Acts of the Apostles 28:16-20, 30-31; Psalm 10; John 21:20-25
The Revised New Jerusalem Bible (which will be the version of the new Lectionary) has a heading for the last two lines of today’s first reading. Entitled ‘Epilogue’ it condenses information about Paul’s travel to Rome and his teaching there into these final lines from Acts of the Apostles. After the many travails and trials he experienced during his missionary journeys Paul at last enjoyed freedom from contestation and conflict though we know that this state of affairs did not last with his being put to death like Jesus on a cross. In the meantime, ‘he welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus’. Thus, American scripture scholar Raymond E. Brown stated succinctly that ‘the summary that ends Acts speaks of Paul’s preaching for two years in Rome with success’.[1]
The reign (rather than ‘kingdom’, a more dynamic reality) of God was the meaning of Jesus’ own mission, the subject of his teaching, especially parables, and the merciful motive of his many miracles. In the light of Jesus’ Resurrection and the Easter faith this engendered in his followers, ‘proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus’ dovetail rather than divide in description. This dovetail is the subject of the Gospels, detailing (to different degrees) the ministry of Jesus and disclosing the paschal mystery of his life, death and Resurrection. The theology of the New Testament tries to tease out the relations of Jesus to God and humanity. This points to and out its Christology, that is, Jesus as both Son of God and Saviour.
The last lines of today’s Gospel reading might also be referred to as an ‘Epilogue’ to the Gospel of John. While the writer records that ‘there are also many other things that Jesus did; if they were written down one by one, I do not suppose the world itself would contain all the books written’ (John 21:25, Revised New Jerusalem Bible), what we read in the New Testament serves to remind us that the church’s proclamation and teaching, faith and mission are founded, formed and fruitful through participation in the paschal mystery of Christ, the authentic revealer and absolute representative of the reign of God.
[1] An Introduction to the New Testament, New York, Doubleday, 1996, 316.