RBWords

     Scriptures have to be "chopped up" into bits and pieces called "readings" for the purpose of the Lectionary!  This has the unfortunate effect of interrupting a bigger narrative that has to be kept in mind when reading a given passage!  This is particularly true when reading the gospels since each of them has a different portrayal of Jesus!  The Gospel of John presents considerable challenges when a dialogue is interrupted to be resumed the next day (or over a weekend!).  To gain a proper perspective, all of chapters seven and eight (excluding the incident of the woman caught in adultery) should be read so that what appears today will have its proper place. 

 

     John uses controversy as one of the ways in which the truth about Jesus is revealed.  The controversy about Jesus and "the Jews" should not be read ethnically.  One must always bear in mind that Jesus was himself a Jew!  The controversy in today's gospel is part of a long dialogue about Jesus' relationship to his Father and his mission in "the world."  The expression "I AM" is a direct reference to God's own name, revealed to Moses in the burning bush.  When Jesus says, "What I told you from the beginning....." we readers can go back to the "Prologue" of the gospel to see what he means because this is part of the Evangelist's telling!  He has come into the world and the world does not accept him. That is what is meant by being "of this world." The "sins" in this dialogue means "unbelief" and not the ethical errors that we usually think of in connection with that word. 

 

     It does take effort to pick up the themes and controversies and make sense of them in the Gospel of John.  it is like a complicated tapestry or symphony where certain colors or themes occur over and over again in different combinations.  The effort is well worth it because we learn more and more about Jesus and, especially as we near Holy Week, the significance of the dramatic events that lead to his being "lifted up" and his victory over death!  AMEN