Thoughts for the Day

Again he said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.’ Then the Jews said, ‘Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’ He said to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.’ They said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’ As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

As a teenager I went into a haberdashery shop and asked for some 'popper-snappers', to be met with a blank look. They had no idea what I was talking about. We finally worked out that I required some 'press studs' to put onto a blouse I was making. My mother Olive, always called them "popper-snappers"!

We like to believe we are rational, logical, human beings and can make clear decisions for ourselves. However, psychologists argue that we make biased decisions. So we might listen more often to information that confirms our existing beliefs and possibly refuse to listen to opposing arguments. Or we give undue emphasis to the first bit of information we receive, without checking other sources. Or we can be misled by things that happen after an event, and our memory becomes 'muddied'. (Or we believe implicitly what we learnt from our parents, which may have be incorrect!)

Our reading from John's gospel today shows us Jesus getting somewhat exasperated with his listeners. He has been teaching the people who he is, and what is going to happen to him, but they simply don't want to understand. The phrase 'Son of Man' as we know, was shorthand for 'the Messiah' who was to come and save God's people, and the word 'Father' designates Jesus' relationship to God. His opponents, only need to check out his work, instead everything he says confirms their bias. Luckily for us and for the Christian faith, "many believed in him".

Lord Jesus Christ,
You taught Your disciples
that You were the Messiah
sent from God to rescue His people.
Your opponents refused to understand
and were to ensure Your death,
but those who saw Your actions
and also heard Your words
were to spread the Good News
around the world.
May we follow their example
and listen, watch, and learn
more about You.
Amen.