Dec 7, 2015
John 5:42 moreover, I know that you do not love the love of God in you.
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John 5:42 moreover, I know that you do not love the love of God in you.
john 5:41
I do not accept human praise; In light of surrounding verses and the note one the verse, Jesus means that he won't take praise from people who are sinners and unholy. And I translate this into meaning the small 'good job' that you give to your friend for doing something well. This praise Jesus speaks about aren't enough. If we merely praise Jesus, we aren't giving him everything he deserved. We are not worshiping him, the action that must be carried out to show Jesus how we truly feel about him and respect him. I also shouldn't be content with human praise. What does it mean that my brothers and sisters notice that I may be doing something holy? Really it only matters whether or not God sees the holiness in us and if our hearts are truly filled with love and not hate. It only matters if Jesus praises us, because then that means we are doing what he wants and making him happy.
john 5:40
But you do not want to come to me to have life.
Me: But I do believe in you. I do want to have eternal life. I also want to have life on earth. I want to celebrate life. I don’t want the happiness to leave me because I have it and when I am in your grace I am happiest! Jesus: But what about times you betrayed me or didn’t stand up for me or didn’t want to come to me when something else was more appealing or an easier path? What about when you turned your back to me in mortal sin, because in those moments you would not be allowed nor want life. But because you are truly sorrowful and say you want life and at times act like you want life, I will extend it to you. I will give you moments to explore that happiness and love that comes with it, so that you may strife to continue to work towards me. I will give you the knowledge to remember that in times of darkness or times of doubt.
john 5:39
You search the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them, even they testify o my behalf.
Being in the advent season has made me realize how true this statement of Jesus is. I have heard many readings in Isiah, and every passage has a reference to Jesus. In hindsight, those passages point to him. Jesus, Help me to look to see you in the Scripture. Open up your words to me so that I may see you in every moment and passage I explore. Encourage me to explore the Old Testament even though it may not be as alluring as the New Testament. Help me to understand what you are trying to teach me in these verses of the gospel of John. Teach me the patience to go through it verse by verse and to pick your voice out of them. Help me to seek you through the Scripture rather than eternal life like the people you are speaking to. Amen.
john 5:38
and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one who he has sent.
Do I belive in Jesus? Do I believe he is the only son of the Father? Do I believe he conquered death? Do I believe he actually rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father? My immediate thought is that yes, I do believe these things. Of course i wouldn’t put myself into the group with these people. But what does it mean to believe in Jesus? It doesn’t just mean saying I believe in him. It means so much more! It means devoting myself to him and doing as he taught. It means being the holiest and most saint-like person I can be because he lives! It means giving up those things that pull me away from him like books or tv shows or movies that may totally take away from God’s message. It means devoting time to prayer so that God will have the opportunity to remain in myself, and taking the Eucharist so we can be fully untied.
john 5:37
Moreover, the Father who sent me has testifies on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form
How has the Father testified? What has he done? Could it possibly be that he testifies by sending his son down? Or ‘allowing’ Jesus to have the power to do these things? Or sending/making signs so that people will understand. If we can’t hear or see the Father how are we supposed to know that he is testifying? What other ways can we learn fro the Father? Jesus is right: I have never seen or heard his voice. But why does that mean I don’t understand his testimony? Isn’t faith a way to know his testimony even if we can’t hear or see it? I was once told it is best if we know Jesus, then we will know the Father and the Holy Spirit. But shouldn’t we also try to get to know the other two, especially if we are blind and deaf to the Father. We should strive to open ourselves up to situations where we can learn to hear the Father’s voice and see the Father in our lives and the lives of others.
john 5:36
But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.
Why does Jesus need to point out that these works he is doing is to accomplish a goal? It seems like he is trying to prove something to the Jews. But that is why Jesus came down, to show people that he is God and to allow people to get to know himself in a more intimate and personal way. How many times in the gospels does Jesus show us that he is God and that the Father sent him to do certain things? He tells us a lot, we just don’t always listen. Jesus know he was going to perform difficult tasks when he came down to earth. He knew his purpose on earth. And Jesus performed all these tasks because he knew the Father wanted him to. He knew if he didn’t, his purpose on earth wouldn’t be fulfilled. And like Jesus says, these tasks testify to Jesus because they are of a divine nature- to perform miracles or healing and taking away sins and conquering death. All of these things testify to who he truly is.
john 5:35
He was a burning and shining lamp, and for s while you were content to rejoice in his light. Jesus is telling us about a situation where we focus on something that may be good and be able to point us towards a beautiful thing. But he is pointing out that this can only last for a while. For a while I may focus on something that may be a positive thing, but it's not Jesus. Jesus reminds us that by focusing on these things, we are focusing on a human and imperfect aspect of our religion. One thing that comes to mind is the Pope. Too often do I think we rejoice in his light and at times forget his role in our lives. Sometimes, with the help of media, we focus on the fact that he is the highest ranking member of the church. But it's important to remember he is the man who helps God's revelation be known. The Pope helps us to get to heaven. He isn't someone we should worship, but rather revere. And just like John the Baptist, the Pope is awesome and while we shouldn't worship him, we should rejoice in the fact that he helps us get to the true light.