Word to the Wise
Tuesday, April 24, 2018 - 4th Week of Easter - Tues
[Acts 11:19-26 and John 10:22-30]TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2018 TUESDAY IN THE FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER [Acts 11:19-26 and John 10:22-30] So, the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “how long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” [John] The shepherd image continues in today’s gospel passage but there is a slight shift in that the shepherd image is directed toward Jesus’ adversaries. Jesus responds to the demand from them that he state directly that he is or is not the Christ. HIs response is that his “works” have already answered their question, but because they do not believe in him, they cannot believe in his works. Those who do believe are like the sheep in the flock who recognize their shepherd’s voice. In my pastoral experience I have met people who expect God to meet their agenda when it comes to revelation. This kind of expectation ranges from the student who wishes God would speak in a human voice to say what the student should do with his or her life to the non-believer who wants some kind of empirical proof of the existence of God. In today’s gospel passage, Jesus’ adversaries take his reply for a kind of “Yes” and pick up stones to throw (this is omitted by the lectionary today, so read the whole passage). My sense of those demands is that no answer will satisfy them. The old expression comes to mind: “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” At the same time, consistent witness is a powerful form of evangelization and can be the very “voice” or “proof” that some people need. Jesus tells us plainly every day in the faces and lives of the faithful who follow his voice that he is the Christ. We have a choose to pick up rocks or we can follow him to eternal life. AMEN
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