Witness to a Promise Fulfilled

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary emphasize the message of Luke in Acts and in his Gospel that Jesus is the long awaited fulfillment of the Promise made by God to the people of Israel that He would raise up a Messiah for them. The misunderstanding of the power and mission of the Messiah by the people might be a cause of concern for them. Peter reassures as does Jesus that “peace be with them”. The mission expressed by Isaiah (Isaiah 61) and lived by Jesus becomes the commission of His followers. The Good News is to be brought by example to all tribes.