Who do you make yourself out to be? (Jn 8:35)
Today's Gospel presents us with an interesting and at the same time sad picture of behavior towards Jesus. When the awaited Messiah finally comes into the world, the Jews begin to have doubts about the person of Jesus. They cannot understand that there can be someone greater and someone closer to God than the patriarch Abraham. They see Jesus as only a mere mortal, and they believe that he has no right to even compare himself to Abraham. In addition, Jesus' words about immortality are incomprehensible to them. With indignation they cry out to Jesus: Who do you make yourself out to be? (Jn 8:53).
We may not fully understand the Jews, who are so close to the Savior, know of His miracles, and cannot believe in Him. But before we judge in our hearts these people, let us look at our daily lives and our faith. Unfortunately, sometimes we behave like fellow countrymen of the Lord Jesus. We still have some grudges against God because He does not notice our needs, because He is not as we would like. And above all, because he does not listen to our prayers.
On September 27, 1991, Gerald L. Sittser, a professor of theology and philosophy, went out of town with his family. As was his custom, he prayed for God's blessing on himself and his family before the trip. In the late afternoon, the family was returning from the family trip when the tragedy occurred. The drunk driver lost control of the steering wheel and hit the car driven by Gerald with all the momentum. Gerald's wife, daughter and mother died in the tragic accident. Gerald L. Sittser wrote: "To this day, I have not been able to understand what happened. Why didn't I prevent this tragedy? Or have I committed an unforgivable sin? Or did I say the wrong words? Did God suddenly turn His back on me? Why, when I asked Him a thousand times, did He not listen to me?"
Gerald is still unable to understand what happened, but he concludes his article about unanswered prayer with the words: "Jesus obliges us to look at life in the perspective of salvation. God sees much more than we can comprehend. Everything He does is good... We view unanswered prayers from the brief perspective of current experience and limited opportunity to know. But God is doing something great for us that we can only understand by faith, so let us wait and pray for it."
So much depends on our faith and on how we see God. Because we can, like the countrymen of Lord Jesus, try to pigeonhole faith into our imaginations. Jesus gives us a choice every day. Therefore, let us choose faith in Jesus, which gives eternal life. Jesus teaches us an important lesson today. He wants us to believe His words that if we keep His teachings, we will not know death forever. We must realize that there is no more important lesson than what Jesus preached.
In the beautifully decorated lobby of Columbia University in the United States there is a fresco that depicts Christ entering into a luminous eternity. A great multitude of people follow him. On the left, the following inscription reads: "Man's final destiny depends not on whether he will be able to learn our lessons, from new discoveries or acquisitions, but on whether he accepts the lesson which was taught to him nearly two thousand years ago. The teacher of this unique and most important lesson is Christ."
Therefore, let us accept this most important lesson that Jesus gives us, because his teaching gives eternal life.
Thoughts from Saint Faustina: Jesus, Friend of a lonely heart, You are my heaven. You are my peace. You are my salvation; You are my serenity in moments of struggle and amidst an ocean of doubts. You are the bright ray that lights up the path of my life. You are everything to a lonely soul. You understand the soul even though it remains silent. You know our weaknesses, and like a good physician, You comfort and heal, sparing us sufferings – expert that You are. (Diary 247)
fr. george