THE WORD
Ac 11,19-26 / Jn 10,22-30
The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
IN OTHER WORDS
To understand God is truly a very challenging task. How can a finite brain grasp the infinite God? How much more baffling that would be when someone identifies himself with God?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaimed: “The Father and I are one.” Jesus meant it literally, that He and the Father are One. But the people couldn’t accept it. For them, Jesus blasphemed!
Jesus’ creativity came out when, instead of arguing with the Jews to prove that He and God are One, he took a little detour. Jesus wanted to challenge the Jews. Instead of proving that he is God, Jesus threw the issue to them – they, too, are “gods”!
In John 10:34, Jesus said: “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods?’” Jesus quoted Psalm 82:6 which says, “I said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’” Jesus was asserting the true nature of human beings – we are all children of God, the Most High!
If we follow the argument to its logical conclusion, we dare say that anyone who is son or daughter of God, must also be “god”! If the Jews could not understand or accept that, then, they could not probably understand or accept that Jesus and God are One.
For me as a human person, to say that I’m a son of God has a great impact on my life. I know that I’m finite and imperfect but to believe that I came from an Infinite Being – the Most High - is a noble assurance. Only with an eye of faith that one can accept this truth.
If Jesus proclaimed that He and God are One in John 10:30, St. Paul, in Galatians 2:20, declared, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” In effect, St. Paul is saying: “Jesus and I are One.” St. Paul personally experienced this “Oneness” on his way to Damascus to persecute Jesus’ followers. In Acts 9:4ff , Jesus said: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul asked, “Who are You,Lord?” Jesus answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting…” With St. Paul, we say: “Jesus and I are One.”
- Fr. Glenn Paul Gomez, SVD | DWC, San Jose, Occ. Mindoro
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
