Gospel: John 8:12-20
Jesus spoke to them again, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have light and life.” The Pharisees replied, “Now you are speaking on your own behalf, your testimony is worthless.”Then Jesus said, “Even though I bear witness to myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I have come from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going.You judge by human standards; as for me, I don’t judge anyone. But if I had to judge, my judgment would be valid for I am not alone: the Father who sent me is with me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid; so I am bearing witness to myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness to me.”They asked him, “Where is your Father?”

Jesus answered, “You don’t know me or my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father as well.”Jesus said these things when he was teaching in the temple area, in the place where they received the offerings. No one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

Reflections

“If you knew me, you would know my Father as well.”The Pharisees question the validity of Jesus’ testimony. They consider it somehow self-serving or unusual. Somebody else, at least two, should testify for him, to make his claim valid. The witnesses must come from the same level or point of view. No human witness can verify Jesus’ claim as the light of the world coming from heaven. He too must come from heaven.When it comes to faith, our concept of testifying in court is not applicable. It is futile to use scientific method like experimentation in laboratories or data gathering or argumentation. It is “take it or leave it.” When we come to believe that Jesus is sent by the Father, we do not have the burden to prove it. It is a gift to believe in him.Christian faith is communicated and transmitted by the apostles and early Christians and this process continues with the succeeding generations of believers.In the face of violent opposition, many Christians have chosen to die rather than renege their faith. They are recognized as martyrs. If the word martyr is translated back to Greek, it simply means to testify or to bear witness. One does not necessarily get killed for it.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019