Sixth Sunday of Easter, Rogation Sunday – Year C
Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People
RCL Readings – Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:23-29
ACNA Readings – Acts 14:8-18; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:1-4, 22-22:5; John 14:21-29
Seasonal Introduction. Eastertide, the season of Easter, is always 50 days long. It follows the pattern of the Jewish calendar with 50 days from Passover to Shavuot or Pentecost. During these days we remember the last weeks of Jesus on earth after His resurrection. Easter is all about the resurrection! This season's traditional greetings of “He is risen!” and “He is risen indeed!” can bring hope and light to our broken world. “If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen–nothing else matters.”[1]
The Sixth Sunday of Easter is also known as Rogation Sunday from rogare, the Latin word for asking or begging. Traditionally, Rogation Sunday precedes three days of active prayer and fasting for one’s local parish community prior to Ascension Day.
Common Theme. God wants to bless His people with good things and dwell among His people. This isn’t just for a few select people. His presence gives us peace and salvation. This is already a testimony to the rest of the world but God goes beyond working merely with us and extends His blessings to all. Nonetheless, only those who turn to Him will begin to know Him for who He is.
Hebraic Context. If God always wants to dwell among His people, why does He choose to show His glory through a cloud so often? Why does God direct Moses to build a tabernacle? We see that God directly interacts with His people at different times in history. God walked with Adam in the garden of Eden; Jesus descended to earth and lived among us; the Holy Spirit dwells among us; and Revelation 22 says that “His servants will worship Him. They will see His face…”
Throughout the time Israel stayed at Mount Sinai, and even in their wanderings in the wilderness, God veiled His glory in a cloud.[2] God does this so that those present won’t die by seeing His face. Moses wished to see the face of God but was not yet allowed to. Nonetheless, God did show Moses His goodness. David’s desire to “gaze upon the beauty of the LORD” in Psalm 27:4 is connected with David’s heart declaring “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” David connects to Moses’ experience in Exodus 33:19 for the end of Psalm 27 reads “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD.” But even David, the servant of the LORD and a man after God’s own heart, died without seeing the face of God.
John 1:18 says “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.” Moses would eventually see the face of God in Jesus while on earth on the Mount of Transfiguration. But even John (who, according to Church tradition, walked and talked with Jesus for years),[3] when seeing a vision of the heavenly throne room, can only describe what he saw in colours and light without great detail.
But Revelation is often literarily and thematically connected with Genesis. Revelation 21:22-22:5 returns to the first day of creation (a day with light but no sun), the Tree of Life, and God living in the midst of His people. There is no reference to God veiling Himself in front of Adam and Eve in the garden, rather it was Adam who hid from God. And so it will be that one day we will see Him as He is, we will see Him face to face.[4]
Acts 16:9-15. Luke writes that, by direct voyage, it only took a few days to travel from Troas to Philippi. However, prior to that voyage, Paul and Silas (with Timothy joining later on) almost certainly walked in excess of 2,000 kilometers. Large parts of this journey would not have seemed useful, as, for an unspecified reason, God had forbidden them to speak along half of the journey through Asia minor (upwards of three months of travel). And yet, or possibly because of this, when Paul had a vision he acted quickly, travelling across the Aegean and into Philippi.
Paul, as always, maintained his tradition of celebrating the Sabbath with his countrymen. There is a common idea that there was no synagogue in Philippi and so Paul searched for a gathering place of prayer near the riverside and only found a few women who had gathered to pray. There is a possibility that this is true, Josephus quotes a decree from Halicarnassus[5] that states, “as many men and women of the Jews as are willing so to do, may celebrate their sabbaths,... and may make their προσευχὰς (proseuchas, “prayer; place of prayer”) at the sea side; according to the custom of their forefathers.” Natural, spring-fed water sources, including many rivers, are places where Jewish people could gather to perform their mikveh (ritual baptism) in worship of God followed by additional prayers and the reading of Torah. As yet, no synagogue was found in Philippi and the Jewish population of the city may not have been sufficient to build a synagogue.
However, Philo uses the same word as Josephus and Luke, προσευχαῖς (proseuchais), to speak of the Jewish place of worship where a mob wished to come and set up idols (and profane the Jewish place of worship) and generally uses it synonymously with synagogue, another Greek word.[6] Josephus specifies that a προσευχή can be a large building in his autobiography.[7]
Just as Luke chooses to focus on a gentile in Caesarea who becomes a follower of Jesus in Acts 10-11 (when there were almost certainly many Jewish believers in Jesus in Caesarea, particularly due to the ministry of Philip the Evangelist) Luke chooses to focus on Paul’s meeting with a group of women in this passage.[8] Once again we can say that “God shows no partiality”.[9]
Not only was Lydia baptized, as was Cornelius and his household, but so was her household. Lydia was almost certainly wealthy, and like Martha before her, was in charge of her own household. We don’t know how long Paul and Silas stayed for but Lydia gave them her hospitality, something Paul seldom allowed.[10]
Paul and Silas’ extended stay would soon include another form of hospitality from the local municipality thanks to the more famous Philippian jailer within the same chapter. Lydia was already worshipping God, the jailer imprisoned the two visiting, impertinent Jews. Lydia had a quiet conversation about God and Jesus with Paul and Silas, the jailer almost committed suicide after an earthquake freed his prisoners. Lydia was female, the jailer was male. And yet both heard the gospel and both turned to God.
