To better understand the Gospel Reading of Friday of
the Fourth Week of Lent (John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30), it is helpful to make
reference back to the Gospel Readings of the last three days: Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 5:1-16, 17-30, 31-47). Also it is
rather essential to read the verses omitted in the Gospel Reading (John 7:3-9,
11-24).
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After he healed a paralytic man by the mikvah of Bethsaida in Jerusalem. This
is known as the third sign performed by Jesus (John 5:1-9), preceded by the
first sign, turning water into the choicest wine in Cana (John 2:1-11), and the
second sign, healing royal’ official’s son in Cana (John 4:46-54, as included
in the Gospel Reading of Monday of the Fourth Week (vv. 43-54)). However, because it was a sabbath day when he
healed the paralytic man, Jesus was accused of violating the sabbath
commandment (Exodus 20:8-11) and justifying it as doing his Father’s work (John
5:17). Because of this Jesus was fully aware of danger in Jerusalem and its
vicinity (i.e. John 5:18), as we have read the Gospel Readings of Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 5:1-16; 17-30; 31-47).
He returned to Galilee afterward and fed a great crowd
of at least 5,000 out of mere five loaves of bread and two fish (fourth
sign)(John 6:1-15), walked on the surface water of the Sea of Galilee (fifth
sign)(John 6:16-21). Then, he gave the crowd the discourse on the living bread
of life (John 6:22-71).
Then, the feast of the Tabernacle (Sukkot) was approaching near (John 7:2),
and his ἀδελφοὶ/ adelphoi told
Jesus to go to Jerusalem for this feast so that his μαθηταί/mathetai (disciples) would better understand his ministry,
and his ministry was to be public, not private (John 7:3-4). The biblical Greek
word, “ἀδελφοὶ/ adelphoi”
is translated as “brothers”. But it does not necessarily mean that Jesus had
biological brothers also born of Mary, his mother. This Greek word also means “fellows
who belong to the same family or organization or community”. Thus, what is
translated as “brothers” (ἀδελφοὶ/ adelphoi)
can be his neighbors in Nazareth or those who follow Jesus loosely.
The adelphoi
, “brothers”, fellow Nazarenes, or relatives) of Jesus said this for the
benefits of his mathetai (disciples) ?
Perhaps not, because his adelphoi (“brothers”
or fellow Nazarenes) did not believe in Jesus (John 7:5). And Jesus knew it
all.
So why was Jesus so reluctant to go to Jerusalem for
the feast of the tabernacle and make his
public ministry better known by taking advantage of the opportunity?
Jesus was fully aware of the danger of Jerusalem to
him (John 7:1). Last time he was in Jerusalem, Jesus healed the paralytic man
(third sign) and became aware that those who accused him for performing the
healing act on sabbath and justifying this act as the Father’s work wanted to
kill him (John 5:15-18).
Was Jesus afraid to face a death threat (again) from
those who were eager to persecute him in Jerusalem?
Of course not! Otherwise, Jesus would not have rebuked
Peter for trying to stop him from going to Jerusalem (i.e. Matthew 16:21-23).
Jesus knew that he would suffer and die as he foretold of this to his disciples
(e.g. Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2) and to the Greeks who wished to see
him in Jerusalem later (John 12:23-28, 29-32). Jesus was rather cautious about
going to take unnecessary risk by going to Jerusalem because it was not yet the
time for him to go through suffering and to die (John 7:6-8). Perhaps, he also
knew that the feast for his time to die would be Pesach (Passover) as korban Pesach (Passover sacrificial
lamb: (Exodus 12:1-14; cf. John 19:14), not Tabernacle (Sukkot).
But, after his adelphoi
(“brothers” or fellow Nazarenes) went up to Jerusalem, Jesus left Galilee and
actually went up there rather clandestinely in the hope that he would not be
noticed (John 7:10).
