4th Sunday of Easter, April 21, 2013 (Acts 13:14, 43-52; Revelation 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30) The

Gospel scene takes place in December in Jerusalem at the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, which recalled the victory over the Syrians by the Maccabees in 164 BC. The feast honored the rededication of the Temple, which became an annual celebration. His questioners ask if he is the Messiah. He turns the conversation to his care for his sheep and his unity with the Father (The Father and I are one in J. 10:30). Those who believe in him are his sheep, and like any good shepherd, he knows his sheep and they know the shepherds voice. He offers his sheep eternal life which helps explain why they follow him and they are safe under his care (in my hand) because My Father has given them to me. Because they ultimately belong to the Father, and because he is one with the Father, they are truly safe with him. This strongly suggests the Johannine author offering consolation and hope to his contemporaries who are reminded that by belonging to Jesus they belong to the Father and that they are safe with him. The shepherd language also recalls Old Testament passages where the king, David, or one of his successors was thought of in the shepherding role. In Ezekiel 34:33 we find I will appoint one shepherd over them to pasture them, my servant David; he shall pasture them and be their shepherd. I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be prince in their midst. I, the Lord, have spoken. There the reference to David was clearly to one of Davids successors because the historical David had died hundreds of years before. Yet, Davids successors had all the power he did as an absolute ruler in Israel, and if he was appointed as ruler by the Lord then he was to rule with divine support. Because the lines were often

blurred between the absolute power of a king and that of the Lord, prophets were also sent by God to warn monarchs when went too far. See Nathans warning to David in 2 Samuel 12, after he had taken Bathsheba for a wife, driven purely by lust. Because Israels king historically had been endowed with such absolute power and because Israel still hoped for an anointed savior to come as Messiah and restore Israels fortunes, it is easy to see why the question about whether he is the Messiah or not arises, and it arises immediately before Sundays gospel begins. The Jews come to him and ask: How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah tell us plainly. That means that the signs he had already worked have begun to have an effect on the people in this dramatic moment when they demand an answer. He answers, I have told you so but you have not believed. The works I do in my Fathers name testify to me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. Now the scene is properly set to consider Sundays Gospel. As we can see, the background and setting give a better understanding of Jesus words, especially when Jesus says: The Father and I are one. No biblical passage makes sense without knowing its context. Acts continues to tell of the developing church but this time Paul is introduced as the one who first preached to the synagogue communities of Asia Minor. When that did not work he turned his attention to the Gentiles and became the apostle to the Gentiles from this point on. Fr. Lawrence Hummer