In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals the Father as the source of Christ’s own life. The mission of the Messiah is sweet and simple: reveal the face of the Father. Jesus says, “I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me” (John 5:30). The Father and the Son are one. These words are Christ’s invitation for men to encounter His Father.
As we continue to read the passage today, we encounter Jesus facing an uphill battle against the Jews. He says, “I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me” (John 5:43). With all His Heart, Christ tries to share the news that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” It is eternal life that the Father wants for each of His children. John spends the entirety of chapter 5 discussing this relationship between Jesus and His Father because it typifies the mission of the Messiah. It is Christ’s raison d’etre. Bethlehem was an answer to His Father. Nazareth was an answer to His Father. And soon to be Cavalry will be an answer to His Father.
Please the Father
If we remember from Sunday’s Gospel (Year A), the Apostles approach Jesus and show concern about his physical health. “Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, ‘Rabbi, eat’” (John 4:34). In typical Jesus fashion, he responds, “My food is to the will of the one who sent me” (Ibid). The desire to please His Father surpasses all human understanding.
I would like to think that the greatest suffering Jesus experiences in the Agony of the Garden is the knowledge of how much His Father loves each individual soul and yet the choice of certain souls to still reject that love.
When I attend Mass, I remind myself that what I witness is the eternal Son sacrificing Himself to His Father. That is the cool part. There is a reason communion follows rather than precedes consecration. Jesus completes His love with His Father and then He consummates His love with us.
Full Circle
This perspective brings us back full circle to the Gospel and the meaning of Lent. We journey with Jesus as He unfolds the story of His Father. During Lent, we get a glimpse into the most intimate conversations Jesus has about and with His Father. We talk about having confidantes – people who get to hear everything about another person’s life. That is who we become this Lent: confidantes for Jesus. When we read the Gospel through this lens, we will have a much better chance of encountering Christ. Jesus’ warning to the Jews is that they try to figure it out on their own. Only through Jesus can one hope to encounter the Father. He says, “You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40).
I encourage us to take one of John’s dialogues focused on the Father. Bring it to prayer, read it, and listen.
And there, Jesus will confide in us.
Dear Sean,
I like this reflection on understanding how much we are loved by the Father and that recognition of this love and allowing it to take root in our lives is the heart of the gospel that Jesus preached. I appreciate the insight.