The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to accept Jesus' invitation to know and do the Master’s Work.
Working as the Master's friend
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells of the distribution of the Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers.
* [15:13–35] Some scholars think that this apostolic decree suggested by James, the immediate leader of the Jerusalem community, derives from another historical occasion than the meeting in question. This seems to be the case if the meeting is the same as the one related in Gal 2:1–10. According to that account, nothing was imposed upon Gentile Christians in respect to Mosaic law; whereas the decree instructs Gentile Christians of mixed communities to abstain from meats sacrificed to idols and from blood-meats, and to avoid marriage within forbidden degrees of consanguinity and affinity (Lv 18), all of which practices were especially abhorrent to Jews. Luke seems to have telescoped two originally independent incidents here: the first a Jerusalem “Council” that dealt with the question of circumcision, and the second a Jerusalem decree dealing mainly with Gentile observance of dietary laws (see Acts 21:25 where Paul seems to be learning of the decree for the first time).1
Psalm 57 seeks praise and assurance under persecution.
* [Psalm 57] Each of the two equal strophes contains a prayer for rescue from enemies, accompanied by joyful trust in God (Ps 57:2–5, 7–11). The refrain prays that God be manifested as saving (Ps 57:6, 12). Ps 108 is nearly identical to part of this Psalm (cf. Ps 57:8–11, Ps 108:2–6).2
In the Gospel of John, Jesus invites us to ”love one another as I have loved you.”
* [15:15] Slaves,friends: in the Old Testament, Moses (Dt 34:5), Joshua (Jos 24:29), and David (Ps 89:21) were called “servants” or “slaves of Yahweh”; only Abraham (Is 41:8; 2 Chr 20:7; cf. Jas 2:23) was called a “friend of God.”3
Kyle Lierk comments that Jesus is not just asking those closest to him to love in some generic, one-size-fits-all, Hallmark card-kind-of-way. Jesus is asking them to love in the way he has loved. Jesus is asking his disciples, and us, to imitate him. The only way we can do that, like my brother did with me, is to keep our eyes on Jesus. The theologian Sandra Schneiders writes this about Jesus modeling love at the foot washing in her work “Written that You May Believe: Encountering Jesus in the Fourth Gospel.”
Jesus acted to abolish the inequality between them, deliberately reversing their
social positions and roles. To wash another’s feet was something that even
slaves could not be required to do, but which disciples might do out of reverence
for their master. But any act of service is permissible and freeing among friends.
By washing his disciples’ feet Jesus overcame by love the inequality that existed
by nature between himself and those whom he had chosen as friends. He
established an intimacy with them that superseded his superiority...at least one
meaning of the foot washing for contemporary disciples…[is] as a participation in
Jesus’ work of transforming the sinful structures of domination operative in
human society according to the model of friendship expressing itself in joyful mutual service unto death.4
Don Schwager quotes “Love encompasses the other commandments,” by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD).
"This is my commandment." Have you then only one precept? This is sufficient, even if it is unique and so great. Nevertheless he also said, "Do not kill" (Matthew 19:18) because the one who loves does not kill. He said, "Do not steal," because the one who loves does even more-he gives. He said, "Do not lie," for the one who loves speaks the truth, against falsehood. "I give you a new commandment" (John 13:14). If you have not understood what "This is my commandment" means, let the apostle be summoned as interpreter and say, "The goal of his commandment is love" (1 Timothy 1:5). What is its binding force? It is that of which [the Lord] spoke, "Whatever you want others to do to you, you should do also" (Matthew 7:12)."Love one another" in accordance with this measure, "as I have loved you." That is not possible, for you are our Lord who loves your servants. But we who are equals, how can we love one another as you have loved us? Nevertheless, he has said it... His love is that he has called us his friends. If we were to give our life for you, would our love be equal to yours?... How then can what he said be explained, "As I have loved you"? "Let us die for each other," he said. As for us, we do not even want to live for one another! "If I, who am your Lord and God, die for you, how much more should you die for one another." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 19.13)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 15:12-17 invites us to take a look at the disciples. Jesus called them his friends, but most of them had serious flaws and moments of weakness. Peter denied Jesus (John 18:17, 25, 27); Thomas doubted (20:25); James and John were ambitious (Mark 10:37). And the list goes on. Not only that, but Moses and Abraham, as holy as they were, were far from perfect. It seems that our accomplishments might not be what make us friends of God after all.
The truth is, you don’t have to do something special or be perfect to be Jesus’ friend. You are his friend simply because he has chosen you. Jesus knows everything about you, and still he calls you his friend. He actually enjoys being with you! Think about the relationship you have with your friends. You want to spend time with them, to hear what they have to say and know what’s going on in their lives. Jesus wants that type of closeness with you The more you get to know Jesus as a friend, the more you will value that relationship. You will appreciate the great gift of being chosen by Jesus. You’ll be all the more eager to please him and to become like him. That’s why Jesus says that his friends do what he commands (John 15:14)—not because they are slaves forced to obey, but because they are friends who love and want to be like the one who loves them.6
Friar Jude Winkler examines the dates of reports of the Council of Jerusalem in Paul’s letters and in Luke’s Acts. The account in Acts reflects the development of very centralized decisions. Friar Jude sees the transformation of the Hebrew Covenant to a friendship with Jesus wherein we die to ourselves to love one another.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that those who “gaze upon” the crucified Jesus (John 19:37) long enough—with contemplative eyes—are always healed at deep levels of pain, unforgiveness, aggression, and victimhood. It demands no theological education at all, just an “inner exchange” by receiving the image within and offering one’s soul back in safe return.
I believe we are invited to gaze upon the image of the crucified to soften our hearts toward God, and to know that God’s heart has always been softened toward us, even and most especially in our own suffering. This softens us toward ourselves and all others who suffer too—in one great wave of universal mercy.7
Our invitation to friendship with Jesus is a statement of love that accepts us as we are.
References
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