The Gospel Reading of Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent (John 8:31-42) is the immediate continuation from the Gospel Reading of Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent (John 8:21-30), which follows the Gospel Reading of Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent (John 8:12-20). Through these readings, we see Jesus’ progressive revelation of his Christological (Messianic) truth to those who refused to believe to see if their eyes would ever open to the truth in Jesus.
In this Gospel narrative (John 8:31-42), we see how
superficial some people’s faith is, because it begins with Jesus’ verbal punch
against those who once believe in him but easily lost their faith. Such a faith
is like a seed fell on rocky ground where it could not extend its roots and
therefore easily withered (Matthew 13:5-6, 20-21).
Thus says Jesus:
If
you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the
truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32).
Note that Jesus says, “If you remain in my word”
to them. It suggests that they cannot retain the word of Jesus in them because
of their feeble faith.
Though they may have believed in Jesus, they have
found out that they really cannot make their hearts home for Jesus’ word as the
seed of faith to grow. It is because they find the expression of “the
truth will set you free” offensive.
What is their problem with this expression of the
truth and freedom in Jesus’ words?
As offspring of Abraham, they believe that they have
never been enslaved to anyone (John 8:33). That is why they are offended, for
they have thought that Jesus does not see them as free people, as he has called
them to be free by accepting the truth in his word.
Their view on being free
is wrong on two grounds. And it is due to their narcissistic pride, which is a
vice, in association with sins.
First of all, as Jesus points out, they have been
enslaved to their own sins (John 8:34). But their misplaced pride keeps them
blind to this truth. That is why they think that they are free. Had they been
able to humble themselves to Jesus and the truth in his word, then, they would
have realized the fact that they have been enslaved to their sins.
Secondly, they are wrong to say that they have never
been slave to anyone because, historically, children of Abraham have been
slaves. It seems that they have forgotten why children of Abraham celebrate
Passover and observe the feast of Unleavened Bread. Not to mention, Passover
was the watershed event to set children of Abraham (Israelites) free from many
years of slavery in Egypt. After the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC by the
Babylonians, children of Abraham never had national sovereignty, except for
some period of the Hasmonean dynasty, prompted by the Maccabean Revolt, until
being conquered by the Roman Empire. Even during the time of Jesus, they were
ruled by Caesar’s powerful Roman Empire, and the Jewish territory ruled by
Herod was a vassal state to Rome. They need some history lesson as their pride
to be “free” people is due to their utter ignorance of their own history. But,
the real problem is that their pride prevents them from learning historical
truth.
So Jesus says to these people who clings to sins – who
choose to remain as slaves to sins:
A
slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if a
son frees you, then you will truly be free (John 8:35).
Historically, this statement may make reference to the
fact that Ishmael and his mother left the house of Abraham but Isaac remained,
because they were rather servants to the house of Abraham (Genesis 21:1-21).
However, a point that Jesus is making through the above statement is that the
Son of the House of the Lord comes to free them from the enslavement of their
sins and bring them to his House, the House of the Lord, where they can stay as
free people with him forever – if they let his word make home in their hearts.
Namely, Jesus, the Son of God, is the one to free
those who have been enslaved by sin from the house of sin to the house of the
Lord (e.g. Psalm 23:6; 27:4; 2 Samuel 7:11; Joel 3:18; John 14:2), where he is
the son, therefore, belongs forever.
Jesus goes on:
I
know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the
Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father
(John 8:37-38).
With these words, Jesus challenges their falsely
self-identification as children of Abraham. As Paul writes, true children of
Abraham are those who are faithful to God and to the one sent by God, namely
Christ in the humanity of Jesus – not those who are lost to the works of the
Law, whether they are genetically linked to Abraham of not (Galatians 3:1-7).
Also saying “no room among you” for
his word, Jesus was indicating that their condition has worsened from being
like the rocky ground to the hard-surfaced path – so word of Jesus has no space
to sprout its truth in their hearts (i.e. Matthew 13:3-6, 19-21).
Now, Jesus is about to reveal what he has seen with
his Father in regard to the true children of Abraham. Remember, Christ
pre-existed before the Creation (John 1:1-18; Colossians 1:15-17). Also, by
being “I AM” (John 8:24, 28), we also
understand how Jesus and his Father, who is, “I am who I am”(Exodus 3:14), have been in their unique
relationship.
Thus says Jesus:
If
you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now
you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from
God; Abraham did not do this (John 8:39-40).
Being children of Abraham means to remain steadfastly
faithful to God. This also means to be so to Jesus, who testifies to have been
sent from Him by Him, so he is “I Am”, as his Father is, “I am who I am”. And doing the works of Abraham, for example,
is to be hospitable to those who are sent by God, as well as, those who are
associated with Him (Genesis 18:1-15). But, these “children of Abraham” are
trying to kill Jesus, who has testified to be from the Father, to do His work
on earth. So, Jesus points out that they are not true children of Abraham,
because their faith is not genuine and their works are not the works of Abraham
but their own ancestors, who have committed many sins, including murder.
Now they do not know what to say to Jesus. What he said about them being children of
Abraham is true. They have been just reminded that they have not been living as
true children of Abraham.
So, they say that their only Father is God Himself and
that they are God’s legitimate children (John 8:41). Note that they have shifted
the gear in their counterargument to Jesus from claiming themselves as children
of Abraham to children of God the Father, because they are no longer able to
argue with him as children of Abraham. Jesus has just proved that they are not
really children of God as their faith is not genuine, far from Abraham’s faith.
He also argued that their illegitimate faith is associated with their inability
to do the works of Abraham.
Those who do not see “I AM”( John 8:24, 28) in
connection with “I am who I am”(Exodus 3:14) in Jesus are those who are
blind to the truth of Jesus being lifted up by them (John 8:24). It is because
their faith is not like the faith of Abraham. If it were, then, they would know
the truth through the word of Jesus, which would find a home in their hearts (i.e.
John 8:31-32). But their hearts have been so hardened by their sins. Their
pride has made their hearts as hard as stones, thus, a seed of the word of
Jesus cannot sprout its roots to grow (i.e. Matthew 13:3-6, 19-21).
So now, these false children of Abraham invoke God in
their struggle to find legitimacy for themselves. But Jesus is going to throw
more verbal punches to this. So, he says:
If God were your Father, you would love
me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me (John
8:42).
Jesus has been telling this Christological (Messianic)
truth ever since when he was questioned about his healing work for a paralytic
man on a sabbath day (John 5:17-47). But because of their hardened hearts,
because of their blindness, they have never been able to see this truth. Thus,
they remain to be slaves of sins.
In fact, Jesus’ verbal punches against these illegitimate
children of Abraham, of God, continue on:
Why do you not understand what I am
saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word. You belong to your father the
devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from
the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the
father of lies. But because I speak the
truth, you do not believe me. Can any of you charge me with sin? If I am
telling the truth, why do you not believe me?
Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God; for this reason you do
not listen, because you do not belong to God (John 8:43-47).
We can see Jesus’ frustration with their obstinate
ignorance attributed to their sinfulness, including pride.
Jesus has revealed so much about who he is, his
Christological (Messianic) truth in his unique relation to the Father, as we
can see in John 5:17-47; 7:14-52; 8:12-47. Yet, they remain ignorant as their hearts
never receive the word of Jesus, thus, keeping themselves enslaved to sins,
because their pride prevents the truth in Jesus’ word from setting them free. So,
they reply to Jesus:
Are we not right in saying that you are a
Samaritan and are possessed? (John 8:48).
Because they are not able to see who they are and
their problem, they continue attacking Jesus groundlessly. Now, they call Jesus
“possessed”.
So, Jesus has to say to these children of the devil (i.e.
John 8:44), who belong to the worst place in the netherworld (i.e. John 8:23):
I am not possessed; I honor my Father, but
you dishonor me. I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he
is the one who judges (John 8:49-50).
And we will see how the rest of Jesus’ verbal punches
against these illegitimate children of Abraham, of God, unfold in the Gospel
Reading of Thursday of Fifth Week of Lent (John 8:51-59).
In the First Reading (Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95), we see
true children of Abraham, demonstrating their steadfast faith even facing a death
threat imposed by a pagan king of Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar. In this reading,
we also see how this pagan king’s eyes were opened to the truth about God.
Three Jewish men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
were pressured to obey Nebuchadnezzar’s order to worship his deity. But it
would mean abomination to God. So, these three faithful Jewish men flatly
refused and willing to go through Nebuchadnezzar’s punishment of throwing into the
burning furnace. Such a death threat did not affect them at all because of
their faith, trusting God’s providence.
Lo and behold, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
remained intact in the fire – though Nebuchadnezzar had thought that they would
be incinerated fast. This pagan king of Babylonia was amazed at what he saw: Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were unbound and walking in the powerful fire, together
with another man, who looked like the Son of God, though these three were bound
together when thrown into the fire.
What else could Nebuchadnezzar do then?
So, he said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the
Most High God, come out” (Daniel 3:93).
Furthermore, thus said Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia:
Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants that trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or
worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree for nations and
peoples of every language that whoever blasphemes the God of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego shall be cut to pieces and his house made into a refuse heap. For
there is no other God who can rescue like this
(Daniel 3:95-96).
What a change in Nebuchadnezzar’s perception of God! He recognized that God of Israel, God of children of Abraham, made the fire powerless to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, for their steadfast faith.
Now see the contrast between Nebuchadnezzar in the
First Reading (Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95) and those who call themselves as
children of Abraham in the Gospel Reading (John 8:31-42). The former, though
pagan, opened his eyes to God. But the
latter remained blind to God but kept their murderous desire to kill the Son of
God. Nebuchadnezzar recognized the possibility of the presence of the Son of
God together with three legitimate children of Abraham: Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who kept the faith like Abraham. The
Son of God, whose presence with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in fire, is
indeed the pre-incarnated Christ the Son of God. And sensing his presence in
fire, Nebuchadnezzar’s eyes opened. But, these children of the devil who
refused to believe, never saw the Son of God, even though he was speaking to
them with his truth.
Illegitimate children of Abraham are worse than
Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan king of Babylonia.
By the way, in regard to Daniel 3, the way it is
written in the Protestant canon is different from it is in the Catholic canon.
Protestant Bible, such as NIV (New International
Version) does not have the Prayer of Azariah (Abednego), which is found in NRSV
(New Revised Standard Version) as a part of the Apocrypha, but the Catholic
Bible, such as the New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE), incorporate it
in Chapter 3 of the Book of Daniel. The prayer of Azariah is grafted in vv.
24-90 of Chapter 3 of the Book of Daniel. The First Reading of Wednesday of the
Fifth Week of Lent (Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95) bypassed the Prayer of Azariah
(Daniel 3:24-90).
There is another interesting difference in regard to
Daniel 3:92, (NABRE) which says quotes Nebuchadnezzar:
I see four men unbound and unhurt, walking
in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.
But in the NIV (Daniel 3:25), it is written this way:
I see four men walking around in the fire,
unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.
In KJV (King James Version), Daniel 3:25:
I see four men loose, walking in the midst
of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son
of God.
The NABRE and the KJV translate “לְבַר־ אֱלָהִֽין/elahin
lebar” as the son of God, while the NIV translates it as the son of gods.
It is because “אֱלָהִֽין/elahin” can be
translated both as “God”, to indicate the God of Israel, or “gods” (e.g. Daniel
2:11), depending on the context, just as “ אֱלֹהִים/Elohim” can be
translated likewise.
It seems that the NIV sees Nebuchadnezzar saw the
fourth person with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the fire from a pagan
perspective for translating it in plural deities. But, the NABRE and the KJV indicate
that Nebuchadnezzar opened his eyes to the God of Israel.
What is your opinion?
No comments:
Post a Comment