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GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH “Living Into The

GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH “Living Into The

GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH Gaithersburg, Maryland

“Living Into the Resurrection” An Easter Sundays and Series – The Year of our Lord 2021 The Fourth of Six Sessions – Easter VI – May 9, 2021

“The Missionary Mandate” And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the , and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20 I. “Matthew May Have Said it Best, But . . .!” All four of the bring us something of the same message. Having read Matthew’s version, probably the most quoted and the most “complete” of the “,” it is not the only one. It appears that it just might be that all four of the Gospels contain the -wide mandate. Consider Saint Mark. We remember that the oldest text of Mark’s The Missionary Mandate account that is available to us ends with the women fleeing from the tomb and saying “not6hing to anyone for they were afraid.” 1 Some scholars have argued that Mark intended to leave it this way, reminding readers that it is for all of us to live in such a way as to “finish the Gospel.” Still others offer the simpler answer that the last page or so has been lost to us. Others suggested that it is altogether less likely to lose the last page of a scroll! And then, there have been “redactors” who have seen to it to either replace the closing words of Mark’s work, or more likely, to “finish it for him.” The of Mark’s Gospel has supplied two other such endings that have included later manuscripts.2

1. Saint Mark 16:8.

2. These two examples of “redactions” to Mark are thought to be from around 400 CE.

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 1 This first example appears to, for the most part, pick up some material from the two other Synoptic Gospels, though one sentence is unique to the usual “resurrection message.” ( See the paragraph that follows this next one and footnote 4.) And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. . . . So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it. Amen.3 – Saint Mark 16:15-16,19-20

Unique information to the longer redacted closing to Mark is the following information, not included in the other “Great Commission” passages. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 4 — Saint Mark 16:15-16

And finally, a much shorter concluding redaction to Mark’s Gospel, also reported in the Revised Standard Version of Mark, is the following. It too is considered to be late 4th 5 or very early 5th century origin. But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.6

All of this said, Saint Mark as we have it today does include the “Great Commission.”

3. Saint Mark 16:15-16, 19-20.

4. Saint Mark 16:17-18.– This information is unique to Saint Mark in the resurrection narratives or in the Great Commission.” So it is repeated here. These might well have been sayings of Jesus. It may also be rooted in 11:8: “The infant will play near the cobra’s den.” Mark’s “message” is that children will pick up snakes safely.The message is that the child will play safely.

5. 400 CE sounds rather late to be an addition to one of the canonical Gospels. However, to put that into perspective, it was in 325 CE that Constantine I convened the Council of Nicaea, the first of the Ecumenical Councils. This was just after the persecution of Christians was ended. It is also the Council that gave the Church the ! In thinking of , the 4th century is still “very early.”

6. Other ancient authorities after verse 16:8 add these following words.

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 2 And it may already have done so in it original version, from which a section had been lost.7 For us who study Scripture today, the Great Commission with a world view is there, to be sure! II. Onward to Luke and John When we think of Saint Luke, we recall that Saint Luke not only wrote the Gospel according to Saint Luke, but that Luke also wrote the Book o . In fact, he actually concludes the Gospel and interfaces it with the Acts of the apostles. From Saint Luke’s closing we read: Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from . You are witnesses of these things. – Saint Luke 24:45-48 And, from the opening chapter of Acts we read: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of , why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” – Acts 1:8-11

Saint Luke reports the Great Commission for us not once, but twice!

III. “Feed My Sheep” By now in this series, and over and again in our past studies of the , we have learned that John’s Gospel in not rooted the Synoptic Gospels, and may in fact be the only one of our Gospels that is rooted in the witness and preaching of one who was a of our Lord, whether that be John himself or one of John’s own disciples who has been himself rooted in John’s teaching and preaching. John’s world view is evident in the very first chapter of the book. “Jesus was with God

7. Many Biblical , including the nof 1611 and many contemporary English translations have also included the longer of these “redactions” in the regular body of the test of the . In fact, the popular New International Version makes no mention of the questions surrounding these particular paragraphs. It is the same with the New Revised Standard Version, though with some footnoted annotations.

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 3 and Jesus was God” Moreover, “without nim was not anything made that was made.” Let’s listen to John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. – Saint John 1:1-3 In the course of the resurrection appearances, we hear that authority given to the disciples: When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the , Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” – Saint John 20:19-23 Jesus says to the disciples, “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” He breathes on them and says “receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” It’s not altogether unlike Matthew’s “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore, and make disciples . . .” But the authority and the command are in John’s Gospel as well. This is something of a commissioning service as well. He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus adds two things to his response to Peter. The first is the affirmation of the quality of this mission and mandate. It is to model not power and authority, but the role of the shepherd of the flock: “Feed my sheep.” And there is yet one thing more. He will remind Peter of the cost of discipleship.

