Word to the Wise
Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - 4th Week of Easter - Wed
[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." [John]
These words of Jesus come at the end of the part of the Gospel of John that tradition and scholarship call THE BOOK OF SIGNS. They sum up the mission and purpose of Jesus' life. The last and most dramatic sign (Ch.11) was the raising of Lazarus from the dead. At this point, Jesus has now entered Jerusalem and has been confronting those who do not believe in him. The next chapter (13) begins with the Last Supper and the Washing of the Feet of the Disciples.
If one is reading John's portrayal of Jesus, this is a good point to stop and perhaps go back to the "Prologue" and do a quick read forward to meditate on the encounters and signs. What do we think? Or believe? Is Jesus the one whom God has sent? Has Jesus (and the evangelist) told us "plainly" who Jesus is? The BOOK OF GLORY, chs. 13-21, will say more, but Jesus challenges us at this point. The disciples will stumble after him. The religious authorities will plot to kill him. The modern reaction may be to ignore him or simply not think about him at all.
A serious Christian spiritual life must come to terms with the identity of Jesus and what it means. Everything begins and ends with the Word of God, who is "in the beginning." The "Word was made flesh and dwelled among us." "Grace and truth" are his mission. Reading forward from this point with those ideas in our mind will help us to make sense of what happens next. AMEN
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