Word to the Wise
Thursday, March 14, 2024 - 4th Week of Lent - Thurs
[Exod 32:7-14 and John 5:31-47]"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. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent." [John]
One of the features of the Gospel According to John is its forensic language. "Testimony" and "judgment" appear in Jesus' preaching. Another feature of this gospel are the "discourses" in which the evangelist often combines statements made at various times into one speech. The discourses following the multiplication of the loaves - the "Bread of Life" - and the one following the Last Supper are two of the most prominent ones. The healing of the crippled beggar gives rise to the one that appears in the gospel scripture this week.
Following the train of thought in the discourses can be a challenge. They appear to "spiral" rather than be "linear" and the subject can shift. The healing of the crippled beggar moves from the sign of healing to the subject of "work" because healing on the sabbath was prohibited work in the eyes of the strict Pharisees. (The crippled beggar was even scolded for carrying the mat he sat on.) But physical "work" moves from effort to meaning. What is the "meaning" of the sign (work)? To what is the healing "testifying?" The sign has given rise to a debate with Jesus' adversaries - a forensic situation. Jesus tells the Jewish authorities that his Father testifies on his behalf through the "works" and so does Moses in the scriptures!
The drama of the debate should not distract us from asking ourselves about what Jesus' accomplishes in us? What testimony do we have to offer to the challenging secular world? What "works" are we as individuals and Church communities accomplishing that will say to the world that Jesus is the one whom God has sent? AMEN