Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
“This is truly the Prophet.”
Others said, “This is the Christ.”
But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
The evidence pointed to the truth that Jesus was the Christ, the Prophet who was to come. But there was a sense in which the evidence was not sufficient. Free will could still put obstacles in the way.
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?
Jesus was indeed from David's line in Bethlehem, but the crowd was unaware of this. They were able to seek and find details that seemed to exclude the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah. These were only apparent facts. But as our perspective is always limited, there are always some so-called facts in our minds which are also only apparent. And we have an inborn tendency to use these in our arguments with God when he calls us to new and higher ways.
So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”
The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.”
We need to transcend our inbuilt limitations in order to accept revelation. It is not so much the facts that are wrong as our readiness to look for facts that support a position which we already have a priori. The truth is meant to set us free. But the truth is more than trivia. Truth is a person, and his name is Jesus. His voice can help us to open our hearts to new possibilities, to faith, to accepting his words in a way that really changes our lives. It can shake from us the stupor of minds darkened by sin, that, left to their own resources, tend to fall back to darkness. We need this voice to be consistent in our lives, if not constant, in order to be safe from lies. It is then that we can begin to realize the truth of the promises Jesus made to those who follow him.
If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (see John 8:31-32).
Jesus did not come to seek those who were perfect to follow him. It was the sick, as he said, who were in need of a doctor. Since there was no one perfect except God alone this was good news indeed. For us it means that we don't need to wait to get everything right to come to Jesus. We need to come to Jesus so we can begin to get things right, little by little. Our minds may still present obstacles. But he can turn the very obstacles we present into occasions of transformation. So rather than feeling guilty when we don't respond well or quickly, let us realize that even then we are loved beyond measure, and with that assurance, turn to him.
Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,
Jesus did not have his life taken from him, but rather gave it freely, out of love, for those whom he would have as friends. May that act of love draw from us love in response.
O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
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