5^th Sunday of Easter

Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 148, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35

John 13:31-35

³¹ When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³² If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³ Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

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All The Nations of God

Grace to you, beloved of God, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Once upon a time, according to the biblical text, there was one humanity, one language, yet a diversity of nations spread abroad the earth (Genesis 10:32). They were the descendants of Noah, heirs of God’s covenant of life and peace through the rainbow in the sky, sent into the world (Genesis 9:13-17). Then a certain tribe settled in a place called Shinar. After achieving some advancements in construction techniques, they decided to make a name for themselves in the eyes of God by building a city and a tower to reach the heavens. They wished to form their own little flock. 

That was a foolish enterprise, obviously. Adonai comes down to save them the trouble, and in the process, the God who sees us differently than the world does, perhaps gets a glimpse of what is in their hearts. Adonai gets concerned about the potential uses of their newfound superiority and interferes with their plans by providing them with a cacophony of different languages. They could no longer understand each other and eventually scattered around the Earth, and Shinar became forever known as Babel. 

There are a few lessons that Christians of the 21st century can draw from this famous biblical tale. One, God might not endorse everything we set ourselves to do. Two, whatever God is set to do, God is gonna do it on God’s own terms. Then, and perhaps most importantly for our context, it was God’s desire then and it still is now, that we would remain one flock, with all our colors, flavors, and expressions. No one more special than the other, no one more blessed than the other, no one superior to anyone. This is what Jesus came to accomplish once and for all. This is the new city. This is the beloved community of all the sinners made saints. These are Adonai’s old hopes made new again. This is the Kingdom, and the Lamb is our only Lord and Shepherd. 

The struggle of the resurrected church, since its infancy, to be diverse and yet one with Christ, is beautifully illustrated by the wanderings of Peter among Gentiles. 

If you recall, last Sunday Peter was in Joppa, having traveled from Lydda to raise Tabitha from the dead. The word spread, and more converts were made among the Jews (Acts 9:36-43). Peter was then called to Caesarea by Cornelius the Centurion, who had gathered his household and close friends (Acts 10). They felt called to hear the Word of God. Once Peter proclaimed the good news to them, the Holy Spirit descended upon Cornelius, his family, and friends, and they were baptized in the name of Jesus. After that Peter stayed eating with them for several days.

The problem was that the power of the grapevine was already strong at that time. By the time Peter returns to the infant church’s home base in Jerusalem, he is summoned and grilled about why he went to those outside the covenant of Moses and ate with them. Peter tells them the whole story and repeats what the voice from heaven had told him three times, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” Then, upon describing how God had given them the same gift of the Spirit that they had received when they first believed, who was St. Peter the Apostle, how could he hinder God? Silence followed. The coin dropped. God had already declared those outsiders righteous and clean. God will do what God is set up to do on God’s own terms; therefore, it would be only foolish for Peter and the faithful in Jerusalem to stand in Adonai’s way. 

There is yet another connection between the Tower of Babel and this diverse and inclusive flock united under Jesus, our Shepherd and Lord. When the disciples received the Spirit and the church was born, they spoke in a diversity of tongues. The same happened with the Gentiles in Cesarea. That was the sign that the Holy Spirit had made them righteous. Speaking in tongues symbolized being called, empowered, and sent as part of the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ as a light to all the nations. 

Since that tower, Adonai seems to come down to interfere with our flocking instincts when we begin to look only inward instead of setting our sights on the mission that belongs to all who are reborn from the springs of the water of life: to make home with God with us, to dwell in the heart of the Lamb and make sure that all who belong may do the same. There, the new city will materialize, and the Kingdom will be all but real. There, all the nations will come together to find comfort, healing, and celebration. There we will speak the dialect that Jesus taught us. There we will be known by the love of Christ—no more tears, only life anew. Come to the waters, all who believe. The gift is for you. Thanks be to God, Amen.