I and My Father are One

 

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

 

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.   And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are One."

 

- John 10:19–30 

 

Beginning with chapter 7, we have been reading about events concerning Jesus' attendance at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  He has taught daily in the temple, and engaged in hostile disputes with the leadership, as their antagonism toward Him was already firmly rooted prior to this Festival.  They have sought to have Him arrested and failed, and also sought to stone Him and failed.  He has healed a man blind from birth, a spectacular "sign" considered to be the sixth of seven miraculous signs given in St. John's Gospel.  In yesterdays' reading, Jesus continued His expression of Himself to the religious leaders.  He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All whoever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father." 

 

  Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  My study Bible comments that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by the signs that Christ has done, but perceive the holiness of His words.  

 

 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.   The Feast of Dedication was a winter festival, which took place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:1-10:21).  Known as the "Festival of Lights," it is also known more popularly today by the name Hanukkah.  This festival commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the Seleucid King Epiphanes desecrated it in 167 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1-4).  At this festival, my study Bible tells us, the leaders of Israel's past were commemorated, many of whom were themselves shepherds.  We read this in the context of Christ's dialogue from yesterday's reading (see above), which took place at the Feast of Tabernacles, in which He called Himself the Good Shepherd.

 

 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  We recall that the term the Jews as used in St. John's Gospel indicates the religious leaders, not the people.  (Christ and His disciples, including the author of the Gospel, are all Jews.)  These men are the same Pharisees with whom Christ disputed three months earlier, as indicated by His phrase as I said to you (see above, esp. John 10:1-5).  My study Bible explains that both what Christ told them and the works He had done have already answered their question they present to Him here.  Only the Messiah could open the eyes of the blind (John 9:32) or perform the miracles that have borne witness to Him.  Likewise, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of people in the ways that Christ had (John 7:46; 10:21).  

 

 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are One."  Here Jesus repeats again His teachings from their previous encounter (see yesterday's reading, above).  But in conclusion, He reveals Himself to be fully God.  My study Bible explains that One means one in nature or essence.  It says that He is God before all ages, and He remains God after the Incarnation and for all eternity.  Jesus uses the plural verb are, to indicate two distinct Persons, as he is confirming a continuous unity.  As we continue chapter 10, we will see in our next reading that the religious leaders clearly recognize this claim of divinity.  It will become the basis for their accusations of blasphemy.  

 

 Jesus says, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."  Once again, He ties the personal into the greater sweep of a universal movement.  Who will follow Him to eternal life?  Jesus ties the intimacy of those sheep who hear His voice, and the depth of knowing between the sheep and Himself, to eternal life originating with the will of the Father.  The sheep follow Christ, but all is instituted by the Father to begin with.  He says of the sheep, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are One."  There is a source of great strength here, extended from the lowliness of the sheep up through the greatest majesty which is found in the Father.  And Christ is the One who unites all, for they are all united in Him.  Most importantly, the fact that He and the Father are One is an insistence that these bonds are unbreakable.  The great chain of eternal life given to the sheep originates from the Father, and nothing will be able to break it.  In the Church, it is understood that no power of evil, no opposition to God the Father, to Christ, to the working of the Holy Spirit can break the bonds of the sheep and their Pastor, the Good Shepherd, Christ.  As Jesus says, the Father is greater than all.  These are words to remember when Jesus is lifted up on the Cross, death being the final enemy that will be defeated in this chain of eternal life.  We are perhaps the lowliest of God's servants, susceptible to the whims of the powerful, vulnerable in our weakness.  And yet, through the Father's institution, Jesus tells us His own shall never perish, nor be snatched out of His hand.  Let us ponder with awe the magnitude of what He's saying, and be ever-grateful for this grace beyond all our understanding.

