I do not receive honor from men

"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

- John 5:30-47

As we go through the lectionary in Advent, awaiting the celebration of Christmas, we find readings from all of the Gospels. On Saturday, we read the version of John the Baptist's ministry as herald or messenger of the coming kingdom from Luke's Gospel. Luke's Gospel emphasizes the light that is coming to all the nations, that makes no distinction of heritage but rather comes to all people, for whom His paths should be made "straight, every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight. And the rough ways smooth." The playing field of this Lord is open to all - and "all flesh shall see the salvation of God." In today's reading, we turn to the Gospel of John.

"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." My study bible has a note here which reads: "The divine will is common to the Persons of the Trinity, for all share the same divine energy. In their manifestation in the world, however, all energy originates in the Father, being communicated through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Here there is a sense that the Son obeys the Father. This is because, in His human nature, the Son has human energy -- including human will -- which He offers to God the Father as the source of all. This is His own will which must do the will of the Father." Jesus teaches us about Himself, what is His nature, how this kingdom works, and how His judgment works. There is tremendous love, an emptying to the Father, a service attitude which Jesus will show throughout His ministry and until His death on the Cross. For everything there is a reason, a higher purpose.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth." Over the past several readings, we have read about John the Baptist, as his story appeared in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke. John the Baptist came bearing witness, as prophet, of Christ -- the One who was to come. My study bible has an interesting note which applies to these verses and to the rest of today's Gospel reading: "In Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (Deut. 17:6). Jesus offers four witnesses to His messiahship and divine Sonship: (1) God the Father (vv.32, 37, 28); (2) John the Baptist (vv. 33-35); (3) His own works (v. 36); and (4) the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses gives His testimony (vv. 39-47)."

"Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved." A note here reads, "The testimony from man is that of John the Baptist." This is a powerful theme that is repeated in all the Gospels. Who bears witness to Jesus'divinity? From whence comes His authority? It is repeated throughout the stories of His conflicts with the authorities in the temple, and with other authority figures in these books. Who is He? Who can bear witness of Him and tell us about Him? The key to this mystery is in this verse: Jesus' authority rests in Himself and in His identity with the Father. His mission is to save - to that end He ministers, "for God so loved the world."

"He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of me, that the Father has sent Me". John was the "burning and shining lamp" - a lamp lit with the grace of God, lit by the light of the flame that is God, giving us light to declare what is to come. Jesus also performs the works which the Father has given to Him to perform, and they bear witness of the Father's presence in this ministry. Miracles are not proofs but rather testimony. Can you hear true testimony? Can they? Jesus is speaking to the temple leadership, who seek at this point in the Gospel to persecute Him.

"And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe." And here we have a very interesting passage, with a key to the understanding of the faith which He asks of us. When we read of the confession of faith of Peter, speaking for all the apostles, Jesus tells Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." There is an internal connection to the presence of the Father in each of us, and it is this connection that reveals faith, understanding, trust, connection. It is relationship, relatedness that comes from the Father, working in each of us to create recognition, this bond of faith, of love. This word abides in us, if we let it. For this reason, Christ says, they haven't this seed of truth - the Father's word - abiding in them; the implication is they have rejected it, they do not truly love it.

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you." A note here says, "Jesus is aware they do not possess the love of God; it does not remain in them because they do not receive Him who comes in the name of His Father." There is a depth of connection, a bond that creates relatedness; it is a shared love. They do not possess it, and cannot recognize that which acts, works, lives in the name of the Father. To be "in the name of" someone is to bear that someone's image, to act as an extension of that person.

"I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from only God?" Jesus makes a clear distinction about the things we choose to love. Do we love God, or the honor that comes from men? If someone is acclaimed by others, socially prominent in the highest places, is this our verification that he or she is someone worthwhile? Or is there another kind of discernment or judgment deep within us that teaches us who and what to love? Which do we place above the other? What do we love?

"Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" And here Jesus gets to the heart of this question -- do we love the praise of men or the praise of God? Moses' words come from Moses' love of God. But the people to whom Jesus speaks read Moses, "in whom they trust," not with the love of God, but with the love of the praise of men, of that which is exalted in the world. Can we, too, understand this difference?

There is a powerful meaning for us as we who feel ourselves a part of this Church 2,000 years later read these words. If it is possible for the experts in the Law, and all the temple leadership, to read Moses and to trust in Moses, without the love of God, then surely it is possible for us to exalt Jesus in all external ways, and to read these Scriptures and say we trust in them, and yet be missing the important connection in our hearts to the love of God. Hypocrisy, without doubt, is not something reserved for the ones whom Jesus rebukes here, those who seek to destroy Him. Rather, we must look to these words and consider what we put first and what we love in our lives. Jesus does not attack Moses, nor does He attack the Scriptures - His condemnation here is for those who do not burn with the love of God, but rather who act for the praise of men, who take honor from one another rather than from God the Father. How can we avoid this pitfall ourselves? In the West, where I live, the great Christmas celebrations are filled with splendor, with planning for gatherings, beautiful appearances and services, and all kinds of holiday frenzy as they are an important part of commerce. It is easy to get caught up in the spirit of this time and all of the spectacle of it all. But now in Advent, these words remind us of something more powerful than all of that, than all of the collective energies of celebration and commerce, and images driven from the season, and that is the love of God, of truth, of that flame that must burn in our hearts - otherwise it is all just spectacle. Jesus' words remind us that beyond the images of our world, and all the things we praise and honor and make a great fuss about, there is a depth within us of connection and love that teaches us how and what to honor, that will always tell us the truth, that speaks in us and lives and abides in us if we love it. Can you make that connection of love in the secret place, amidst all the bustle of this season? This flame lives, it is alive, and we must allow it to live in us, to love and nurture that connection so that we will understand its work and know it when we see it. It's not just about reading the Scriptures, but about life, and what lives within us and in our midst at all times. Remember the child for whom there will be no place in Bethlehem, who will not even be counted in the great census, and for whom comes no honor and recognition, save from those who have the word of God in their hearts. We trust in His words, but do we love them and live them? Can we be like Him?