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 4 That world-wide mandate till be costly for Peter, and for Saint Paul, too. In the same year, 67 CE will be crucified and Saint Paul beheaded, executed in Rome by the Emperor who at the time was named . By the way, in the years 51 - 52 CE, when Saint Paul was ending his second missionary journey, in southeastern Europe, Saint Thomas was arriving in India. Thomas would be martyred in India in 72 CE, the same year of the executions in Rome of Peter and Paul. Thomas had served in India for 20 years.

IV. How Faithful Was the Early Church to the Great Commission? By the time of the death of Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and Saint Thomas in 72 CE, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ had been planted firmly in , the Nineveh Plains and the , but also in Asia, Asia Minor, and Europe, including the capital of the , Rome itself. All of this is in the about four decades since the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord. Without modern transportation, modern media, and with the popularity of a common language, this is surely a miracle. By the close of the first century, there were churches planted and functioning around the whole of the Mediterrnean Sea. V. , Bishop of Smyrna – (69 - 155 CE) An Apostolic Father, a and a Saint Some have heard of Bishop Polycarp, but most have not. He is significant in the life of the very early Church in multiple ways.

One of the most significant of those ways may be that he is believed to have been a disciple of John, the Apostle.

Saint ,8 ,9 and Saint Jerome10 all believed and reported that Polycarp was a Archaeological Ruins of Ancient Smyrna disciple of . Irenaeus, a native of Smyrna, had seen and heard the preaching of Polycarp, the last known living connection with the , who is believed to have been the last of the living Apostles of Jesus. Therefore, Bishop Polycarp served as the last bridge between the Apostles Age and

8. Saint Irenaeus – 230 CE to 202 CE.

9. Tertullian – 155 CE to 220 CE.

10 Saint Jerome – 342 CE to 420 CE.

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 5 the generation who had learned from them. Polycarp is regarded as one of three , along with Clement of Rome and Ignatius of . Saint Jerome affirms that Polycarp was a disciple of John the Apostle and further that John had ordained him as a bishop of Smyrna. It should be noted that Smyrna was an ancient city at a strategic location on the Aegean coat in a region known as . Advantageous port conditions, its ease of defense, and good internal connections made Smyrna a large and prosperous city in the days of Polycarp and it remains so today. It is located in Turkey today. There was a large body of Christians in the city and area under the Bishopric of Polycarp which in turn was a strong support to the early Church. Polycarp’s strong teaching, leadership, and preaching made it all the more so. The surviving writings of Polycarp are few, but the of Polycarp to the Philippians is attributed to Polycarp. There is also an account of The Martyrdom of Polycarp which is part of a collection of writings entitled of Bishop Polycarp Apostolic Fathers. Given the account of the martyrdom of Saint, Apostolic Father, Martyr in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, the account in the Apostolic Fathers is believed to be one of the earliest genuine accounts of a Christian martyrdom. There also are those who believe that the teachings of Irenaeus, which he ascribes to “a certain apostolic ” represent the lost teachings of Polycarp.11 Polycarp is remembered as a saint and an Apostolic Father in the Eastern Orthodox, the Oriental Orthodox, the Roman , Anglican, and Lutheran Churches.

VI. The Martyrdo m o f P o l y c a r p , B i s h o p o f S myrna – 155 CE 12 It was 155 CE when the persecution of Christians finally reached the region and the city of Smyrna. There was great hostility toward Christians, perhaps because of their number and influence. As the persecution of Christians by fire, gladiators, and even wild animals continued, the crowds in the coliseum began to cry out more and more loudly, “Away with the atheist! Bring us Polycarp!” Two slaves had been captured and questioned. One broke down under torture

11. Polycarp is said to have been Irenaeus’ teacher.

12. Abbreviated from “Martyrium Pjolycarpi (A letter from the Church of Smyrna. The first ). Bettenson, Henry, Documents of the Christian Church, Oxford University Press: New York and London:Sixth Printng,1956. pp. 13-17.

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 6 and told the soldiers where they could find Polycarp. They found him at a farm and arrested him. He had refused to flee. He treated them kindly, even offering them food and drink. He asked for an hour to pray and they granted it. After allowing him an hour for prayer, they placed him on a donkey and brought him to the arena, They tried to convince him to save himself. “Why, what harm is there in saying ‘ is Lord’ and offering incense?” Polycarp refused He is brought before the Proconsul13 and a deafening roar rises from the crowd. The Christians in the crowd hear a voice from heaven saying “Be strong, “The Christian ’ Last Prayer” Polycarp and play the man.” Jean Leon Gerome He is urged by the Proconsul to deny his faith and bow before t he emperor. “Swear by the spirit of Caesar! Repent and say ‘Away with the Atheist!’” Turning to the crowd with a grim face while the crowd was calling for his death, he gestured toward the crowd “Away with the atheists,” he said dryly. Undeterred, the Proconsul pressed Polycarp further to deny Christ. Polycarp declared, “Eighty-six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who has saved me?” Once more the Proconsul urged Polycarp to swear by Caesar. Polycarp replied: “Since you pretend not to know who and what I am, hear me proclaim with boldness: I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn more about Christianity, I will be happy to make an appointment.” Furious now, the Proconsul said, “Do you not know that I have wild beasts waiting? I will throw you to them unless you repent.” Polycarp answered, “Bring them on, then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil.” Next, the Proconsul threatened to burn him alive. To this Polycarp replied, “You threaten to burn me with fire which burns for a little while and is soon extinguished. You do not know the coming fire of judgement and eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. What are you waiting for. Do what you wish.”

