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Gospel of John 5:17-30
"I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me."
Are you confused? As I've written before in an earlier post, the Gospel of John challenges the dickens out of me!! Not only is it difficult to follow but somewhat overwhelming to read. I almost decided not to write. However, today's gospel is so important to our understanding of the relationship between Jesus Christ and God the Father.
I need a commentary near my laptop every time I attempt to interpret John. I can handle Saint Paul and even some of the Old Testament books but John just kills me. I don't know why he's such a tough read. I've heard a few men say, "Oh I love the Gospel of John. It's my favorite. I can understand it just fine." Good for them. I'm glad they find it a terrific read. I find it not- so-fun. (Hence why I'm not a theologian or biblical scholar....) In fact, when the Gospel of John seasonal readings show up I say to myself, "Oh no...Here he comes again. What will I write without totally butchering the theological meaning?" Sigh.....All I can do is the best I can. Sometimes discussing the first reading is so much easier!
Hmmm.....I often wonder: Did the Jews understand Jesus' speech or were they totally confused? Did they think Jesus completely lost his marbles? Seriously, all this talk about "Amen, Amen I say to you" "the Son and the Father" "the hour coming" and "resurrection and condemnation" must have sounded crazy. I can see why the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. Not only did he not make a whole lot of sense but spoke against everything they believed in. The Jews couldn't accept a human being on equal footing with God! How blasphemous and evil!
I can imagine the Jews thinking, maybe even gossiping: What is wrong with this man? Is he on an ego trip? Does he really think he works like God? What the !@#$? I can't believe anybody would listen to this man as he blasphemes. He should be locked up in jail. Better yet, he should die. Moses and Elijah must be turning over in their graves. This charlatan is no Messiah! He's just an illegitimate child of that Mary woman who's now married to a much older man. Shouldn't this Jesus character be nailing some planks of wood and building a house instead of going around preaching blasphemy? I just can't take much more of this Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Maybe the sacrifice of a cow or a sheep will prompt God Almighty to get rid of this man for good..."
Oh, if the Jews only believed and fully understood the Truth of Jesus Christ!
We need God Pure and simple: We need God. We need the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity keeps us in unity! Jesus can't function without the Father. The Father couldn't function without the Son. The Holy Spirit can't function without direction from the Father and the Son. We must seek God's Will in all of our actions. That Will may come through God himself, through the biblical teachings of Jesus, or through the signs of the Holy Spirit. All are intertwined in a mysterious spiritual mix that provide us with the love, strength, mercy, and grace to tackle anything life throw at us. We need God in good times and bad. We need God in our hearts, minds, and souls. We need to honor God if we are to live an authentic Christian life.
Saint John the Evangelist, Pray for Us!
-J.
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