In Jerusalem, it was like Jesus was on a “wanted list”,
as those who want to persecute and kill him were on the hunt for him for the
feast of the Tabernacle (John 7:11). Meanwhile, people in Jerusalem were wondering
about Jesus, while some thought of him as a good man but others thought him to
be misleading people (John 7:12). But they were too afraid to discuss openly
about Jesus as they were afraid to draw attention from those who search for
Jesus (John 7:13).
The feast of the Tabernacle lasts for 7 days
(Leviticus 23:42-43), and when it was already half way through, Jesus began to openly
preach in the Temple, and people there were impressed but wondered how he knew
the scripture without studying it formally (John 7:14-15). Obviously, they had
no idea who Jesus really is – besides a man from Nazarene who has been causing
a lot of public stirs by his teaching and signs, even evoking the name of God
the Father as his.
So Jesus revealed that his teaching is from God and of
God, not of his own (John 7:16-18), as he said that his work is not of his own
but of the Father’s one and done by him as the Father showed him and willed on
him (John 5:17, 19-24). And Jesus rebuked them of their ignorance of the Law,
indicating that they were trying to kill him out of their ignorance (John
7:19). To this, those who were hostile to Jesus regarded him as “possessed” for
what he had said (John 7:20).
To pinpoint his persecutor’s utter ignorance and illogical
thinking to accuse him of healing the paralytic man as violation of the sabbath
commandment, Jesus pointed out that they perform circumcision even on a sabbath
day, if the 8th day from a male baby’s birth happened to be on
sabbath (John 7:21-24; cf. Genesis 17:2; Leviticus 12:3).
Then, later part of the Gospel Reading of Friday of
the Fourth Week of Lent (John 7: 25-30) comes in.
In response to Jesus’ debate with those who were eager
to kill Jesus (John 7:14-24), some people wondered if Jesus was truly the
Christ. But, their human thinking prevented them from believing in him, because
they were under the assumption that nobody should know where Christ comes from.
Because they all knew that Jesus came from Nazareth, they just could not accept
that Jesus is the Christ.
So Jesus said to them:
You
know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the
one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know Him, because I am from
him, and He sent me (John 7:28-29).
Basically, Jesus reiterated his Christological identity
in relation to the Father, as he started revealing when his healing work on the
paralytic man on a sabbath day was questioned (John 5:17-47). And, they still could not recognize it – not even
giving their thought to it, in reference to the scriptures that they were so
proud of their knowledge of it. They were clinging to their way of human
thinking and remain unwilling to open their heart and ears to the truth, the
Christologial truth, in Jesus’ spoken words.
Alas, no conversion at that time in Jerusalem.
They wanted to arrest him as they were so agitated by
Jesus for what he said about him and them. But none of them was dare to do it
at that time – because the hour for Jesus to go through his passion toward
death had not come yet (John 7:30). Nevertheless, it became quite evident that
those who accused Jesus as “possessed” became even more eager to kill him –
though he came to them, as sent by the Father, to do what He had showed him,
for their salvific benefits.
And their increasing desire to kill Jesus, who is righteous in the eyes of His Father, is reflected in the First Reading (Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22).
You see the contrasting dichotomy between those whose
hearts are converted and opened to Jesus and his Christological truth and those
whose hearts remain stiffen and therefore refused to his Good News. And the
latter find Jesus as “offensive” to their “egos”, which keep them ignorant and
even illogical.
This contrasting rhetorical motif is peculiar to John’s
Gospel, because his Gospel was written much later than the Synoptic Gospels, in
order to combat heresies on the Christological truth of Jesus. And this heresy
evolved so that it took the Nicene Council to make it clear about who Jesus of
Nazareth really is in his relation to the Father and to the Holy Spirit. So,
the Nicene Creed, which you cite, concisely reflects this Christological truth
of Jesus.
Some questions for reflection:
Why do the wicked in the First Reading and the accuser
of Jesus in the Gospel Reading want to assail the righteous one who knows God –
who is from God – who is God incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus? Why are
they annoyed by him?
How do you feel about a person who does not always
tell you what you want to hear but offers you constructive criticism?
Do you now recognize a yeast of the narcissistic
wickedness hidden in your heart?
If so, it is time to get rid of it.
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