Friday Week Five
Reading: John 10:31-42
The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, thou only a human being, are making yourself God.’ Jesus answered, ‘Is it not written in your law, “I said you are gods”? If those to whom the word of God came were called “gods” and the scriptures cannot be annulled – can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, “I am God’s Son”? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. ‘Then the tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.
He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptising earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, ‘John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.’ And many believed in him there.
Reflection Here again Jesus shares a number of important truths with us; he attributes all glory, honour and praise to God the Father for the good works that have been done through him.
He takes ownership of his Son-ship of God; he has been sanctified by the Father and sent into the world to proclaim good news and perform the works of God. His ultimate mission is to draw people to God and make the Father’s name known. He points the people to the scripture as the word of God and if they take the word of God to heart and live by it, they too will share in the divine life of God. (John 8:31)
We may be tempted to extend a little sympathy to the Jews as they bent down to pick up their stones; they have not been privileged with the insight that has been gifted to us to recognise Jesus as Son of the Father; hence their accusation of blasphemy. Stoning may have been a response to such a violation of belief in their tradition. Jesus challenges them to believe in his works if not in his person, because this belief may ultimately lead them to fuller belief in whom he is and who God is for them.
In a moment of danger, he left them for the place where John had been baptising. There the Holy Spirit had been poured upon the people in the waters of baptism and those who now came, believed in him for who he was.
I am invited to ask myself what are the stones that block my belief in Jesus?
Do I recognise him as the Son of God or have false gods taken his place in my heart?
Do I truly believe that I am a daughter (son) of the Lord and what difference does that make in my daily life?
Prayer
Lord, I thank you for the gift of my baptism;
I thank you for the moment when you called me ‘your beloved child;’
You invited me into a deep, personal relationship with you;
You ask me to nurture this relationship every moment of my life;
may I know you as the God of all love;
the joy of my heart,
the music of my soul,
this day and forever more, Amen.