Exiit qui seminar - God in Old Testament vs New Testament
In our first reading this Sunday we once again return to the Acts of the Apostles. This selection once again showcases the tension between Jews and Gentiles. We see it throughout the Old Testament of how God lifts up the Israelites above other nations according to His will. In the life of the early Church, we see both Peter and Paul bring the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles hoping that all will come to accept Christ and His Gospel. Still, in the Old Testament there are examples of non-Jews who are righteous and follow the will of God. St. Peter successfully unites Jewish and Gentile Christians in the teaching "that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him." However, it was a question that was still actively debated in the life of the early Church.
Marcion, a Christian theologian born in 85 AD taught that the God portrayed in the Old Testament was incompatible to Christ and the Gospel and any association with the Hebrew Scriptures was contrary to the truth and a form of backsliding. For Marcion, the only true Apostle was Paul and his bible only contained Luke's Gospel and Paul's letters. Marcion was denounced by early Church Fathers like Origen and Tertullian and eventually excommunicated in 144 AD.
Even though the God of the Old Testament sometimes acts "different" from the God of the New Testament, we understand that the Lord was responding to the Israelites in the midst of the very different and often brutal cultures of the Ancient Near East in the midst of brutal times. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob met the Israelites where they were and guided His people to where they need to be. The Lord has made them a people particularly His own. The Jews have been, are and always will be the Chosen People of God. They too await the coming of the Messiah. And everything that we believe and has been fulfilled in our midst has been born out and promised through the nation of Israel. The Gospel being brought to the Gentiles shows the fullness of what God planned to do from the beginning - to bring everything and everyone into His Church. That plan of salvation is what we celebrate, not just in the Easter season, but always.
In a world that often times creates the dichotomy of "us vs. them" the Lord and the Church is telling us that there is only "us". The whole Church can't survive and thrive unless we have everyone "on board" and faithful to His commandments. We pray in a special way that we can teach the faith to all and to evangelize in season and out of season!
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Fr. Rob Sinatra
