Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
(Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42)
John completed his gospel at Christians at the end of the
first century. Christians then would
necessarily read it somewhat differently than it is read today. When they read that the Jews were ready to
kill Jesus for blaspheming, they would have considered the judgment
ironic. They would have seen the Jews as
sacrilegious for trying to kill Jesus.
Likewise, Christians then would have recognized that what
Jesus attributes to himself in the passage might be said of them. Jesus shows the Jews that he is God in two
ways. First, by referring to the psalm (not
actually to the Law) which calls people “gods.” Then he recalls the mighty
signs of his divinity that he has worked.
By loving their neighbors early Christians performed analogous deeds.
Many in our time do not want to consider themselves “like God”.
That is, they do not want to be considered loving and good. Rather they want to be “cool.” That is, they want to be singled out for excellence. We must move contrary to this flow like the
fish that break ranks at the opening of an episode of “The Chosen.” It’s all right. We know that in being Godlike we do the best
for everyone now and are brought closer to Jesus.
