Gospel (Except USA) John 8:51-59 Your father Abraham saw my Day and was glad. Jesus said to the Jews: ‘I tell you most solemnly,whoever keeps my wordwill never see death.’ The Jews said, ‘Now we know for certain that you are possessed. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, and yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never know the taste of death.” Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Who are you claiming to be?’ Jesus answered: ‘If I were to seek my own glorythat would be no glory at all;my glory is conferred by the Father,by the one of whom you say, “He is our God”although you do not know him.But I know him,and if I were to say: I do not know him,I should be a liar, as you are liars yourselves.But I do know him, and I faithfully keep his word.Your father Abraham rejoicedto think that he would see my Day;he saw it and was glad.’ The Jews then said, ‘You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!’ Jesus replied: ‘I tell you most solemnly,before Abraham ever was,I Am.’ At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple. Gospel (USA) John 8:51-59 Your father, Abraham, rejoiced because he saw my day. Jesus said to the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” So the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. (i)Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent I like that line in today’s responsorial psalm, ‘Consider the Lord and his strength, constantly seek his face’. Seeking the face of the Lord is one of the ways of speaking about prayer. In prayer, we seek the face of the Lord, in the awareness that he is always seeking us. ‘Constantly seek his face’. Prayer is something we do constantly. We cannot be in church constantly, but we can pray constantly, in the sense that we can be constantly aware of the Lord’s presence to us and we can respond to his presence in prayer. We can have an internal conversation with the Lord at any time of the day, as we are walking along, as we are shopping, as we are working away at home. The one who constantly sought the face of God more than anyone was Jesus. Jesus has a unique relationship with God. As he says in the gospel reading, ‘I know him and I faithfully keep his word’. During his earthly life, he was in constant communion with God. The opening verses of John’s gospel says of Jesus that he was in the bosom of the Father or close to the Father’s heart. As risen Lord, he remains close to the Father’s heart, living forever to intercede for us, praying for us that we would remain faithful to him. The risen Lord can also pray in us through the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who helps us to pray, helps us to constantly seek the face of the Lord. Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans says that ‘the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words’. A good prayer to pray in the light of today’s readings might be, ‘Come Holy Spirit, help me to constantly seek the face of the Lord’. And/Or (ii)Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent Jesus makes many great promises in the gospel of John and we find one of them in this morning’s gospel reading, ‘whoever keeps my word will never know the taste of death’. Jesus declares that his words are the source of life, and if we listen to his word and try to live by it then we will share in God’s own life, here and now and, more fully, beyond the moment of our physical death. Elsewhere in John’s gospel, Peter says to Jesus, ‘you have the words of eternal life’. In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus declares that he faithful keeps his Father’s word. Our calling is to faithfully keep Jesus’ word. Our relationship with Jesus is to be modelled on his relationship with the Father. If we faithfully keep Jesus’ word, as he faithfully kept his Father’s word, then we will know its life-giving power in our lives. We greatly value the gift of the Eucharist, because it is the bread of life. We equally value the Lord’s word, because it is the word of life. And/Or (iii) Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent In this morning’s gospel reading the Jews ask Jesus the question, ‘Are you greater than our father, Abraham?’ It was inconceivable to them that anyone could be greater than Abraham, or greater than Moses for that matter. In the course of his reply to that question Jesus says, ‘I tell you solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I am’. Jesus claims to have existed before Abraham. That saying of Jesus brings us back to the opening sentence of John’s gospel, ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God’. The evangelist was aware that such an extraordinary claim could not be made of anyone else, not even Abraham. We look to Jesus as the one who was with God before the creation of the world, who was God, and who became flesh for our sakes, and in becoming flesh, became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, in the words of Saint Paul. That is the extraordinary paradox at the heart of our faith, that the crucified one is none other than the Word who was with God in the beginning, before Abraham was. Next week is Holy Week when we reflect on this paradox and bow before its mystery. And/Or (iv) Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent The passion and death of Jesus was the climax of the hostility that some people directed at Jesus. That hostility is very evident in this morning’s gospel reading. The Jewish leaders were ready to stone Jesus for what he had been saying. It is a paradox that Jesus who was put to death came for one purpose only, to give life, to draw people into the life of God. He declares to his hostile audience in this morning’s gospel reading, ‘whoever keeps my word will never see death... will never know the taste of death’. It is an extraordinary promise. If we hear the Lord’s word and live by it we will never lose the life that his word gives us. We will of course experience physical death, but if we give ourselves over to the Lord’s word we will begin to live with a life which even physical death will not destroy. The life Jesus speaks about is the fruit of our relationship with him, and that relationship is not broken by death but, on the contrary, deepens beyond death. And/Or (v) Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus says that he does not seek his own glory but that his glory is conferred by his Father. In that culture, seeking glory, honour, renown for oneself was a very important value. In this regard, as in so many other ways, Jesus stood against the culture. He did not seek glory for himself but he trusted in God to give him glory in God’s own time. He was critical of those who sought glory from others, who looked for earthly honours. In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus says, ‘I faithfully keep his word (God’s word)’. This was the driving force of Jesus’ life, not seeking glory for himself from others. He knew that if he faithfully kept God’s word, he would receive glory from God. The driving force of Jesus’ life is to be the driving force of all of our lives. Our primary desire as Jesus’ followers is to faithfully keep God’s word, as he did. If we keep trying to be faithful to God’s word, as spoken and lived by Jesus, then we are assured that we will receive glory from God; we will be honoured by God, and this is the only glory and honour worth having. And/Or (vi) Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent In last Monday’s gospel reading, the religious leaders were ready to stone a woman whom they had brought to Jesus. In this morning’s gospel reading, the same group pick up stones in order to stone Jesus. They wanted to stone the woman because she had sinned by committing adultery; they wanted to stone Jesus because of the claims that he was making for himself, such as his claim that he existed before Abraham was born. This would have been considered by them as the sin of blasphemy. A certain kind of religious conviction can express itself in violence towards others who are perceived to be sinners for one reason or another. We are very aware of that phenomenon today. The worshippers of a certain kind of God feel obliged to kill those who are perceived as worshipping a very different God to their own. In contrast, genuine religion drives people to seek communion with those who are very different from them. Jesus was not stoned on this occasion, but as we know he would eventually be crucified. Yet, God would raise Jesus from the dead and send him back into the world where he had been crucified to continue proclaiming his message of God’s love for the world, including for those who crucified God’s Son. This is the God whom we are called to reveal in our lives. We are to bear witness to God the Life-Giver. In the power of the Spirit, we are to be live-givers, even to those who wish us harm. And/Or (vii) Thursday, Fifth week of Lent In the gospel reading Jesus makes an extraordinary claim that leads the Jewish leaders to want to stone him, ‘Before Abraham was, I am’. This claim of Jesus in the fourth gospel is in keeping with the opening line of that gospel, ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God’. Jesus existed with God in the beginning, before the creation of the world. He was before Abraham was, indeed, before anything had come into being. Yet, the Word who was with God in the beginning became flesh. He became like us in all things, except sin. While on earth, he remained with God. Having returned to God through his death and resurrection, he remains with us. He is now both with God and with us. He is uniquely placed to bring us the life of God, a life without end. That is why he can make the promise he makes in today’s gospel reading, ‘whoever keeps my word will never know the taste of death’. It is an extraordinary promise. Surely, we will all know the taste of death. Yes, we will all know physical death, as Jesus did, but Jesus is speaking about spiritual or ultimate death. He is promising us that those who keep his word will never know this kind of death. They will begin to share in God’s life here and now, a life that endures beyond physical death. If we entrust ourselves to the Lord, if we allow his word to shape our lives, then, according to the gospel reading today, we will begin to live with a life which will not be interrupted by physical death. This life, which begins now, is a life of communion with the Lord, and that communion will not be broken by death but, rather, deepened beyond it. And/Or (viii) Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent In today’s gospel reading, from the fourth gospel, Jesus is portrayed as making an extraordinary claim for himself, ‘I tell you most solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I Am’. Jesus’ statement can be understood against the background of the opening verse of this fourth gospel, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’. The evangelist is claiming that Jesus, the Word of God, was with God in that mysterious moment before the beginning of creation. If that is true, then Jesus is obviously before Abraham ever was. We have been reading from the fourth gospel for nearly two weeks now, and this gospel makes claims for Jesus that go beyond the claims of any of the other three gospels. It is the latest gospel to be written and it represents the fruit of much reflection over many years as to the identity of Jesus. It is perhaps not surprising that this gospel ends with the statement that if everything Jesus did were written down, ‘the world itself could not contain the books that would be written’. In other words, there is more to Jesus than a world full of books could express. We might be tempted to think that there is less to Jesus than the gospels give us. Perhaps, they have exaggerated who Jesus is. However, it is certainly the conviction of the fourth evangelist and, probably of the other three evangelists, that their written gospel is only a small window onto a mystery that cannot be fully expressed in words. Jesus is even more attractive, more mysterious, than the gospels present him. We will only come to know the Lord in all his fullness when we encounter him in eternity. In the meantime, we are thankful to God for the gospels which give us such wonderful access to the Lord, God’s Word in human form. And/Or (ix) Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent The notion of someone being stoned to death is abhorrent to us. It still happens in those few places where Sharia Law is operative. Yet, thankfully, we consider such behaviour to belong to a past age. It wasn’t uncommon in the time of Jesus. You may recall that Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was stoned to death. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus’ opponents wanted to inflict the same fate on him, ‘at this they picked up stones to throw at him’, presumably with a view to killing him. It was a precursor of Jesus’ crucifixion. What aroused such deadly anger from some people towards Jesus were the claims he was making for himself. There are two powerful claims Jesus makes for himself in today’s gospel, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the reading, ‘whoever keeps my word will never see death’, and ‘before Abraham ever was, I am’. Jesus was claiming to pre-exist Abraham and declaring that whoever believed in him would exist beyond this earthly life. They would never experience ultimate death. These claims, for believers, rather than arousing anger bring great consolation. According to John’s gospel, Jesus pre-existed the universe. ‘In the beginning was the Word’. He came from another world, the world above, into this world. The Word became flesh. He offered the life of this other world, eternal life, to all who believed in him, to all who opened their lives to his coming. His journey from this world back to his heavenly Father was a journey that all who believe in him would also travel. This is good news which brings meaning and joy to our lives. And/Or (x) Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent The prophet Isaiah speaks of Abraham as the rock from which the people of Israel were hewn. No one in the whole story of the people of Israel was greater than Abraham. The question that the Jewish leaders put to Jesus was almost in disbelief, ‘Are you greater than our Father, Abraham?’ It was as if they were saying to Jesus, ‘You can’t seriously be claiming to be greater than our Father, Abraham?’ Jesus replied as one whose Father was God, ‘my glory is conferred by the Father’. As Son of God, Jesus is indeed greater than Abraham. As the Son who was with God in the beginning, before anything or anyone was created, Jesus was certainly greater than Abraham. ‘Before Abraham ever was, I am’. There was so much more to Jesus than to Abraham. It comes as no surprise to hear that on hearing such talk, the Jewish authorities picked up stones to stone him. The claims that Jesus was making for himself were experienced as a threat to the religious tradition of the time. The claims that Jesus makes for himself in the gospels, especially in the gospel of John, can never be fully contained by any religious tradition, including our own Christian tradition. There is always more to Jesus than we can give expression to in our own religious tradition. That ‘more’ need not be experienced as threatening in any way, but rather as a source of consolation. The Lord is more loving, more merciful, more just, more powerful, than we could ever imagine. Because the Lord is more than we could ever imagine him to be, we can entrust ourselves to his care and guidance with total confidence. If we do that, especially in these dark times, we will discover that the Lord will not disappoint us or let us down. 0 notes30th March >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies onJohn 8:51-59 for Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent: ‘Before Abraham ever was I am’.
Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent
Reflections (10)
Fr. Martin Hogan.
See Also
22nd June >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 6:24-34 for Saturday, Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time: ‘You cannot be the slave both of God and of money’.26th March >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on John 5:31-47 for Thursday, Fourth Week of Lent: ‘My testimony is greater than John’s’.17th August >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflection on Matthew 18:21-19:1 for Thursday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time: 'How often must I forgive?’