Fourth Sunday of Easter [B]

 


FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER


You hear a question being transmitted from the speaker of your 1948 RCA Victor radio: “Who knows what evil lurks within the hearts of men?”  What’s being implied here is that the average person probably would not know. The average person wouldn’t know about that inner dimension. And yet, even if the average person doesn’t know, there is somebody who does know: The Shadow knows!  The Shadow knows about the subject of evil. 


Of course, the Lord also knows. He knows about the human heart and its capacity for evil. It turns out that he also knows something about the subject of shepherding. According to the Gospel of John chapter ten, he knows each and every one of the sheep assigned to his flock, from the inside out. Likewise, the sheep know him (10:14). How well do we know him? Do we know him inside and out? No, we can’t make that type of claim. But we can say that the knowledge we have deepens over the course of time. 


Consider the example of Peter, witnessing boldly to the people of Jerusalem (see Acts 4:8-12). It’s clear that he knows the Lord more deeply now than when he was first recruited as a disciple. But it’s a relationship that’s meant to be shared. Therefore, he’s applying himself so that the wider community can come to know the Lord. Peter’s trying to help the world at large. And it sounds like the world could use some help. 


The world is at a disadvantage, according to First John chapter three. The world doesn’t know Jesus, what he’s about, or what his followers are all about (3:1-2). It’s a problem that needs to be addressed—and Peter’s doing his part. Will he convert the entire planet? No, but at least he’s making a dent. You want to be able to say that you are making a dent, even if it’s only a modest dent or a relatively small dent. 


A man is walking along the beach. He comes across a boy who’s busy throwing starfish back out into the water. The starfish had been washed ashore by the tide, and now they were scattered beneath the light of the sun. Knowing they’ll never be able to survive under these conditions, the boy commits himself to saving as many as he can. The man questions why the boy is bothering: “There must be at least a thousand starfish along this stretch of beach. Do you really believe that you’re going to make a difference?”  Picking up a starfish, the boy responds with a declaration: “I’m making a difference for THIS one!”  With that he hurls the starfish out into the water. 


Perhaps he’s not making a profound difference. And yet, at the end of the day he will go to sleep aware that he did make a dent, however marginal. The Book of Acts records Peter making his own missionary dent. And the hope is that we will follow suit by making our own particular dent. We labor faithfully so that Jesus can be known, if not universally, then at least on an increasingly wider scale. 

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