Daily Gospel Reflection April 2, 2020
Jesus said to the Jews:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
Dear Friends,
Jesus said “I
AM.” To the Jews, this is the name God
gives himself when Moses asks his name.
To the Jewish community Jesus is deeming equality with God. We see this meaning is understood by the
crowd because they pick up rocks to stone Jesus to death. This is a claim that the crowd can’t
tolerate, no man is equal to God.
How does that
sound to our modern sensibilities, a man deeming equality with God? Maybe he was just lying. Maybe we shrug it off as a nice man 2000
years ago that didn’t know what he was talking about. Maybe we simple accept Jesus as a part of the
mystery that is our Triune God. These
three descriptions are not mine, C.S. Lewis proposed that Jesus claim puts
Jesus in one of the 3 categories: he is a liar, he is a lunatic, or he is Lord
of all. C. S. Lewis goes on to explain
how the first two fall short leaving the last description as the one that make
the most sense. But that does not answer
the original question, do I believe Jesus is equal to God, one person of the
Holy Trinity? If I believe this, how I
live in this world should be transformed by that understanding. In a world of growing uncertainty and
anxiety, what should I fear? My God is
with me through it all. He will inspire
those that have, to be generous with what they have. He will comfort our sick and suffering. He will take my sorrows and lift me up. He will invite others to sacrifice and
pray. This time of suffering will be a
time of great grace, not because God willed the suffering, but because God’s
nature shines like a beacon when we get lost in the darkness of our world. Jesus’ bold proclamation “I AM” should be a
light in the darkness for all people of faith.
So, let us pray that we will live as people of faith, confident that our
God is with us no matter what the day might bring.
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