May 8, 2022, Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year C)
Obviously, the Bible passages we read during the Easter season deal mainly with the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. These events of the Pascal Mystery are the basis for our Christian faith and the substance of our salvation. However, many of the narratives also emphasize the culpability of the Jewish people and the prospect of their salvation in light of the persecution of Jesus and his death. The question then becomes what of the situation of God’s chosen nation and the route to their redemption within the context of the events of Easter?
It begins with readings like those found in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus is being interrogated by Pontius Pilate. After speaking with Jesus, Pontius Pilate claims that he has found no guilt in Jesus and turns the decision of his fate over to the crowd of Jews who have gathered. Seeing the possibility for violence, Pilate washes his hands to demonstrate his lack of responsibility over Jesus saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves” (Mt. 27:24). At which time those Jews who have gathered respond with “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” (Mt. 27:25).
This type of blame on the Jews as a whole for the plight of Jesus is frequently found in the post-resurrection passages like the one we hear in the First Reading for today (Acts 13:14, 43-52). Peter and Barnabas have traveled to Antioch where a crowd has gathered on the Sabbath. Many people in the crowd have become converts and on the next Sabbath when the whole city has gathered, the Jews who are present contradict Paul with violent abuse. Thus, Paul and Barnabas turn to the Gentiles, many of whom come to believe in the Gospel. Then, although the disciples are expelled from the territory, they become joyous over the fact that the Lord has made them “a light to the Gentiles destined for eternal life since they have come to believe.” (Acts. 13:47a, 48b).
It is difficult when reading passages like the ones from Matthew and the book of Acts above not to become convinced that all of the Jews should be held accountable for the persecution of Jesus. When, in reality, the blame falls mainly on some of the Jewish leaders in cooperation with the Romans seeking to suppress a movement which they considered to be a threat against the peacefulness of Israel and the surrounding territories.
The Catholic Church confirms this in a document from the Second Vatican Council called Nostra Aetate which reads: “True, the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ; still, what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new people of God, the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God, as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures.” (Nostra Aetate 4).
A similar precaution against antisemitism is also needed with passages such as the one we have in the Second Reading for today (Rev 7:9, 14b-17). Here we find a vision from John, the author of the book of Revelation, who sees people “from every nation, race, people, and tongue” (Rev. 7:9) gathered around Jesus, “the Lamb who is in the center of the throne” (Rev. 7:17) and who will lead them to the life-giving water, the salvation, of the Lord.
This type of reading makes it clear that salvation comes only to those who believe in and follow Christ. So, what of the Jews, the holy nation of Israel? What should we consider when we contemplate their salvation? After all, they are Gods chosen people and everything that Jesus did and said as a Jew was thoroughly Jewish.
St. Paul offers an explanation in his letter to the Romans. Paul theorizes that the Jewish people were destined to disbelief in Jesus as the Messiah for the sole purpose of allowing salvation to come to all non-Jews. In a passage titled “God’s Irrevocable Call,” Paul writes the following: “I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the full number of the Gentiles comes in, and thus all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The deliverer will come out of Zion, he will turn away godlessness from Jacob; and this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’ In respect to the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but in respect to election, they are beloved because of the patriarchs. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:25-29).
Th Catholic Church, again in the document Nostra Aetate, confirms the salvation that readily comes to the Jewish people after all of the Gentiles eventually come into the fold: “As Holy Scripture testifies, Jerusalem did not recognize the time of her visitation, nor did the Jews in large number, accept the Gospel; indeed not a few opposed its spreading. Nevertheless, God holds the Jews most dear for the sake of their Fathers; He does not repent of the gifts He makes or of the calls He issues-such is the witness of the Apostle. In company with the Prophets and the same Apostle, the Church awaits that day, known to God alone, on which all peoples will address the Lord in a single voice and “serve him shoulder to shoulder.” (Nostra Aetate 4).
Thus, it is with open arms that we accept the friendship of our Jewish brothers and sisters and await the day when we can all worship as one. In fact, a recent document entitled, “The Gifts and Calling of God are Irrevocable,” written in 2015 by Pope Frances, states that “from a detached coexistence, Catholics and Jews have arrived at a deep friendship. And Catholics must refrain from active attempts to convert Jews.”
It is their election from the time of Abraham, and the covenants, laws, and vows made between the chosen people and God that will one day enable Christians to welcome the Jews whole heartedly into the promise made by Jesus to his believers in the Gospel for today (Jn. 10:27-30). “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