 

 

 

 

I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our Father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  

 

Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."   Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47-59 

 

We are currently reading through the section of St. John's Gospel which reports events at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), an autumn festival.  This is an eight day festival which commemorates the time that Israel wandered in the wilderness, following Moses to the Promised Land.  The many ceremonies and commemorations are reflected as a backdrop to Christ's teachings, and His Incarnation as fulfillment of them.  In our recent readings, Jesus has been disputing with the religious leaders in the temple at Jerusalem.  Yesterday we read that they answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our Father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"   Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  We should first remember that in St. John's Gospel, the term the Jews most frequently refers to the religious leaders, and not the people.  These men with whom Jesus disputes are unable to defeat Jesus through logic or truth.  They are by now His personal enemies who seek to put Him to death.  They now resort to personal insult, a tactic they will use again on the one whom Jesus will subsequently heal in the sixth sign of seven in the Gospel (see John 9:34).  Let us note, importantly, that once again Christ's emphasis is on the proper notion of honor, and from Whom it must come ("I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me"; "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing").  He connects both honor and glory to true judgment, the discernment that comes from God ("I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges").

 

Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."   Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.   When Jesus says, "I AM," He is repeating the divine name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).  We should recall once again that the Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the events of the Exodus. My study Bible comments that, to the Jews, this was a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, as can be seen from their response.  Additionally, it notes that St. John places special emphasis on the use of this Name to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim, it says, illuminates Christ's authority even over death, a power which belongs only to God the Father.  

 

As we have repeatedly observed, Jesus continually returns to His relationship to the Father; that is, His obedience and love.  In today's reading, He speaks of giving honor.  As runs through the entirety of the Holy Bible, what we truly believe is what we live; that is, what we do.   What Jesus says He actually does in today's reading is to honor the Father.  This is not a question of a feeling or emotion or intellectual choice.  It is the way He lives; it sets out a pattern in all that He actually does.  Jesus says to their accusation that He has a demon, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges."  In these actions of honoring and dishonoring, each shows who they truly are.  Jesus is one who honors God the Father.  These religious leaders at the same time dishonor Him.  And what they do in dishonoring Him also dishonors the Father; they are expressing their dishonor to One who is obedient to the Father in all things.  It's an important concept to grasp, because it tells us about holiness.  Can we honor it where we encounter it, or where we see it?  Jesus expresses a similar theme when He teaches His disciples, "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward" (Matthew 10:40-42).  To receive one who comes in His name is to receive Him, to honor Him.  To receive or honor one in the name of a prophet is to find the reward which belongs to a prophet.  The same is true of a righteous man.  Finally, even to give only a cup of cold water to one of His "little ones" in the name of a disciple is also to reap a reward.  There is a thread, a spirit that runs through all which originates with the Father, and is continued through our own actions of honoring (or dishonoring, as the case may be).   A similar theme was also expressed by Jesus in yesterday's reading, when He spoke of what truly constituted being a child or son of Abraham.  He told the religious leaders, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father" (see yesterday's reading, above).  So, therefore, to be a child of Abraham comes from doing the things Abraham did; that is, to honor God as Abraham did.  Our actions express what we honor and love, where our loyalty really is.  Jesus expresses this principle as a teaching, when He declares, "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  To keep His word is to honor Him.  This He then emphasizes when He claims, in relation to God the Father, "I do know Him and keep His word." Let us consider, also, how we honor Christ in our own lives, and all the ways in which we may do that, day by day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

 

 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  

 

Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

 

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  

 

- John 8:21–32 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) in Jerusalem, an eight-day autumn festival.  It is the final year of His earthly life.  At this festival there were many commemorations and special rites, which form the backdrop to Jesus' teachings about Himself.  On Saturday, we read that during the eighth and final day of the Festival, when the great lamps were lit at night in the outer courtyard, illuminating all of Jerusalem,  Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."   These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

  Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  Jesus says He is going away, in a reference to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  We observe the confusion in His audience, the their possible explanations for His words.  But with Jesus, everything ties back to His relationship to the Father, which they did not understand. 

 

 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  Again, everything ties to the Father for the Son, Jesus Christ.  Lift up has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross, and being exalted by the Father upon completion of His word, my study Bible says.  It's interesting that at this juncture, many believed in Him. For among the Pharisees is Nicodemus, the one to whom He first spoke of the time He will be lifted up (John 3:14)

 

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."  My study Bible points out that Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples; the Greek word translated as "disciples" literally means "learners."  To abide in His word, according to what He says here, the responsibility of all believers -- not simply the clergy or an elite class of zealots.  

 

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."   The truth is a reference both to the virtue of truth, and more importantly, to Christ Himself, my study Bible tells us (John 14:6).  To be free here is the freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies -- as well as the bondage from sin and death.

 

Jesus says, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  What is the freedom which Christ proclaims here?  We usually think of freedom in terms of political or social liberation to do the things we desire, the things we believe will make us happy.  But Christ offers freedom in an entirely different dimension, and one that affects the whole of our lives.  First we must consider Christ's repeated understanding of honor, and His condemnation of the religious leaders in that they seek the "honor of men" rather than the "honor of God."  In a dispute prior to the one we're reading about in chapter 8 (taking place at the Feast of Tabernacles), Jesus has asked them, "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" (John 5:44).  St. John will emphasize the same contradictions in chapter 12.  The Gospel tells us that "nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  So, in His teachings, we must first recognize the difference between seeking the world's praise and God's praise; we must determine from where (and from whom) our honor comes.  This beginning serves as liberation in myriad ways, for in it we are free to follow Christ, who has been sent by the Father to salvage and heal our lives in this sense.  We are free to find the "honor that comes from the only God" and find the joy which Jesus promises lies therein.  At the Last Supper, Jesus will teach, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11).  So, in the here and now, we are liberated through Christ's word and teachings, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and even the leading of the Father (Matthew 16:17; John 6:44-45).  In this sense we are freed from the limitations the world would impose upon the reality of God's promise for us, especially the ignorance of what it is to grow in God's likeness.  That path for each one of us is going to be unique, and only the One who will judge can help us with that, for it is only Christ who knows us deeply and thoroughly enough to lead us.  We cannot see this path for ourselves, and "the world" cannot know it.  This is what salvation is, liberation by and for that truth.  In many other ways also, Christ is Deliverer and Liberator.  He can free us from our sins and offer us the salvation of moving forward from them.  And in His Cross, in the Holy Communion offered to us, is even liberation from death, and an entire communion of saints in which we may also participate.  Let us note that when Christ speaks to the rich young ruler, teaching him to sell what he has, and to come and follow Him, this is also liberation from the things that tie him to a particular way of life and identification, so that he may be set free to truly follow God not simply in a legalistic sense, but in all the ways that Christ can offer, including the everlasting life the man asked for (Matthew 19:16–30; Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30).  Ultimately, Christ Himself is our truth, and it is the fullness of union -- in the wedding feast of our Bridegroom and the Church -- that takes us to the abundant life He promises.  But we need His truth, and the freedom it gives us, to get there. We need the confidence, healing, and strength we find in Him. 

 

 

 

 

He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him

 

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  

 

The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

 

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is  this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from?"  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  

 

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer,  and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

 

- John 7:14–36 

 

Yesterday we read that, following Christ's teachings on His Body and Blood (the theme of chapter 6 of St. John's Gospel), and the rejection He encountered, Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."   However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  

 

  Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  My study Bible suggests that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  It says that spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize God's authority.  St. John Chrysostom paraphrases Christ as follows:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness: the anger, the envy, and the hatred, which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."  

 

 The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Jesus is referring to events that were recorded in chapter 5 of St. John's Gospel, in which He healed a man suffering from paralysis during the Feast of Weeks, understood to be the Old Testament Pentecost, which celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai (see this reading).  The day of that healing was a Sabbath, and He was accused by the religious leaders of violating the Sabbath Law.  Here, as in Matthew 12:3-5, Jesus provides a "blameless" violation of the Sabbath, circumcision, to show that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God.  This is righteous judgment.  

 

 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is  this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from?"  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."   These crowds think they know where Jesus is from, but they're mistaken on two counts.  In an earthly sense, they believe Jesus to be from Nazareth in Galilee, but as we know, He was born in Bethlehem of Judea (Luke 2:1-7).  Moreover, in the divine sense, they can't understand that He has come from the Father in heaven.  He is, as the Creed states, eternally begotten before all ages (see John 1:1).  So therefore His eternal "origin" is also unknown to them.

 

 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer,  and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Here Jesus is referring to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven. 

 

Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"  To go among the Greeks means to go among the Greek-speakers (the lingua franca or international language of the time); in other words, to go among the Gentiles.   This is an unwitting prophecy, my study Bible says, which points to the time after Christ's Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by the apostles.  

 

Once again, Jesus' defense before His accusers in Jerusalem focuses completely on His relationship with God the Father.   He tells them, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."  Let us note that first of all here is His loyalty.  He is completely devoted to the Father, so much so, that even the doctrine He teaches is not His, but is rather that of the One who sent Him.  But this connection to the Father runs deeply within all people who sincerely seek it, similarly to the relationship to the Father among those who would come to Christ, as He stated in Tuesday's reading ("Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father").  Here He states boldly that if anyone wills to do God's will, he would be able to discern whether Christ's word was from God or from His own authority.  As He has stated before, this desire to serve God is directly linked to the notion of glory.  Glory is linked to honor, to reputation.  Do we seek the honor of God, or of ourselves?  It may seem, from a secular or materialist perspective, that this is a very idealistic way of thinking—that, of course, all people will seek their own glory.  But one may find in fact that life is anything but glorious with a completely self-centered approach.  The honor that comes from the only God has a way of elevating and uplifting in mysterious ways, and includes a tremendous gratitude at simply being able to serve, which goes far beyond social or worldly exaltation.  It is a way of lifting up the soul to serve God in this sense, something that must be experienced from the inside looking out.  This honor comes with a sense of blessing, and no doubt inspired so many across the centuries to sacrifice for love of God, even to martyrdom.  So let us yet again consider honor.  Where does it come from?  What is glory and how does it work?  Perhaps the glory of God is simply so great that even its reflection in our lives casts us in a light that illumines and uplifts.  How else do we understand Christ's love but in this light as well?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 "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 the 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 

 

 Following the healing of the paralytic at the pool near the Sheep Gate, the religious leaders found and began to question Jesus about healing on the Sabbath.  Jesus responded, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Following this, they became even more enraged at Christ.  Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and he will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

 

  "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."  The divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for all fully share the same divine nature, my study Bible explains.  When the Son is said to obey the Father, this refers to Christ's human will, which He assumed at His Incarnation.  According to my study Bible, He freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father; so are we called to do likewise.  

 

"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 the 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?"  My study Bible asks, how could Christ's witness ever be untrue?  It cannot, it says (see John 8:14).  Here Jesus is anticipating their argument, and speaking the thoughts of the Jewish leaders (he does the same in Luke 4:23).  In Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  Here, Jesus doubles that, and offers them four witnesses to confirm His identity as Messiah and as Son of God.  He first offers God the Father ("There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true"); then St. John the Baptist; Christ's own works testify of Him, which the Father has given Him to do; and finally the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony to Him.  

 

 Jesus repeatedly invokes the concept that human beings do not grant the honor that He seeks.  Indeed, even testimony "from man" is not something He receives ("Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved").  He is establishing first that it is the honor of God that He values and that has meaning as a true measuring stick of value and goodness.  This is a teaching that applies to each of us as well.  In the penitential psalm of David cherished as  paradigm for all of us, we read, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge" (Psalm 51:4).  The psalmist affirms that it is only God who will and can be judge; and here in today's reading (and yesterday's, above), Jesus affirms that He, indeed, is judge, for the Father has given judgment into His hands.  So, therefore, honor is not defined through the opinion of "man," that is, of other human beings, but through pleasing God.  Nonetheless Jesus offers four witnesses to His identity as Messiah, as Lord.  They are St. John the Baptist, who testified about Him as the Lamb of God, and prepared the people for Him (see John 1:29, 36).  St. John also testified as witness to the event of Christ's Baptism and the revelation of the Holy Trinity at that time, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit (John 1:32).  For Christ, all value and judgment comes from God, thus St. John the Baptist's mission and work as prophet, from God, is valuable, honest, and true witness.  Next He names the works that He does as witness, for these are given to Him by the Father to do.  Therefore His "signs" all point to God, affirming that He is the Christ.  Jesus says, "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 the only God?"  In other words, if they truly loved God, they would recognize these works of God in Him.  But they only receive honor from one another, and not from the only God.  Therefore they cannot truly see what He is, who He is, nor even the One to whom all of His signs (His "works") point.  Finally, Jesus speaks of Moses as witness to Himself as Messiah and Lord:  "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?"  Let us bear in mind that all of these religious leaders revere Moses and the Scriptures that come through Moses.  But Jesus is saying that even Moses' writings, which reveal Himself, they do not truly believe, because they haven't the love of God in them.  Jesus' language teaches us something powerful about psychology, that those things we honor and love determine how we view the world, and even what we are capable of recognizing as good, and of intrinsic worth.  This is truly essential understanding of the heart.  For, as He says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).  The layers of the heart are indeed veiled, and complicated, but the soul has a depth of orientation that can and will surprise us at times.  It is Christ the judge who can see this in us, even when we are unaware of the depths of our hearts ourselves.  His words verify that we need to seek first that kingdom of God, our depth of relationship, for that sets all else in proper order, including how we view the world and our relationships in it.  We should also take note that, in the Church, historically, we understand the Old Testament in light of the New:  for here, Christ Himself tells us that those Scriptures speak of Him as Lord.  Let us seek Him with our whole hearts, for only His judgment is the righteous one we need.

