Jn 10:31-42
The Jews then picked up stones to throw at him; so Jesus said, “I have openly done many good works among you, which the Father gave me to do. For which of these do you stone me?”
The Jews answered, “We are not stoning you for doing a good work, but for insulting God; you are only a man, and you make yourself God.”
Then Jesus replied, “Is this not written in your law: I said, you are gods? So those who received this word of God were called gods, and the Scripture is always true. What then should be said of the one anointed, and sent into the world, by the Father? Am I insulting God when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do them, even if you have no faith in me, believe because of the works I do; and know that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
Again they tried to arrest him, but Jesus escaped from their hands. He went away again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John had baptized, and there he stayed.
Many people came to Jesus, and said, “John worked no miracles, but he spoke about you, and everything he said was true.” And many in that place became believers.
REFLECTION
Faith is a very mysterious reality. Why do some people believe and other people do not believe?
In the case of the Jewish contemporaries of Jesus, the acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God and even more so as God’s equal must have been particularly difficult since all male Jews proclaimed in their daily morning prayer that “the Lord is our God, the Lord alone!” (Dt 6:4). Jesus’ claims seemed to fly in the face of their monotheism. Yet, some Jews did accept Jesus’ claims, as today’s gospel reading clearly states: “Many… became believers”
When making his claims, Jesus also refers to his miracles (his “works” as he calls them). Since we should judge a tree by its fruits, Jesus implies that the good fruits of his miracles (always beneficial to the people) should prove that the power producing these miracles is good too, in fact is of divine origin. But his reasoning does not convince everybody…
Faith is mysterious. At any rate, even if we cannot “explain” why we believe, we should be endlessly grateful that we do. For what treasure is more precious than our faith in Jesus Christ?
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