Word to the Wise
Thursday, March 18, 2021 - 4th Week of Lent - Thurs
[Exod 32:7-14 and John 5:31-47]"If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true. But there is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true....The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. You search the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life." [John]
Each of the four gospels reflects the conditions of the Christian community it was written for at the time it was written. In the case of the Gospel According to John, the latest of the four, there is an adversarial tone that reflects conflict between Jews who accepted Jesus as "the one whom God has sent" and those who did not. The ones who rejected Jesus were expelling from the synagogue those who did accept him. The conflict and consequent resentment found their way into the manner in which the evangelist told the story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
In today's passage, which continues the "discourse" about Jesus' "works," the word "testimony" appears frequently. The adversarial tone reflects a judicial trial and a "crisis" of belief versus non-belief. The very word, "crisis," comes from the Greek word for "judgement." Jesus argues that the scriptures (meaning the Old Testament) testify on his behalf as well as the "works" that he was performing, but that testimony is being rejected.
Our very own faith rests on the "testimony" of the scriptures and the apostles and preachers who spread the word from Jerusalem to the whole world. The Bible and reflection of the church fathers have been passed down through the centuries to us. That is the testimony. But we also have our own experiences in faith to enable us to bear witness and testify that Jesus is the one whom God has sent. That testimony must be given to a secular world that can be skeptical of any religious faith. Ultimately it is our good example and fidelity to Christ that will convince. Are we ready to testify? AMEN