Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 29, 2017 - 4th Week of Lent - Wed
[Isa 49:8-15 and John 5:17-30]"My Father is at work until now, so I am at work." For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God." [John]
These words introduce a "discourse" that follows the "sign" that Jesus "worked" by healing the crippled beggar. I put all these words in quotation marks because they do have a particular meaning in the context of the Gospel According to John. There are some particular patterns in the way this gospel presents the story of Jesus. One of them is the use of a "discourse" in which Jesus elaborates on one of the "signs" that he "works." The line above, "My Father is at work until now, so I am at work," means that Jesus is doing what his Father has sent him to do. The point of the "work" is to bring people to faith in Jesus. The discourse that follows today is typical of this gospel in that it seems repetitive and abstract at times, but there are some important truths to be noted and kept in mind as one moves through the Gospel According to John. I have just mentioned one.
Two other "themes" are present. The first is that whoever believes in Jesus is already experiencing what it means to have eternal life. Scripture scholars call this "realized eschatology." In other words, eternal life is not just something beyond the grave, but is a matter of being united in faith in Jesus. The second theme speaks to what will ultimately happen in God's plan of salvation in terms of resurrection at the end of time - eternal life at that time. Both of these truths are intertwined in the Gospel According to John. All of the "signs" that Jesus "works" are done to bring us to faith. "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one whom he has sent." [John 6:29]
We will see other "discourses" in both the Book of Signs and the Book of Glory. The ultimate sign will be when Jesus is "lifted up" on the cross. [John 3:14-16] The Gospel According to John does require effort to read and understand, but the effort will be well-rewarded. AMEN