in the Gospel, another such moment comes as Jesus continues to try to reveal to his disciples just who he is. Today Jesus connects them. He becomes the “linchpin,” or the piece holding the whole thing together. The one who finally makes the point so clear that they are finally able to “get it.”

As he repeats yet another time —

“If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

And the moment has arrived. And as Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus without any hesitation states to Philip and, really, to all of them —

“Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?”

And then bang! Jesus connects it all and brings them to a new place. And a kind of litany of truth erupts —

“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

Grace upon grace! Blessing after blessing! At that historic moment, they were called into something great. They were given a share in the eternal life promised by the Christ.

The question of the day is, do we, with Philip and the other disciples, grab hold of this same litany that Jesus spoke to them and joyously realize he was saying the same to us?