Word to the Wise
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 - Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Easter
[Acts 12:24 - 13:5a and John 12:44-50]Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.
The older I get, the more often I have the experience of searching for something "hiding in plain sight!" In the South we have an expression, "If it was a snake, it would have bitten me!" Why can't the heroine in a movie or drama see the villain creeping up on her? All of these point to aspects of the Gospel of John and to the gospel scripture for today. The Gospel of John reflects not only the experience of those who met, saw and heard Jesus "in the flesh" but also the experiences of the community that was preaching the gospel at the time it was written! These preachers were experiencing both acceptance and rejection. The dramatic contrasts of seeing and blindness, light and darkness, may reflect some of the frustration arising out of the conflict with the synagogues which rejected the preaching. For the preacher, it would seem that Jesus is "hiding in plain sight!" Why can't the hearers "see" and believe? The preached "word" is there to be experienced and is challenging the hearer to come to faith. My years in campus ministry often included the experience of meeting students and faculty who steadfastly rejected Christianity and all that it represents. The reasons are many but the most frustrating thing is a rejection for intellectual reasons that have long been shown to be based on empty premises. The old expression, "There are none so blind as those who will not see!" Nevertheless, we who do "see" must never give up or condemn. AMEN
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