Word to the Wise
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - 4th Week of Lent - Wed
[Isa 49:8-15 and John 5:17-30]"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life." [John]
In the Gospel According to John, Jesus' "signs" are often followed by "discourses" that build on the significance of the sign. The healing of the crippled beggar at the Pool of Siloam initially builds on the question of "work" since Jesus "worked" by healing on the sabbath and thereby earned the hostility of the religious authorities. The discourse is, in part, his reply to them. But other themes show up as well. The lines quoted above are a statement of one of the fundamental truths of the Gospel According to John. Anyone who believes in Jesus is already experiencing eternal life! Theologians call this "realized eschatology," meaning what we could expect at the end of time with Jesus' second coming is already taking place in our life of faith in Jesus as the one whom God has sent!
Popular Christian tradition about what "eternal life" could mean is influenced by human imagination and visions. The Book of Revelation was not the only literature of its kind when it was composed. It has influenced much imagination of what "heaven is like." "The pearly gates" will always inspire faith and lots of humor as well. All of this can make Jesus' teaching about having eternal life NOW difficult to understand, especially in the midst of great human hardship. Yet, the power of faith to sustain us in our present times is well-known and the promise of life beyond physical death gives us reason to live the life of the Spirit who was sent after Jesus' death and resurrection. Over the days between now and Holy Week, the gospel scriptures will come from the Gospel According to John and remind us of the eternal life we already have through faith. AMEN