Psalm 67. The oldest Biblical inscription was found on a silver scroll just above the Hinnom valley next to Jerusalem.[11] The inscription contains part of the priestly blessing from Numbers 6:24-26, “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” This blessing seems to have been quite popular and Psalm 67 starts with the same request of blessing.
Beyond a slight shortening of the priestly blessing, the psalmist also replaces the blessing that only a priest could give, “The LORD bless you” to one that could be said by anyone, “May God…bless us.”[12] Additionally, the blessing isn’t simply about us but also about God and others.
When God blesses us Numbers 6:27 also says, “So shall they put My Name upon the people of Israel...” Later, in Deuteronomy 28:10, seeing that Israel is called by God’s name should affect all peoples of the earth. God’s name—His reputation through His own blessing and actions, along with the actions of His emissaries—is placed on Israel, and upon us. The world can watch and see how God acts and how we act.
The nations, from the Philistines to the Babylonians, watch when God is angry with Israel and He does not bless them, “all the nations will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land?...Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers…’”[13] Conversely, when God restores Israel and Jerusalem, where God also placed His name, “this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.”[14]
The nations can do more than just fear and tremble. God has made His saving power known and the nations can be glad and rejoice—they too can praise God. Leviticus is clear that the rain is a blessing from God.[15] And Paul, while preaching to unbelieving gentiles, preaches that God gave witness of His goodness through the “rains from heaven and fruitful seasons” even as Jesus declares that God “sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”[16] Of course, the nations should still fear the God who judges—as should His people.
Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5.[17] The particulars of a third temple is debated in both Jewish and Christian traditions. Orthodox Judaism anticipates a future temple,[18] and this hope is reflected in the Amidah, prayed three times daily: “Restore the service to the innermost part of Your House. Receive in love and favor the offerings and prayers of Israel.” Yet not all Jewish communities agree. The Reform prayerbook Mishkan T’filah notably omits these lines.
Ezekiel 40-48 presents an elaborate vision of a temple, distinct from the First (Solomon’s) or Second (Zerubbabel’s and later Herod’s) Temples. Various prophets refer to events in the temple and worship therein, though it's not always clear whether they are describing the Second Temple or another, future temple. Revelation 11:1-2 refers to both a temple and altar, suggesting a physical, earthly sanctuary.
Exodus provides a long narrative of building the tabernacle, a place of worship and sacrifice—the sanctuary of God. But God didn’t need it built so that He could live in a tent. God’s desire was that they “make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst”.[19] Now, John, having just proclaimed that “the dwelling place of God is with man”, declares that the temple in Jerusalem “is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” This is surely even greater than a physical temple.
Showing God’s desire to live among His people and His glory providing light for all nations to walk in are appropriate for the end of God’s revelation. As at creation, there is light without sun or moon. As in Eden, God walks among His people. And God’s dwelling place is in His chosen city but His hospitality extends to all nations. Life flows from the throne of God in a river, recalling the visions of Ezekiel and Zechariah. The tree of life, once barred after the fall, now brings healing to the nations.
But access is not absolutely universal. Only those “written in the Lamb’s book of life” may enter. The idea of divine records appears throughout Scripture: Moses refers to a book in Exodus 32:32-33, echoed in Psalm 69:28, Philippians 4:3, and Revelation 3:5 and 20:12-15. Malachi 3:16 also mentions a Book of Remembrance. The book of life appears to be a record of all those who are righteous in accordance with God’s judgment.
While many may debate the temple or when these events will take place, the central theme is simply that God will be present with His people. There is no need for a temple, for God is present; No need for light, because God’s glory is displayed. The river that gives life proceeds from God. And the servants of God, including the nations, will be able to worship God face to face.
John 14:21-29.[20] Jesus makes a bold and clear statement, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” This deeply challenges many modern notions of love and grace: love is simply unconditional acceptance; grace gives us freedom from obligation. But this isn’t what Scripture states. Grace and mercy imply a lack of obedience, our failures, and God’s willingness to forgive and love even those who do not fully obey His commands. But love—true, godly love—is not passive. It shows itself in action, and for us, that means obedience.
