In a world dominated by linear thinking and
an eye to efficiency Jesus presents a bracing counter-intuitive witness. Think about today's gospel for a moment. If Jesus' sole purpose in preaching was to
gain adherents it would seem that he has failed. For his efforts, by the end of his
discourse the crowd is ready to stone him to death.
He says those provocative words - “Before Abraham was, I AM.” This statement, to the average Jewish ear, crossed the line into blasphemy. It is a phrase that will be
used against him in the trial that condemns him to the cross. But the underlying question for me is – why would Jesus preach
this way knowing, as he must certainly have known, that people would be slow to
understand? Why preach this way when some
misunderstand him while, at the same time, others, fully understanding his words, reject him
outright? Why not use his divine powers to say just the right words in just the right way? Yet he doesn't do this. Instead, he seems to be content to preach and then let the seed fall where it may…on good soil, on bad soil, on soil seemingly
unprepared for his words.
As we continue our journey toward the
Easter sacraments let us ask ourselves: am I prepared
to share the things of God even when I don't have the perfect words? Am I willing to risk the rejection and misunderstanding that marked Jesus' own life?
No comments:
Post a Comment