Wednesday 9 March 2016

Lent 4, 2016 9th March- to believe “him who sent me"



(C)Br Luke Efo 2010


Scripture John 5: 17-30

17 But Yeshua answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.” 18 For this cause therefore the Judeans sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Yeshua therefore answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise. 20 For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires. 22 For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgement to the Son, 23 that all may honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He who doesn’t honour the Son doesn’t honour the Father who sent him.

24 “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgement, but has passed out of death into life. 25 Most certainly I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself. 27 He also gave him authority to execute judgement, because he is a son of man. 28 Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, 29 and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgement. 30 I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgement is righteous; because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.





Reflection:

Notice that in hearing Jesus we can make a choice to also believe “him who sent me”. It’s a choice. Jesus is speaking about his relationship with the Father. There are, I suspect, some people who, today, will be as uncomfortable with what Jesus claims, as perhaps the people of Jesus’s day were. There are some who will hear and not believe, and others who will believe regardless. Some will explain the relationship away and others who will simply say the relationship is no longer relevant. Yet Jesus’s words serve as both an explanation and as a warning. Jesus makes it clear the relationship of him to the Father, is also a connection to judgement and eternal life. Do you agree?


What do you think






No comments: