The word "tango" in today’s Gospel can easily leave us scratching our heads. What’s all this back and forth between Jesus and the Jews about gods and blasphemy and technicalities, and what on earth does it have to do with our walk with the Lord today?
Throughout his Gospel, Saint John focused heavily on proving that Jesus was, in fact, God Himself. The Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy because He claimed to be God all the stinking time. He was trying to get His point across to us, a human race who aren’t usually the brightest bulbs in the box. So He kept repeating Himself, working miracles, and drawing attention to His unique unity with the Father.
And Jesus was despised for this. Much like the prophet Jeremiah foreshadowed in the First Reading, Jesus was persecuted and sought after for His bold and scandalous claims.
Jesus said He is God because He is God. And many people of the day weren’t too crazy about that.
Are there times when we’re not so crazy about God being God?
The Jews weren’t fans of Jesus new and radical teachings. They didn’t like that He was fulfilling the law. They didn’t like these new commandments that require us to love one another as we love ourselves.
If Jesus was God, then, that meant that what He said was true, and must be acted upon.
Are there times when it is hard for us to accept that God is God of our lives because of what it will require of us? Are there moments when Jesus leads us somewhere we are afraid of going, even though we know He knows best? Are we sometimes wary of opening our hearts to Him in prayer because we realize that what He says to us is truth?
Today, let’s take comfort in the fact that God is God of our lives. Let’s allow Him to take the reins of our adventure and lead us to still waters.
Olivia Spears is a middle school religion teacher turned SAHM who is married to her high school best friend. You can find out more about her here.
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