The King And Son
May 5: Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Kingship is a hereditary position. Royalty is as much about family as it is power.1
Reading 1
Acts 13:26-33
When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the synagogue: "My brothers, children of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who are God-fearing, to us this word of salvation has been sent. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him, and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophets that are read sabbath after sabbath. For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him put to death, and when they had accomplished all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses before the people. We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you that what God promised our fathers he has brought to fulfillment for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second psalm, You are my Son; this day I have begotten you."
Am I allowed to criticize Paul’s evangelization? After all, he’s the Apostle to the Gentiles, the one who took Jesus’ message farther than anyone else. Secular historians attribute the spread of Christianity more to Paul than Jesus Himself.
Paul doesn’t appear in the Bible until the seventh chapter of Acts,2 but it’s not really unreasonable to assume he was with the crowds in Jerusalem. And even if he was off making tents somewhere on Good Friday, it’s very safe to assume that he approved of the crucifixion.
So, I don’t like Paul’s use of “they.” Jesus died for all of our sins; we all condemned Him. Which is precisely why Jesus’ resurrection is Good News, and worth Paul’s proclamation.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11ab
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
"I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you."
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
"Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish."
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
And now, O kings, give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice.
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
This Psalm is about rebellious kings. And the only one a king can rebel against is God. So, God sends a new kind of king, a king of kings, His Son.
“Fear,” in the sense that the Bible uses it, means awe or profound respect. That’s why it’s possible to both fear and rejoice in this new King.
Alleluia
Jn 14:6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I heard someone say that, with regard to the Trinity, Jesus is like the sun—he’s visible,3 but also the source of light that illuminates everything else.
Gospel
Jn 14:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way."
Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
If the ending sounds familiar, it’s because this passage leads into Wednesday’s Gospel reading.
Jesus tells his followers (which includes us), that there is a place in His Father’s house for them. Only a son can make that kind of promise on his father’s behalf; only a king would have that many rooms!
How do we get to the Father’s house? Through the Son’s invitation. Will we accept it?
Though, as we’ll see, only a fool would ignore the power.
As a human being on Earth, anyway.