THE REIGN OF THE LAMB

SUNDAY, THIRD WEEK OF EASTER

Act 5:27-32; Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13; Rev 5:11-14; Jn 21:1-19

The Lamb as the Eternal Priest

On the third Sunday of Easter, the Church reflects deeply on the meaning of the sacrifice of the Son of Man and its import for us, both on earth and in heaven. Starting with the Gospel passage taken from Saint John’s Gospel, we see the risen Lord, who is still not easily recognised by his apostles because of their weak faith, perform a symbolic liturgical act. The fact that they went to their former occupations suggests the apostles were still full of doubts and uncertainties. They have seen the risen Lord, but they were still in doubt of the implication it has for them. They were still doubtful whether he was the same person who died or someone playing tricks on them. The reality of the risen Lord remains uncertain to a carnal mind. Each of us experienced this state between natural life and the commencement of spiritual life. The Evangelist John uses the dawning day to symbolise the apostle’s state of awakening spiritual life. “It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in.” We noted last week that this miracle signalled to the apostles that they were doing the wrong thing by deciding to go back to their former occupation. They do not belong to themselves now but to the risen Lord.

They were to go at his bidding, for he has consecrated their lives to do his will. He renewed the consecration by feeding them physically and spiritually in a symbolic manner. The miraculous catch of fish opened the eyes of the beloved apostle to the presence of the Lord, and he called the others’ attention to that presence. The Lord had already made provision for their breakfast. He still added from the miraculous collection. He beckoned them to have breakfast. The gestures of providing and feeding them point to their belonging to him. “Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread, and gave it to them, and the same with the fish.” Recall that he told them before his passion that he would not eat and drink with them again until in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is now established here on earth by his death and resurrection. By feeding them with these blessed and consecrated fish and bread, he reminded them and reconsecrated them to himself and his mission of bringing the kingdom of God. The question he asked Peter three times about his love for him reinforced the idea of consecration. “Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me? And said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.” The core of our consecration to Jesus Christ is love, which the Holy Spirit gives. Without love, we cannot do the bidding of the Lord. Our love for Jesus Christ grows our spiritual life and consecration to him.

Our consecration to Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, is our consecration to the will of the Father that he reveals and represents. Obedience made the Son of Man become one with the Father as the Son of God is from eternity. John’s vision reveals the glorification of the Lamb of God, who consecrated or sacrificed himself to accomplish the will of the Father for our salvation. Every creature in heaven and on earth proclaimed the praise of the Lamb, the Son of Man. “The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, and blessing.” The whole creation offers the same praise and worship to the Lamb as to God. because God lives in the Lamb by his total sacrifice of self in obedience to the Father. The Lamb ransomed us from sin and death through his sacrifice of self in obedience to God.

The Son of Man, the Lamb of God, calls us to the same consecration; he invites us to pattern our lives on his, to share his glory as he shared the Father’s glory. We see the Son of Man’s struggle against the high priest, the religious elders, and the Sadducees in Jerusalem taken up by the apostles in the Acts of the Apostles. They demanded that the apostles proclaim the resurrection of the Son of Man no more. “In reply, Peter and the apostles said, ‘Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree.” God glorified his Lamb by raising him from the dead and enthroning him in heaven. John saw this in his vision. We on earth must follow suit in the praise and glorification of the Lamb of God. The apostles, who have come to understand the implication of the resurrection for themselves and all nations, understood their mission as the proclamation of the Gospel of forgiveness of sins and the resurrection of the Son of Man. God has rescued his people from the enemies as the psalmist testifies: “I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me and have not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead, restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.”

Let us pray: May your people exult for ever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.