Acts 1:6-14
Resources
1. James Alison, Raising Abel, "The Preaching of the Kingdom," pp. 81-82. For example:
First he announces the closeness of the kingdom of God and works signs. At the same time he begins to choose people to be his witnesses. And he chooses twelve. This already tells us something about what he thought he was doing: that is, he was symbolically refounding Israel, with its twelve tribes. It's very important that we notice this, since this number continues to be stressed until Pentecost. The ones who were chosen themselves understood that they had been chosen to bring about a restoration of the kingdom of Israel: that's why they ask Jesus just before the Ascension if it is now that he will restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6). And immediately after the Ascension, and before Pentecost, they choose Matthias to fill the empty place among the twelve which had been left by Judas. Their criterion for choosing was that the one chosen should have accompanied Jesus and the twelve original witnesses during the whole of Jesus' public ministry up until his Ascension. That is, it was understood that fundamental to what Jesus wanted to do was the bringing about of some sort of new symbolic Israel, and that what makes this possible is the presence of people who had lived through the whole process of the change of mind and of heart produced by the ministry and passion of Jesus and then his presence as risen victim.2. In The Joy of Being Wrong, James Alison stresses even more the human process of discovery of the meaning of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection (cf., pp. 77ff.). The disciples' question in Acts 1:6 illustrates the frailty of this human process. They were completely in the dark before the resurrection, and the opening of their eyes after the resurrection is still only gradual. Here they have had the Risen Jesus among them for 40 days, and their question still betrays a misunderstanding of Jesus' mission. Peter will still have an "Aha!" moment with Cornelius several chapters later in Acts 10-11.
3. Link to a sermon that Alison's notion of the power we see in the Ascension as a power that stands up to evil nonviolently. The central illustration is the movie Dead Poet's Society, with the suggestion that the Church is to be a "Risen Lord's Society."
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Resources
1. 1 Peter 4:16 (a verse omitted from this lection in the RCL but not the Catholic lectionary) is quoted by James Alison on pages 181-182 of Raising Abel in reflecting on the NT picture of reputation, shame vs. glory, in the context of suffering.
John 17:1-11
Resources
1. Gil Bailie, "The Gospel of John" audio tape series, tape #10; link to my notes / transcription of this lecture.
2. James Alison, The Joy of Being Wrong, p. 95. Alison cites John 17:5 as one of the NT texts which posits creation through a pre-existent Christ. His argument is amazing in showing how creation in Christ developed from the experience of the Resurrection as the forgiveness of sin; link to an excerpt of "Creation in Christ."
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