Jesus, and John,[21] links love and obedience inseparably. To love Him is to keep His commandments. But He’s not asking for blind compliance; He is inviting us to live in alignment with the very nature and character of God. His commands are not arbitrary rules—they are reflections of who He is. God’s love is also shown through His actions—keeping His covenants, promises, and yes, even demonstrating who He is (which is where the commandments are derived from) by acting in accordance with His own nature and character.
Although John elaborates most fully on the relationship between love and obedience, this teaching aligns with longstanding Biblical and Jewish thought. Deuteronomy 11:1 and 30:16 both speak of love and obedience in the same breadth. The author of Psalm 119 speaks at length not only on their love of God’s Torah, but clearly recognizes the Torah as God’s way of life.[22] Prominent Jewish and Church Fathers understood the truth that to love God is to obey God—emulating His behaviour as He commands. Sirach 2:15-18 beautifully weaves our fear, obedience, love, and humility together with the mercy of God.
“Those who fear the Lord will not disobey His words, and those who love Him will keep His ways. Those who fear the Lord will seek His favor, and those who love Him will be filled with His law. Those who fear the Lord will prepare their hearts and will humble themselves before Him. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord but not into the hands of mortals, for equal to His majesty is His mercy.”
Clement I of Rome also wrote “Let him that hath the love which is in Christ keep the commandments of Christ.”[23] There is also an easy way to see if someone does not love Jesus, if they do not keep His words or the commands of the one who sent Jesus.[24]
Our obedience to God isn’t one sided. Jesus continuously showed love to His disciples and promised that the Father also loves us. He also declares that He will manifest himself to us. This isn’t through great miracles but simply by abiding with us. God desires to make His home with us.
But Jesus also prepares His disciples for a difficult truth, one they should rejoice in but will likely first bring sadness instead—Jesus is about to leave them. For a time, He made His home among them, walking, teaching, and eating with them. But now, He promises, “I will not leave you as orphans.” Even in His physical absence, His presence and the presence of the Father remain. But Jesus is now speaking of the coming Holy Spirit.
John 14 states that He will come as one who will teach, remind, and (in context) accompany, or dwell with, the disciples forever. The Spirit will continue the work of making God’s home with His people. God has always desired to dwell with humanity and that desire has not changed. Even as Jesus departs, His message is one of peace, not abandonment. We are not alone. In loving Him and keeping His commandments, we remain in Him—and He remains is us.
Hebraic Perspective. This week is sometimes called “Rogation Sunday”. Rogation comes from the Latin to ask, or make supplication. God tells us that, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Obviously we can come before God at any time and all times throughout the year to ask God for His help. But Rogation Sunday is a great time to remind ourselves of everything that we need and everything that God provides.
Rogation Sunday always falls during the spring. Both Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost) are also spring festivals. However, in Israel, the spring is the season to harvest barley and wheat while in England and the United States the spring is the time to plant and grow rather than harvest. A festival to give thanks to God for a bountiful harvest doesn’t make sense in these foreign cultures in the spring, and so Rogation Sunday follows the Biblical tradition of turning to God but in supplication for a good harvest rather than thanksgiving for a good harvest (which is celebrated as Thanksgiving in the USA in the autumn).
Whether we are planting or harvesting, it is an important time to remember that, even with all the work we do, it is God that gives the rain and provides the harvest. Surely it behooves us to come to Him and ask for His blessing to fall on us and all the world. We should also be thankful that He so often does provide us with our daily bread. Beyond even that, we should make sure that the proverbial corners of our field are available to feed the poor.
Psalm 67:6 declares that “the earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.” But God’s blessing of His people should make the salvation of God known throughout all the nations in praise and fear. Paul tells the idol-worshipping men of Lystra that God has made Himself known by giving the rain from heaven and good harvests.[25] But if God’s own people so easily forget that it is He that gives the rain and dew in its season, if we forget that God has given us all that is good then why would we expect the rest of the world to recognize God’s physical salvation?
Rogation Sunday also always falls on the Sunday before we celebrate the ascension of Jesus. We celebrate Christmas and Easter and, to a lesser extent, Pentecost, but it is a sad reality that we so often ignore such a pivotal event in the history of the world as the ascension. Jesus will soon ascend to the throne of heaven to intercede on behalf of the saints. This should cause great rejoicing as Jesus joins the Father and also great anticipation that the Holy Spirit will soon descend. Meanwhile, the church should take time to come before God in supplication. God wants to give us good gifts. And such joy we can have, God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—wants to dwell among His people.
ACNA Readings
Acts 14:8-18. Although Paul was an apostle late in time, he still acts as a disciple of Jesus. Just as Jesus opens the eyes of the blind and makes the deaf hear, Paul tells the lame man to stand. Luke makes sure to note that the man was crippled from birth and had never walked, his muscles would have been severely atrophied and yet he was able to leap up and walk.
