Thursday of 4th week of Lent 10th March 2016
"There is another witness who speaks on my behalf, and I know that his testimony is true. You sent messengers to John and he gave witness to the truth-not that I depend on human testimony; no, it is for your salvation that I mention it. John was a lamp lit and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave. But my testimony is greater than John’s : the deeds my father has given me to perform, these same deeds of mine testify that the Father has sent me.
Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself. you have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape, and his word find no home in you because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent."
Jesus begins by offering to those who are listening to him the witness born by John the Baptist, underlining how a human witness is not a very strong one. For the unheard of declarations he had made, there can only be the witness of God that is an adequate one. By the by, Jesus praises John the Baptist saying he is like a lamp that is lit and shines forth. He gives the reminder that many Jews received Baptism whilst he was alive.
Far greater than John the Baptist’s witness is that of the works Jesus a accomplished ; his miracles vouch that He is Son of the Father.
Jesus healed a paralysed man on the Sabbath day and for this good action he is accused . Jesus simply sends back to he Father the Master of the Sabbath day :
’If I bore witness to myself my witness would not be true.’
So there is Someone, who is the invisible Father, who takes his defence.
Jesus does indeed dwell in the Father and He gives us His Holy Spirit, and in this way He comes to the aid of our weaknesses so that we can recognise Jesus and whom we call God, our Father.
"You pour over the scriptures, believing that in them you can find eternal life; it is these scriptures that testify to me, and yet you refuse to come to me to receive life!
Human glory means nothing to me; besides, I know you too well : you have no love of God in you.
I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me ; if someone else should come in his own name you would accept him. How can you believe , since you look to each other for glory and are not concerned with the glory that comes from the same God?’ "
The witness of the Father vouches for the global witness of the Word that Jesus’ words are. But in order that his witness may be perceived, it is necessary to know how to listen to the Scriptures, so that God’s Word may remain within us.
Jesus denounces the Jews’ lack of faith, God’s Word cannot dwell in the one who does not believe in Jesus as being the One sent from the Father. Because of this Jesus’ adversaries cannot receive Eternal Life.
For us, Jesus’ witness sends us to the Holy Spirit. In the same way that it is by our life much more than our words and actions that we announce God’s Mystery. John the Baptist, like a lamp that lightens, would announce Jesus!
If I have a gesture of Love it shows God is living in the most intimate part of my life.
“Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father : you have placed your hopes on Moses, and Moses will be the one who accuses you. If you really believed him, you would believe me too, since it was about me that he was writing ; but if you will not believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?”
In the end it will be Moses who will be their accuser- Moses , whose scriptures they put under scrutiny and whose true meaning of the Law was to give orientation to the Revelation made in Jesus.
It is by the Light of Jesus that the Word has us receive eternal Life if we are in Him, we do things through Him and God’s works for Him-they are works of Life, Light and Love.
Jesus said : ’The Father who sent me, it is to Him I bear witness.’
It is this Love that speaks the loudest :
"You pour over the scriptures’ Jesus says again, and,
’It is these scriptures that testify to me and yet you do not recognise me!’
We can Jesus recognise Jesus by the overflowing Presence at the Heart of our lives ; He is recognised by these works of peace, love, joy, goodness, gentleness humility and tenderness in us.
Before such works Jesus bears witness in our favour, it is our joy in the Holy spirit who reminds us that all things are in Him, the One, True God, Our Lord and Saviour.