Breaking the Word

4^th week in Lent, Saturday – 02^nd April 2022 — Gospel: Jn 7,40-53

Attractive Teachings Touched their Hearts

Once again the self-revelation of Jesus provokes divisions among the people. Some came to a deeper faith in Jesus, calling him the great prophet and the Messiah. Others became more firm in their rejection of him, wanting to arrest him. Still others raised theological and political objections about the origins of the Messiah and insisted that Jesus did not meet the expectations. While the intellectuals of Jerusalem debated and argued about who Jesus was, the Temple guards probably had the best response: “Never has anyone spoken like this”. Unlike the scholars and theological experts of their day, these simple soldiers showed a great openness to Jesus’ words. The Temple guards probably knew that the Pharisees would reject their positive appraisal about Jesus. They suspected that their decision not to arrest him could land them in trouble. Yet, they did not excuse themselves of their failure to arrest Jesus. They chose to disobey their orders because his words touched their hearts. And they courageously praised Jesus of his attractive and compelling teachings.

4^th week in Lent, Friday – 01^stApril 2022 — Gospel: Jn 7,1-2.10.25-30

Jesus’ transcends the expectations

The feast of Booths comes at the end of the agricultural year and at the end of the pilgrimage festivals. This feast anticipates the en1)d times and the coming of the messiah. As Israel’s prophets proclaimed, in those days all the people of the world will go up to Jerusalem to worship God on the feast of Booths (Zech 14,16). It is at this time of fulfillment that the people of Jerusalem, who were in expectation of the Messiah, speculate about Jesus’ identity based on his origin. Their confusion expresses the fact that the Jewish people had variety of messianic expectations. Jesus’ words and actions in the temple will transcend and transform the Jewish expectations of the Messiah expressed during this feast. Although the people believed that Messiah’s origin is hidden or unknown; yet, Jesus’ true origin is God himself, not of geographical place. In referring to God as “the one who sent me”, Jesus not only fulfilled their various expectations, but perfects the hopes of Israel in his own unique way.