Our Father Among the Saints Athanasius the Great (373)
Acts 10:21-33; John 7:1-13.
Read John 7:1-13
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
What does it mean to have an encounter with Jesus? Obviously, it can mean a lot of things: a healing, a miracle, a word of comfort, or a conflict. But, sooner or later, it means making a decision. That’s one of the key themes of the Gospel of John, and of all the gospels – people meet Jesus, they have an experience of his power and authority and mercy, and then they make a decision about him. Do they trust him? Do they believe in him? Are they threatened by him?
In today’s gospel, some people (the Jewish leaders) have already made a decision about Jesus: they want to kill him. Another group, Jesus’ family and the crowds, are less certain about who Jesus is and how to react to him. His family challenge Jesus to go to the feast in Jerusalem and reveal himself in front of the whole Jewish people, because they aren’t really sure who he is. They want him to show his power, maybe because they secretly hope that such an awesome display will put to rest their doubts.
Jesus doesn’t take the bait. Instead, by saying that his time or hour has not yet come, he subtly points to his cross as the real way that his power will be manifest. This says more about who he is than any miracle – he is the God who gives himself for us. When I have doubts, when I wonder who Jesus is, do I remember that the greatest sign he worked was on the cross? This, more than any miracle, is the greatest antidote to our doubts.