{"id":931179,"date":"2025-04-07T14:07:39","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T18:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=bible_study&#038;p=331179"},"modified":"2026-06-23T13:48:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T17:48:17","slug":"bible-study-easter-4-c-may-11-2025","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-easter-4-c-may-11-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Easter 4 (C) \u2013 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/easter-4c\/\">RCL: Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Ea4-2025-Bible-Study-Graphic-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-331188\" style=\"width:512px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-acts-9-36-43\"><strong>Acts 9:36-43<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The collect for this week describes Jesus as the good shepherd, \u201cwho calls us each by name.\u201d Names play a significant role in this passage from Acts, in which Peter\u2014who was so nicknamed by Jesus himself\u2014replicates the sort of healing work that Jesus did in the Gospels. Tabitha\u2019s miraculous resurrection might specifically cause us to recall the healing of Jairus\u2019 daughter (Matt. 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-9:6) with the Aramaic words \u201cTalitha koum,\u201d translated as \u201cLittle girl, get up!\u201d Tabitha\u2019s name is not far off from \u201cTalitha,\u201d the form of address used for Jairus\u2019 daughter, which is perhaps why we are given both her Aramaic and her Greek name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aramaic does not show up often in the New Testament, which was written in Greek, so when it does, we can be sure it\u2019s there for a reason. We might consider the significance of Jesus addressing Jairus\u2019 daughter in her native tongue or of Peter calling Tabitha by her Aramaic name even though his instruction to \u201cget up\u201d is in Greek. Relationships with God are personal!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Like Peter and Tabitha, we are all inevitably called different names by different people with whom we have different relationships (think: nicknames, pet names, titles). Which, of your many names, are the ones God might call you by, and what significance do they have for you and your relationship with God?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-psalm-23\"><strong>Psalm 23<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Psalm 23 is one of the earliest biblical instances of the good shepherd imagery used for today\u2019s collect, and it\u2019s pretty famous for showing up as a suitable option for use in Episcopal healing and burial services. With verses like \u201cHe revives my soul,\u201d and \u201cI will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,\u201d it is only too fitting. <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our oldest Hebrew manuscripts of the Psalms do not have vowel markings, so sometimes we come across words that could be translated multiple ways, depending on the missing vowels (imagine only seeing \u201cbt\u201d and deciding whether it means \u201cbat,\u201d \u201cbet,\u201d \u201cbit,\u201d \u201cbot,\u201d or \u201cbut\u201d). In these cases, we can look at later translations to other languages or newer manuscripts with vowel markings added by scribes and see how the saints who have gone before chose to interpret the ambiguity, but there\u2019s no guarantee that one interpretation is right or wrong. The sequence of Hebrew consonants that we traditionally translate as \u201cI will dwell in,\u201d in Psalm 23, for instance, could also have meant \u201cI will return to,\u201d which carries a significantly different meaning when talking about \u201cthe house of the Lord.\u201d If the house of the Lord is Heaven, for example, does returning mean that we were there before we inhabited this earthly life? \u201cDwell\u201d certainly raises fewer theological quandaries!<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Try reciting the final verse of Psalm 23 with \u201creturn to\u201d in place of \u201cdwell in.\u201d Does it change the meaning for you? How so? Which do you prefer, and why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-revelation-7-9-17\"><strong>Revelation 7:9-17<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ve been assuming the metaphor of shepherd for Christ for this week\u2019s readings, but in this passage from Revelation, he\u2019s also characterized as the capital-L Lamb! The last verse (17) paints a confusing picture in which the Lamb is also shepherd, and this is par for the course in the topsy-turvy imagery of Revelation. The Lamb\u2019s blood has also been used to wash robes white, which is, uh, not the color we typically think of blood being.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fact that we can think of Jesus as both Lamb and shepherd is telling. It reflects something about Christ\u2019s nature as both fully God and fully human (the fancy theology term for this is \u201chypostatic union\u201d). The shepherd metaphor reminds us of his deity and power to care for and guide us while the Lamb imagery reminds us of the vulnerability of his human incarnation: if human beings are his sheep, he is also The Sheep.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are many metaphors we use to make sense of what God is like, many but not all of which are from Scripture (e.g. \u201cFather, Son, and Holy Spirit\u201d). What metaphors do you use for God? What do you imagine God looks, sounds, or feels like? What might these imaginings tell you about God\u2019s nature?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-john-10-22-30\"><strong>John 10:22-30<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The festival of the Dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem (or, Hanukkah), which serves as the backdrop for this scene in the Gospel of John, was a big deal, to say the least. It was celebrating how, not long before, in 164 BCE, the Temple was rededicated after its desecration by King Antiochus IV of the Seleucid Empire (1 Macc. 4:52-59). During this time, and in the Second Temple period more broadly, the Temple was the center of ancient Jewish faith and life and a holy site of pilgrimage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus\u2019 confrontation in this chapter is more serious in some ways than others that we see him have with Pharisees and priests throughout the Gospels. By claiming to be one with God the Father, he was committing what would have been considered a heresy at the time, and he was doing it in the holiest place there was at a time when that holiness was being celebrated. Meanwhile, under Roman occupation, fear abounded about further threats to the Temple\u2019s ongoing existence. It was indeed not long for this world. In 70 CE, the Romans would destroy the Temple for good, and the Jewish people would learn to survive and worship in diaspora, hoping, along with many Christians, for a future third Temple. In the midst of this anxious tension, Jesus, like a good shepherd, promised that his sheep would have eternal life, and no one would be able to snatch them out of his hand. This stood in stark contrast to a very reasonable concern the Jewish people had about their ongoing life and the life of their Temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jesus promises us everlasting spiritual life in him, but he doesn\u2019t promise that the things we hold dear and think important now will be eternal. What is something that feels essential to your faith now? What would it be like to go without it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-b3270d20-9d50-48db-9cee-66a0790fa388\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Easter-4-Bible-Study.docx\">Word \u2013 Easter 4 (C) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Easter-4-Bible-Study.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-b3270d20-9d50-48db-9cee-66a0790fa388\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-b15982b3-834c-4ddc-8e5a-afea0614bf5e\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Easter-4-Bible-Study.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Easter 4 (C) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Easter-4-Bible-Study.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-b15982b3-834c-4ddc-8e5a-afea0614bf5e\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RCL: Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30 Acts 9:36-43 The collect for this week describes Jesus as the good shepherd, \u201cwho calls us each by name.\u201d Names play a significant role in this passage from Acts, in which Peter\u2014who was so nicknamed by Jesus himself\u2014replicates the sort of healing work that Jesus did&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,22,52,3],"tags":[198],"class_list":["post-931179","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-easter","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-easter-4c"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":22,"label":"Easter"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":198,"label":"Easter 4C"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/931179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/931179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":951769,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/931179\/revisions\/951769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=931179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=931179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=931179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}