TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading (Jn 7:40-53) has Jesus impressing the crowds and the Pharisees hoping to arrest Him. The guards sent to do the job came away impressed with this Galilean:

“Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” (v. 46)

“Like the crowds who are ‘amazed’ at Jesus’ teaching (7:15) and miracles (7:21), the guards are awed at his teaching: there is something unprecedented about Jesus.” (The Gospel of John [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture], 45)

“The truth begins to influence the straightforward souls of the servants of the Sanhedrin but it cannot make headway against the obstinacy of the Pharisees. ‘Notice that the Pharisees and scribe derive no benefit either from witnessing miracles or reading the Scriptures; whereas their servants, without these helps, were captivated by a single discourse, and those who set out to arrest Jesus went back under the influence of hi authority,. And they did not say, “We cannot arrest him, the people will not let us’; instead they extolled Christ’s wisdom. Not only is the their prudence admirable, for they did not need signs; it is also impressive that they were won over by his teaching on its own; they did not say, in effect, “No man has ever worked such miracles,” but “No man ever spoke like this man.” Their conviction also is worthy of admiration: they go to the Pharisees, who were opposed to Christ, and address them in the way the do (St John Chrysostom, Hom. on St. John, 9).” (The Navarre Bible: St John, 119)

“Never before had anyone spoken the word of God as did the Word become flesh; never before did God reveal himself as he does in Jesus.” (Bringing the Gospel of John to Life, 221)

Anyone who takes the Gospel seriously must come to the same conclusion as the guards. Anyone who takes the Gospel seriously must come away feeling either as the guards do or as the Pharisees do. There can be no fence-sitters when dealing with the message of Jesus. Jesus said:

“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” (Lk 12:51)

Scripture also says:

Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

In what follows, woe to those who do not take the Word (that is, Jesus) seriously:

No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. (Heb 4:13)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church drives home the message:

“Christianity is the religion of the ‘Word’ of God, a word which is ‘not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living’ (St. Bernard, S. missus est hom. 4,11:PL 183,86.)“ (CCC 108)

If it has been a while since Jesus’ words have moved you, or if you have been away awhile, I encourage you to make Bible reading a daily part of your life. A chapter a day is a good practice. Or you may follow the Church’s daily readings (ideally, hearing them proclaimed at Mass on weekdays and certainly on Sundays) here.

Which side of the divide are you on?

The Pharisees (1912) by Karl Schmidt-Rottluf

God bless.