Word to the Wise
Sunday, May 8, 2022 - 4th Sunday of Easter - C
[Acts 13:14, 43-52; Rev 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30]"My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and that 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]
There is a familiar expression in political and organizational life: "It's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know!" In matters of faith, however, both are important because each of them leads to the other! This is particularly true when we turn to the Word of God to learn about Jesus but then, from what we learn, we come to know about him as a person.
In the Gospel According to John, there are only one of two instances of what is common in the other three gospels: parables! The images of the vine and branches in the Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper (John 15:1-17) and the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-30) are really the only two. Each of them points to a WHAT: a life giving relationship, which points then to a WHO: Jesus. The whole point of the 10th chapter of the Gospel According to John (the Good Shepherd image) is the identity of Jesus, and what that identity can mean for those who come to faith. The audience in the gospel passage reacts to Jesus' claim: "The Father and I are one!" They think Jesus is blaspheming by making himself equivalent to God. They are correct about the implications, but wrong about blaspheming. Jesus is stating a fact!
Jesus shares with us his relationship to his Father. (John 15:9) This is eternal life. He gives us life as a shepherd gives life to the flock or a vine to the branches. The gift (the WHAT) reveals the giver (the WHO) and vice-versa. AMEN