Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - 6th Week of Easter - Thurs
[Acts 18:1-8 and John 16:16-20]"A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me." [John]
We return to the Farewell Discourse today and encounter one of the major themes of the Gospel According to John. Jesus comes from God and is returning to God. This time the theme is expressed in an enigmatic way. There is the term "little while" and the verb, "see." On one level, it can mean the death and resurrection of Jesus. On another level it can mean the return of Jesus "on the last day." The verb "see" is often connected with faith in this gospel and indeed the faith of the disciples would be shaken and then strengthened by the arrival of the Advocate. In tomorrow's segment Jesus will use the image of childbirth to describe what the disciples will experience in his death and resurrection. Again, all of this is part of his explanation to the disciples about what is about to happen.
2000+ years later, we find ourselves living between a kind of "tic and toc" reality. The "tic" of Jesus death and resurrection are behind us and the "toc" of Jesus' return "on the last day" is ahead of us. In the meantime, we carry on the mission of Jesus with the help and sustaining strength of the Holy Spirit. AMEN