03-29-2012, 10:18 PM
Thursday, 29 March, 2012, 5th Week of Lent
JESUS AS THE LIFE GIVER BECAUSE HE IS THE COVENANT OF GOD IN PERSON
SCRIPTURE READINGS: GEN 17:3-9; JN 8:51-59
We are all seeking not only for life but everlasting life. Death is perhaps the most fearful event. We all want to live forever. Surely, Abraham and his generation also had that same hope. However, such hope for life after death was an idea that had not yet been developed then. So the only consolation for these people was that at least their descendants would continue to live after them. This explains why for many people, perpetuating the family name is important. Thus, the people of God who had no idea of the resurrection could still hope that they would live on in the spirit of their descendants. And this was what God promised them, “I will make you father of a multitude of nations. I will make you most fruitful. I will make you into nations, and your issue shall be kings.”
However, Jesus’ astounding claim that “whoever keeps my word will never see death” came as a preposterous statement to the Jews. This is the crux of today’s reflection. Who is Jesus that we can be certain that in Him we have eternal and everlasting life? This was the same question the Jews posed to Jesus when they said, “Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Who are you claiming to be?” Knowing the identity of Jesus therefore is the key to eternal life. This theme prepares us for the feast of Easter when we will proclaim Christ as the life-giver.
To substantiate the claim of the Christians that Jesus can give us new life, it presupposes that we must believe that Jesus Christ is divine. Hence, the response of Jesus is that He is one with the Father and has always been with Him before time began. As He said, “Before Abraham ever was, I Am.” By saying this, He is making claim to be identical with the Father and therefore He is from God. As God, He was therefore before time, before even Abraham ever existed. That being the case, as the ‘I Am’, He is not only a life-giver to those who lived in the past or in the present, but also in the future. So, in Jesus, we will continue to live forever. But what is the basis for believing that Jesus is the ‘I Am’ in person?
It is because Jesus is the Covenant of God in person and therefore the fulfillment of the covenant dream of Abraham. Within this context, we can better understand why Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad.” Abraham, because of his intimate relationship with God, somehow sensed that God would be true to him and that he would live on, although he did not know exactly in what form it would take. How then is Jesus the Covenant of God in person?
Firstly, it is His close union with the Father. He knows His Father personally. He is one with the Father. He said, “I do know him.” Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham. He is the realization of the covenantal relationship that God made with Abraham. Abraham was waiting for one of his descendents, which is Jesus, to be the Covenant of the Father in person. Indeed, Jesus is that perfect relationship with the Father, for only in Jesus can Israel be perfectly united with God and thus belong to God in perpetuity.
Secondly, this perfect relationship of Jesus with the Father is seen in the way He does the Father’s will. Jesus said, “But I do know him, and I faithfully keep his word.” Jesus’ fidelity to the Father’s will requires Him not only to do what the Father wants but to be true to His identity as the Son of the Father. Thus, He could not lie that He is not from God, since He is the Word incarnate. So in Jesus, we not only have one who is identical with the Father but who also represents us, humanity, in fulfilling the Father’s will. Only a human being who is God at the same time, can faithfully keep the commandments of the Father, since only Jesus is in perfect union and relationship with the Father. Indeed, just as Abraham had a personal knowledge of God and was faithful to Him, so too, did Jesus.
Thirdly, the glory of Jesus is the glory of the Father. It is the Father who glorified Him, as He said, “If I were to seek my own glory, that would be no glory at all; my glory is conferred by the Father …” This glory is ultimately in the sharing of the Father’s life and love through His exaltation at the cross and at His resurrection; for in the cross, Jesus shares in the self-emptying love of the Father; and in the resurrection, He shares in the life of the Father. In other words, Jesus comes from the Father. He is the Eternal Son of the Father. He shares in the glory of the Father, His divinity. In the most explicit endorsement of Jesus’ divine sonship, the Father raised Jesus from the dead and dispelled all doubts about the identity of Jesus and the truth of His claims.
It follows therefore that Jesus is truly the realization of the Covenant that God established with Abraham. In Jesus who is the New and everlasting Covenant, God shows Himself faithful to His promise to be our God and we, His people. This is what the psalmist assures us. “The Lord remembers his covenant forever. He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations – which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac.” That is why, like Abraham, we can put our total trust in God even in the apparently impossible. The truth is that for God, nothing is impossible. What we need is patience and trust in God for His promise to unfold to us. In Jesus we can find eternal life because He reconciles us with the Father and with each other.
