Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - 4th Week of Easter - Tues
[Acts 11:19-26 and John 10:22-30]"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]
MAY 2 ST. ATHANASIUS, bishop and doctor of the church
Jesus' statement, "The Father and I are one!" would cause his listeners to pick up stones to throw at him because they thought he was blaspheming. How could a human being claim to be God? This is precisely the issue in the whole Gospel According to John! It is important not to read later understanding of the trinitarian nature of God into this gospel, although the roots of that understanding may be present. Debates over Jesus' true identity would continue for a long time. St. Athanasius, whose feast we celebrate today, would be subjected to being driven out of his diocese because of his defense of Jesus' identity as stated in the Nicean creed (325 A.D.). The Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) would put the matter in the form we follow now.
In the Gospel According to John, the central issue is one of faith in Jesus. If he is the one whom God has sent, then we are called to believe in him. We are not called to be great theologians whose important work eventually finds its way into verbal expression in creeds. In the gospel passage today, Jesus challenges the religious leadership then (and subsequent Jewish leadership as well as our own secular-soaked culture) for its lack of faith. He continues the shepherd/sheep image of hearing his voice and following him. Do we? Or do we follow the path of "cafeteria/what are my options" individualism in his regard? Do we hear his voice only when it agrees with pet political or cultural biases? This challenge was relevant when Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead, and it is relevant now. AMEN