Gospel: John 5:17-30*
Jesusreplied, “My Father goes on working and so do I.” And the Jews tried all the harder to kill him, for Jesus not only broke the Sabbath observance, but also made himself equal with God, calling God his own Father.Jesus said to them, “Truly, I assure you, the Son cannot do anything by himself, but only what he sees the Father do. And whatever he does, the Son also does. The Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does; and he will show him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed.As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whom he wills. (…) Whoever ignores the Son, ignores as well the Father who sent him. (…)Truly, the hour is coming and has indeed come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and, on hearing it, will live. For the Father has life in himself, and he has given to the Son also to have life in himself. And he has empowered him as well to carryout Judgment, for he is Son of Man.Do no I can do nothing of myself. As I hear, so I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.t be surprised at this: the hour is coming when all those lying in tombs will hear my voice and come out; those who have done good shall rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

Reflections
“I seek not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”
One can get killed if he makes false claims. Jesus almost gets killed when he claims he is equal to God. How can he so intimately claim God as his Father? Normally it is not done by a respectable Jew. He has just made the authorities crazy when he cured a sick man on a Sabbath. And he does it in the Temple, the center of Jewish worship, where the observance of the law is foremost. Jesus justifies his “breaking the Sabbath” because his Father whom he imitates works even on a Sabbath. God works with out day off. His Son Jesus, too, has the same regimen.
Whether they like it or not, he is going to seek doing the will of his Father, 24/7 nonstop. He is focused not on his personal agenda, but on his Father’s. He is not supposed to cower in fear when challenged. He has to be strong in the midst of opposition so that he can accomplish his mission as God sent to save the world. It is easy to keep quiet when we are told we are wrong. Our objectors are not necessarily correct. Never should Christians compromise truth, peace, liberation, justice and faith.
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