Breaking the Word

5^th week in Lent, Friday – 08^th April 2022 – John 10, 31-42

Correlation of Words and Works

In the Gospel, Jesus is being confronted by the opponents for three things: for the proclamation of the Word of God, for doing the works of God and for holding on to his position as God’s son. They wanted to stone him, not for the miracles He has done, but because He spoke of his Abba-relationship, which is a blasphemy. Jesus used the Hebrew Scripture, first half of Ps 82,6 in which human beings are regarded as ‘gods’, to prove his claims and disprove theirs. Then He does appeal to his works as a proof that He shares his life with God and in keeping with God’s plan for the world. However when Jesus proclaimed himself in the Temple area the Pharisees never believed His words and works, always wanted to stone Him. When he moved to Jordan, the place where John’s witnesses still echo, it is said that many came to believe in Jesus there. In this place, many simple people, with grace and wisdom, were able to correlate John’s words with Jesus’ works. It is here, the ministry of Jesus comes to full circle as this section of the gospel ends. But this return to the beginning suggests that the end is near.

5^th week in Lent, Thursday – 7^th April 2022 — Gospel: Jn 8,51-59

Rejection of Jesus’ word                                   

The Jewish believers reject the words of Jesus the second time by an appeal to Abraham (8,52-53). Jesus responds by announcing that Abraham looked forward to this day (8,56), the day when all peoples would be blessed through Abraham’s offspring (Gen 12,3). Earlier too, they resisted Jesus’ invitation to discipleship, by stating that they are already free as descendants of Abraham (8,39). Unlike Abraham they have not opened their lives to the transforming power of God’s word. Their actions indicate that they are not able to accept Jesus as eternal Word, existed with God from eternity. They failed to grasp his teachings that he is voice of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the living. They were blind to understand that He is the source of life and hope even for Abraham and the prophets. This claim to divinity was too much for the crowd, who rejected his message and took up stones to cast at Him, considering him as blasphemer.