Word to the Wise
Thursday, April 14, 2011 - 5th Week of Lent - Thurs
[Gen 17:3-9 and John 8:51-59]"Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad." So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM." So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
It is not easy for humans to take a "God's eye" view of history and reality! This is what makes the Gospel of John one of the most challenging of the New Testament books. It seems to view Jesus' life and ministry from an "eternal" point of view! Jesus, himself, is presented as someone who sees his own life from that perspective. No wonder, then, that his disciples and all the other vivid characters in the Gospel of John seem to have trouble understanding him. The implications of his point of view could be very threatening. Today's gospel scripture is an example, and adds to the building "dramatic tension" that leads toward the climactic events of Holy Week. The power and importance of Abraham to Jews, Moslems and Christians is hard to underestimate. He is the FATHER IN FAITH of all three of these great religious families. He is a way in which these families orient themselves toward God's actions in human time and history. We can "trace" ourselves to him. Jesus' claim to be "greater" than Abraham was blasphemy to his listeners. On the level of history, Jesus was obviously less than 50 years old. On the level of faith, he certainly did not qualify to his listeners as divine! Yet that is exactly what he seems to be claiming! He sees Abraham from a "God's eye" perspective. No wonder the audience started reaching for rocks! The perspective that most of us have is that of beneficiaries of centuries of Christian reflection on the words of the gospel scriptures. We see Jesus as God's decisive intervention in human and creation history. This is a matter of faith. However, God is not subject to time and history in the way that we are. This is why it may be difficult for us to understand Jesus when he says that when we believe in him, we HAVE eternal life. Eternal matters for us are "beyond the grave" matters. The implications of his life, death and resurrection take time to "dawn" on us even all these centuries later. Taking the "God's eye" view with us into Holy Week can help us to understand it all a bit more. AMEN
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