Word to the Wise
Thursday, April 15, 2010 - Thursday in the Second Week of Easter
[Acts 5:27-33 and John 3:31-36]The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one God sent speaks the words of God. [Gospel of John]
Poor Nicodemus got a lot more than he bargained for! Jesus' discourse which follows on the conversation with Nicodemus contains some of the major themes that were already announced in the "Prologue" to the Gospel of John. In the person of Jesus, heaven and earth are united. The previous "place" where heaven and earth came together was the temple in Jerusalem. Now the temple is replaced by a person: Jesus Christ. Today's gospel scripture echoes the Prologue ("He came to his own, but his own did not receive him...") when it says, "He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony." It is a matter of accepting Jesus' testimony as reliable and that testimony would be not only verbal but physical: "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM." Those who accept Jesus' testimony accept the One who sent him. It is the fundamental point of faith. In many years of campus ministry, I encountered just about every argument a student or faculty person could make that claimed to "prove" that Christianity (and religion in general) is a great hoax and billions of humans are completely deceived! In the case of students, the questioning was often prompted by lifestyle challenges. In the case of faculty, it was often a result of the false "clinical" attitude that assumed there IS such a thing as a "neutral" position that can put, in C.S.Lewis' wonderful image, "God in the dock!" Ultimately we will all discover that it is not God who is on the witness stand, it is each of us. Can we say of our lives now that we are telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? "The one who is from God speaks God's words." AMEN Reply Forward