The local crowd immediately recognized the divine nature of the healing and, speaking to one another in their own language (which Paul, with all his learning and nearby hometown of Tarsus, did not seem to understand), they assumed Barnabbas and Paul were divine themselves. Certainly the commotion would have been very interesting to Barnabbas and Paul, but as a priest of Zeus approached with oxen and garlands, Barnabbas and Paul began to understand that the people were worshipping the people of God rather than the living God.
Barnabbas and Paul’s immediate reaction is strong—they tear their robes and cry out that they are not to be worshiped. The Bible is clear, only God is to be worshiped. Deuteronomy 6:13 states that we should serve only God. Jesus quotes this in Luke 4:8, translating עבוד (avod, serve, work) as worship (προσκυνεω, worship), a common understanding of our service to God being a form of worship. God is the only one that is worthy of worship. Even angels refuse to be worshiped.[26] It should be noted that the disciples worshiped Jesus after His miracle on the Galilee and after His resurrection and ascension and He did not rebuke them.[27]
Paul used a similar argument to what he would later write to the Romans.[28] His argument came directly out of the Torah and the Prophets but could be understood with people who had no knowledge of the Scriptures. There are vain, useless things in this world and there is a living God. A piece of wood, stone, or metal fashioned by man does not bring rain or the harvest. Only the God who created the heavens, the earth, and the sea—domains the Greeks attributed to Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon—is the one who brings forth the good things that sustain all life. The people of Lystra aren’t fully convinced by Paul’s argument and soon flip from wanting to worship Barnabbas and Paul to stoning him almost to death. Nonetheless, upon Paul’s return, Lystra is one of the cities Paul visits to “strengthen the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith.” Even through many tribulations.
Endnotes
[1] Jaroslav Pelikan
[2] Exodus 19:9; 24:15-18. God also veiled Himself from Moses with His “hand”, Exodus 33:18-23
[3] The book of Revelation was written by John of Patmost. The Scriptures don't strictly state that this is the same John who was one of Jesus’ disciples, however, Christian tradition as early as the 2nd century believed that the author and apostle were one and the same. Nonetheless, this wasn’t seen as a universal truth as several church fathers thought the author and apostle to be separate people.
[4] I John 3:2; I Corinthians 13:12
[5] A famous city that included one of the wonders of the world in modern day Turkiye along the Aegean coast.
[6] Philo, Against Flaccus 41
[7] Josephus, The Life of Josephus Flavius 277
[8] Luke uses συνελθούσαις (synelthousais, assembly) in Acts 16:13, a feminine form of a gathering but later, in Acts 16:40, Paul uses the more common male form ἀδελφοὺς (adelphous, brotheren) for the whole church in Philippi.
[9] Acts 10:34
[10] See I Corinthians 9:1-18. Instead of accepting hospitality for the work he did as a teacher, as was his right, Paul worked his trade as a maker of tents to provide for his own needs.
[11] The tiny silver amulet contains a partial reading from Numbers 6:24-26, with some missing and broken pieces, and dates to around 600 BC.
[12] This tradition remains in certain churches where, if the ordained priest isn’t present, the “you” in certain pronouncements is replaced by an “us”.
[13] Deuteronomy 28:24-28
[14] Jeremiah 33:9
[15] Leviticus 26:4, echoed here in the Psalms and the prophets, such as Ezekiel.
[16] Acts 14:17; Matthew 5:45
[17] ACNA includes Revelation 21:1-4
[18] While many in Judaism believe that there will be a third temple in Jerusalem, the majority do not feel the need to build a third temple and provoke hostility or even war. Rather, a tradition from the time of Rashi is that, when the time is right, God will lower a fully built third temple from heaven. Maimonides, a century later, argues that the Messiah will build the temple when He comes.
[19] Exodus 25:8
[20] Alternate RCL reading: John 5:1-9
[21] See also: John 14:21, 15:10; I John 2:5, 5:2-3; II John 1:6
[22] Psalm 119:17, 25, 37, 40, 50, 77, 88, 93, 107, 116-117, 144, 149, 154, 156, 175
[23] I Clement 49:1. Clement I is considered the 2nd or 4th bishop of Rome and likely died between 98-100 AD.
[24] Jesus’ statement in John 14:28 that the Father is greater than I, “Ο Πατηρ μειζων μου εστιν” is one that has caused questions around the Trinity and even the true divinity of Jesus. While it is not in the scope of these sermon notes to go into all the discourses surrounding this statement, several of the early church fathers and councils saw it in the same light as Philippians 2:8—Jesus, although fully God, spoke from His human state. John particularly highlights the divinity of Jesus without removing His humanity throughout his writings, starting in John 1:1 and continuing through Revelation.
[25] Acts 14:17
[26] Revelation 19:10, 22:9
[27] Matthew 14:33, 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52. The Magi also worshipped Jesus in Matthew 2:11.
[28] Romans 1:18-23