13. Proconsul – An official of the Roman government, responsible to Caesar, who functions as the governor of a city, province, etc.

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 7 The Proconsul sent his herald out into the arena to announce that Polycarp had confessed to being a Christian. At this, the assembled crowd seethed with uncontrollable fury and called for Polycarp to be burned alive. Quickly they assembled a pyre, gathering wood from workshops and the public baths. Polycarp removed his clothes and tried to take off his shoes, though his advanced age made it difficult. His guards prepared to nail him to the stake, but he told them calmly, “Leave me as I am, for the one who gives me strength to endure the fire will Martyrdom of Polycarp also give me strength to remain at the stake Ancient Church Father, Bishop, Saint unmoved without being secured by nails.” They bound his hands behind him. Polycarp offered a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving to God. The captors ignited the wood. According to observers, as the flames grew, they did not consume Polycarp as expected. The flames formed a circle around him, but his body did not burn. Since the fire did not have the desired effect upon Polycarp’s body, an executioner was ordered to stab him to death with a . His blood extinguished the flames. Observers that day were shocked by the contrast between Polycarp’s martyrdom and the deaths of non-Christians they had witnessed. They beheld the same faithful discipleship in Polycarp’s death that had characterized his life: a humble acceptance of God’s will; praise of God in the most extreme trial; and a joyful, unwavering commitment to Christ even when faced with death. Polycarp was among the first recorded Christian martyrdoms. His steadfast obedience to Christ was a powerful testimony, an inspiration not alone to the Church he lead so faithfully in Smyrna, but to all Christians who hear the story.

OUR CURRENT STUDY SERIES “Growing Into The Resurrection” A Six Session Series through the Day of Pentecost

If we read the Scriptures closely enough, faith in new understandings, especially about life and death, is rarely an instant happening. And, for some, it takes longer than others. Some even “disbelieve for joy, which is to say, “it’s too good to be true!” In this Easter season, when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection for the whole

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 8 season, until Pentecost, we shall look into the Easter story as it is told in the Gospels and in the New Testament writings, particularly of Saint Paul, concluding with the story of Ascension Day and the Anointing of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. April 18 Easter III “Hope in the Morning – Doubts by the Afternoon”

April 25 Easter IV “Aggressively Hopeful”

May 2 Easter V “How the Earliest Christians Heard It”

May 9 Easter VI “The Missionary Mandate”

May 16 Easter VII ”“One Untimely Born”

May 24 Pentecost “Spirit Filled Preaching!” SO WHAT COMES NEXT? At the conclusion of today’s session, we are but two weeks away from the end of this series of “Living into the Resurrection.” Jesus death was not an easy thing for the early Church to accept, nor was the resurrection easy to believe. The disciples went to the mount in Galilee as the Risen Lord had directed, and when they saw him they worshiped him “but some doubted.” (See Matthew 28:16-17.) Though the Church struggled with the Death and Resurrection of our Lord, the Church grew exponentially. As for our class, where do we go from here? So, I have been thinking. Perhaps our next series should look into those shorter , like the ones form Peter and John and James, and even some of the shorter letters from Paul. These too are part of our , and they have some great passages. Whet think ye? Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! + Pastor Ted

PS Other suggestions are still welcome.

OF INTEREST If you have missed a session, or a download of the paper for one or more sessions, you can find that paper by going to “goserve.net/live”, and scroll down the listing of previous Sunday worship and class schedules. Desired class papers can be printed directly. It’s easy!

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 9 Pastor Dave has shared that all papers of this series and mostly ALL others are archived and can be made available! We are continuing, having begun several weeks ago, our sessions via live Zoom. We can gather our class electronically by this marvel. Or, you can simply catch us as we have been doing. Watch and listen on Sundays for “Sign-up details” for the Zoom connection. Now, for the first time since the Pandemic started, you can ask questions and offer suggestions live. Pastor Ted’s new E-mail address: [email protected] If having a problem finding the online codes for the live broadcast, an e-mail to the Church Office will supply those items.

A Part of the Ruins of Ancient City of Smyrna Huge Modern City of Izmir, Turkey

Easter Series – 2021 Session 4 of 6 Rev. 5 pdf Page 10

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