But this life can be ours today if only we appropriate the covenant for ourselves. Today, if we want to find life, we are called to be like Jesus. Just as Jesus is the cause of our salvation, being the covenant of God in person, so too, as Christians we are called to make Jesus known to others through our being and our lives, just as Jesus made God known to us through His being. In this way, we make it possible for others to have a covenantal relationship with Father. How can we make ourselves the Covenant of God in person?
Firstly, we must be one with Jesus in love and personal knowledge. We must have a covenantal relationship with Him. Being in union with Jesus is necessary if we are to have a deep personal knowledge of Him and of God. When we know Jesus, we will trust in Him and all His promises; just as Abraham trusted in God and His promises because he too knew God personally. Only by knowing Jesus and sharing His mind and heart, can we become like Jesus, the presence of God to others.
Secondly, this intimate relationship with Jesus would be manifested in our obedience to the Word. By keeping the Word of Jesus in fidelity, we already live the life of the Spirit. Hence, already in this life, we would have in some way, participated in the life hereafter. In that sense, we truly never see death, since by allowing His Spirit to live in us, just as the Spirit of Abraham lives in his descendants, we find life. So by keeping the Word, we already share in the life to come. The Word of God gives life here and here after. By refusing to keep His word, we will bring about our own destruction as we live a life of sin and ignorance.
Thirdly, by participating in His death, the glory of God will shine in us. For in dying to self in obedience to God, we live for God, others and ultimately for our true selves. In emptying our lives for others like Jesus, we find life for ourselves in the process of giving life to others, just as Jesus was raised to new life through His death for us. Just as Jesus died to Himself so that the glory of God could be seen in Him, we too must empty ourselves of all that is not God, especially our pride and selfishness so that His glory shines through us.
Yes, the season of Lent is to prepare us for New Life in Christ and everlasting life in Him. As we approach the feast of the resurrection, the Church is exhorting us to spend these last days of Lent to grow in union with Jesus by keeping His word so that dying with Him, we can share in His life. This life is ours when we live a covenantal relationship of love and union with God and with our fellow beings. This covenantal life would then be the realization of the promise made long ago to Abraham and to His descendents. Hence, Jesus is truly the fulfillment of the plan of God for humankind, His plan that all will find life everlasting in Him.
JESUS AS THE LIFE GIVER BECAUSE HE IS THE COVENANT OF GOD IN PERSON
SCRIPTURE READINGS: GEN 17:3-9; JN 8:51-59
We are all seeking not only for life but everlasting life. Death is perhaps the most fearful event. We all want to live forever. Surely, Abraham and his generation also had that same hope. However, such hope for life after death was an idea that had not yet been developed then. So the only consolation for these people was that at least their descendants would continue to live after them. This explains why for many people, perpetuating the family name is important. Thus, the people of God who had no idea of the resurrection could still hope that they would live on in the spirit of their descendants. And this was what God promised them, “I will make you father of a multitude of nations. I will make you most fruitful. I will make you into nations, and your issue shall be kings.”
However, Jesus’ astounding claim that “whoever keeps my word will never see death” came as a preposterous statement to the Jews. This is the crux of today’s reflection. Who is Jesus that we can be certain that in Him we have eternal and everlasting life? This was the same question the Jews posed to Jesus when they said, “Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Who are you claiming to be?” Knowing the identity of Jesus therefore is the key to eternal life. This theme prepares us for the feast of Easter when we will proclaim Christ as the life-giver.
To substantiate the claim of the Christians that Jesus can give us new life, it presupposes that we must believe that Jesus Christ is divine. Hence, the response of Jesus is that He is one with the Father and has always been with Him before time began. As He said, “Before Abraham ever was, I Am.” By saying this, He is making claim to be identical with the Father and therefore He is from God. As God, He was therefore before time, before even Abraham ever existed. That being the case, as the ‘I Am’, He is not only a life-giver to those who lived in the past or in the present, but also in the future. So, in Jesus, we will continue to live forever. But what is the basis for believing that Jesus is the ‘I Am’ in person?
It is because Jesus is the Covenant of God in person and therefore the fulfillment of the covenant dream of Abraham. Within this context, we can better understand why Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad.” Abraham, because of his intimate relationship with God, somehow sensed that God would be true to him and that he would live on, although he did not know exactly in what form it would take. How then is Jesus the Covenant of God in person?
