Eastertide
April 14, 2015

Scripture Reading: Acts 3:12-19

‘And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, Acts 3:17-19

In the first part of this scripture, Peter did not mince words. He told his listeners straight that they had missed the whole message of the ministry of Christ. And now he tells them that they are ignorant; they did not understand. It is a common theme among the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. Jeremiah 5:21 says Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but do not see, who have ears, but do not hear. Isaiah 44:18 says: They do not know, nor do they comprehend; for their eyes are shut, so that they cannot see, and their minds as well, so that they cannot understand.  And Jesus continued this theme in Mark 8:18: Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember?

Sometimes our brains have a way of interfering with both our sight and our vision when we confront things we just do not what to believe, for example, infidelity or emotional abuse. I think what the prophets and Jesus are describing here is different. It is a part of the process of not being willing to be in full communion with God. It is an obstinacy of our souls wanting to hold on to something we cherish so badly we deny God’s truth and thus the warnings of God’s prophets. It is a form of idolatry, wanting to have our cake and eat it too. It is what paved the way for Israel and later Judah to be taken into exile. It is what hung Jesus on that cross.

What makes the resurrection of Jesus so very special is the depth of love God has for all of God’s children. Jesus came to free us from our own demons as well as the oppression caused by others. He invites us to turn around, trust in him, and he will heal our souls of searching for things that will never satisfy.

Prayer: Hear our prayer, O Lord, open our ears to your teachings and our eyes to your works, help us to comprehend as fully as were are able the breadth and depth of your love and to understand that there is nothing in the world that can match it. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.