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do

 

 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and he will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

 

- John 5:19-29 

 

On Saturday we read that there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making Himself equal with God.

 

  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and he will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."  My study Bible asserts that, as Jesus teaches here that the Son can do nothing of Himself, this proves that His every act and word is in complete unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  It tells us that this discourse reveals that the Father and the Son are completely united in nature, will, and action.  So, therefore, the Son fully shares the divine attributes of both giving life and executing judgment.  In this discourse, Jesus teaches that His judgment is based on both faith (verse 24) and works (verse 29).

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."  Jesus says that "the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God . . . "  According to my study Bible, the dead of whom Christ speaks here refers both to the spiritually dead, who will find life in Christ, and to the physically dead, who will rise in the general resurrection.  Jesus confirms this when He raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44) before He goes to His own death.  These particular verses are read at the Orthodox funeral service, thus confirming the same reward for those who fall asleep in faith.  

 

In the Church, we hear a lot about obedience.  That is, in particular, about obedience toward God.  But it's easy to lose sight of the fact that Jesus -- even as the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God -- first lives in perfect obedience.  For this is certainly an essential part of the Incarnation, as He also willingly conforms His human will to obedience to the Father and in accord with the Holy Spirit in all that He does.  Indeed, in today's reading Jesus affirms that He could not do the things He does except that the Father does them and shows Him.  In all things, He honors the Father.  And, according to what Christ says here, the Father also honors the Son, committing judgment into Christ's hands.  This cooperative reality is one that we, as human beings, strive to emulate, for this is what the Incarnation teaches us.  Indeed, we might assume that it is because of the Incarnation that we are able to do so.  This is true not only because we are to follow Jesus' example that is given to us through His earthly life, but also through the gift we are given ourselves of the Holy Spirit through Baptism and other sacraments and gifts of the Church.  Of course, there is perhaps no greater example of obedience to and cooperation with the Father than Christ's own self-sacrifice on the Cross.  For this understanding, we are given Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane before His arrest and crucifixion (Matthew 26:36-46).  In St. John's chapter 17, Jesus prays to the Father, "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4).  He then goes on to pray for the disciples and all believers, His prayer showing to us His human concerns and His great love (John 17).  Of course, we know of His love in the statement, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13).  Through all of Christ's teachings and His works, He shows us, through the disciples, that obedience to God is obedience to love.  St. John himself will write that God is love (1 John 4:8).  In the shared love and honor of the Holy Trinity we find a perfect love, and Christ has come into the world to invite us to participate in that love as well.  We may, as human beings, confuse calls to obedience with imperfect love, even abusive relationships that abuse our love, but this is not the place to which Christ calls us.  He first sets the example, and teaches us how the Father loves Him, and of the love shared between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and this honor and obedience He invites us to share, and makes possible by grace through the Incarnation.  Let us ponder these tremendous mysteries and find the ways to live our faith and this love offered to us through Christ, for this is where He teaches that judgment, and life, will be as well.