Firstly, it is His close union with the Father. He knows His Father personally. He is one with the Father. He said, “I do know him.” Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham. He is the realization of the covenantal relationship that God made with Abraham. Abraham was waiting for one of his descendents, which is Jesus, to be the Covenant of the Father in person. Indeed, Jesus is that perfect relationship with the Father, for only in Jesus can Israel be perfectly united with God and thus belong to God in perpetuity.
Secondly, this perfect relationship of Jesus with the Father is seen in the way He does the Father’s will. Jesus said, “But I do know him, and I faithfully keep his word.” Jesus’ fidelity to the Father’s will requires Him not only to do what the Father wants but to be true to His identity as the Son of the Father. Thus, He could not lie that He is not from God, since He is the Word incarnate. So in Jesus, we not only have one who is identical with the Father but who also represents us, humanity, in fulfilling the Father’s will. Only a human being who is God at the same time, can faithfully keep the commandments of the Father, since only Jesus is in perfect union and relationship with the Father. Indeed, just as Abraham had a personal knowledge of God and was faithful to Him, so too, did Jesus.
Thirdly, the glory of Jesus is the glory of the Father. It is the Father who glorified Him, as He said, “If I were to seek my own glory, that would be no glory at all; my glory is conferred by the Father …” This glory is ultimately in the sharing of the Father’s life and love through His exaltation at the cross and at His resurrection; for in the cross, Jesus shares in the self-emptying love of the Father; and in the resurrection, He shares in the life of the Father. In other words, Jesus comes from the Father. He is the Eternal Son of the Father. He shares in the glory of the Father, His divinity. In the most explicit endorsement of Jesus’ divine sonship, the Father raised Jesus from the dead and dispelled all doubts about the identity of Jesus and the truth of His claims.
It follows therefore that Jesus is truly the realization of the Covenant that God established with Abraham. In Jesus who is the New and everlasting Covenant, God shows Himself faithful to His promise to be our God and we, His people. This is what the psalmist assures us. “The Lord remembers his covenant forever. He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations – which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac.” That is why, like Abraham, we can put our total trust in God even in the apparently impossible. The truth is that for God, nothing is impossible. What we need is patience and trust in God for His promise to unfold to us. In Jesus we can find eternal life because He reconciles us with the Father and with each other.
But this life can be ours today if only we appropriate the covenant for ourselves. Today, if we want to find life, we are called to be like Jesus. Just as Jesus is the cause of our salvation, being the covenant of God in person, so too, as Christians we are called to make Jesus known to others through our being and our lives, just as Jesus made God known to us through His being. In this way, we make it possible for others to have a covenantal relationship with Father. How can we make ourselves the Covenant of God in person?
Firstly, we must be one with Jesus in love and personal knowledge. We must have a covenantal relationship with Him. Being in union with Jesus is necessary if we are to have a deep personal knowledge of Him and of God. When we know Jesus, we will trust in Him and all His promises; just as Abraham trusted in God and His promises because he too knew God personally. Only by knowing Jesus and sharing His mind and heart, can we become like Jesus, the presence of God to others.
Secondly, this intimate relationship with Jesus would be manifested in our obedience to the Word. By keeping the Word of Jesus in fidelity, we already live the life of the Spirit. Hence, already in this life, we would have in some way, participated in the life hereafter. In that sense, we truly never see death, since by allowing His Spirit to live in us, just as the Spirit of Abraham lives in his descendants, we find life. So by keeping the Word, we already share in the life to come. The Word of God gives life here and here after. By refusing to keep His word, we will bring about our own destruction as we live a life of sin and ignorance.
Thirdly, by participating in His death, the glory of God will shine in us. For in dying to self in obedience to God, we live for God, others and ultimately for our true selves. In emptying our lives for others like Jesus, we find life for ourselves in the process of giving life to others, just as Jesus was raised to new life through His death for us. Just as Jesus died to Himself so that the glory of God could be seen in Him, we too must empty ourselves of all that is not God, especially our pride and selfishness so that His glory shines through us.
Yes, the season of Lent is to prepare us for New Life in Christ and everlasting life in Him. As we approach the feast of the resurrection, the Church is exhorting us to spend these last days of Lent to grow in union with Jesus by keeping His word so that dying with Him, we can share in His life. This life is ours when we live a covenantal relationship of love and union with God and with our fellow beings. This covenantal life would then be the realization of the promise made long ago to Abraham and to His descendents. Hence, Jesus is truly the fulfillment of the plan of God for humankind, His plan that all will find life everlasting in Him.