By the Rev. Robert Blezard
Revised Common Lectionary reflection, Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A
May 10, 2026
Obedience has always been a tough sell to us humans, but perhaps especially difficult in our North American culture. Even the best of us churchgoers are endlessly pulled this way and that by our selfishness and sinful desires. Though we often deceive ourselves into thinking we have “free will,” we remember Martin Luther’s persuasive argument that, far from being “free,” our wills are actually in bondage to sin and cannot free themselves. That is, simply to say, that we are inextricably predisposed to our self-interest and desires.
No wonder the Bible relentlessly implores God’s people to follow God’s directions. We always prefer to follow our own rules.
As we steward our lives, nothing is as important as cultivating a living, vibrant faith life. Aligned with God’s teachings, purposes and values, we open ourselves to the blessings, power, courage and direction of the Holy Spirit. In other words, united with God we live as we were created to live, and we are blessed with the lives God intends us to have.
In the Gospel lesson, Jesus signals that obedience is a key measure of our faith’s strength. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments,” Jesus declares (John 14:15). Yikes! That’s the kind of conditional “If … then” that keeps us up at night.
By specifying “my commandments,” Jesus may be distinguishing his priority imperatives from, say, the Ten Commandments or those 613 laws the Pharisees lifted up. In contrast to those, Jesus’ commandments are all based on love – love for God, love for neighbor, love for self, love for enemies and love for each other. These are tough!
More than urging us simply to watch our outward behavior, Jesus may be asking us to cultivate greater love for Him. After all, willpower alone may enable us to curb our behavior, at least for a time, but we adopt new habits and behaviors with greater ease when our hearts have been transformed by Jesus’ love.
That’s not to say that following Jesus’ commands is easy, even with a transformed heart. As the example of martyrs and saints reveals, following Jesus frequently compels us not only to go against our wants, but also to face scorn, social backlash or even physical harm.
In this week’s Epistle reading, Peter acknowledges and puts into perspective the risks of doing the right thing. “Even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed” (1 Peter 3:14). Doing what is right while risking relationships, status, prosperity – or even life – carries its own reward, Peter says. “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17). Doing right has its own rewards
North American preachers, at least in the Mainline, often encounter headwinds talking about sin and obedience. Many in our self-satisfied culture think very well of themselves and resent implications to the contrary: “A sinner? Not me! That’s the guy we hear about on the news!” It’s hard to preach obedience to people who think they’re already doing everything right.
And yet, we can’t ignore obedience, which the Bible affirms as a central tenet of faith. Jesus says as much in the Great Commission, commanding us to make disciples and teach them “to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).
Depending on your congregation’s culture, it might be wise to preach carefully, nudging congregants down the slope of honest self-reflection rather than pushing them into the chasm of guilt. Perhaps the best approach is to dangle the carrot of reward rather than raise the stick of punishment.
In calling us to obey out of love, Jesus promises the infinite blessings that flow from a reciprocal, intimate relationship with our creator, redeemer and sustainer. “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them” (John 14:21).
In worship
The worship service’s confession and forgiveness offer a great opportunity to explore the theme of obedience and love. The worship leader could preface the prayers with a brief explanation of how pervasive human sinfulness compels us to confess week after week. After all, as the standard Lutheran confession declares, “we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves.” It might also be pointed out that we confess not because we fear punishment, but because we want to open ourselves to receive God’s loving forgiveness.
Another idea: Just for this Sunday, perhaps the order of worship could be changed to put the prayers of confession and forgiveness AFTER the sermon. Doing so would provide an appropriate, meaningful response to the message.
With children and youth
Discuss with the younger saints how growing up with our parents or guardians necessitates following family rules, some of which may seem onerous and arbitrary. Parents tell children when to go to bed, what foods to eat, what movies to watch, what social media is allowed, and so on. But these rules usually have a good reason behind them. We have to go to bed at a certain time because sleep is important. Our parents limit some foods because too much is bad for us. The rules reflect how our parents love us and want the best for us. It is similar with God’s rules. They are designed to help us.
Here are earlier preaching reflections for Easter 6A.
2023 – Stewards of the story – God’s story
2020 – If you love me
2017 – Do you see Jesus?
2014 – Stewards of the promise
2011 – Do you see what I see?
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