John 12: 36-43: Belief and Unbelief
Saturday, March 18, 2023
Benjamin West: Moses and Aaron before Moses
This is a difficult idea for many of us but we see it as far back as the Pentateuch when we hear that Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart when he changed his mind about letting Moses’ people go (Exodus 8:15). This is a theme with which we struggle to live: We are not in charge.
When suffering happens, we remind ourselves, God will turn it into something good if we allow the Spirit to reside in our hearts.
We are not in charge.
God heals all wounds, we say, and we pass the stories of these healings on to younger generations.
We are not in charge.
In today’s reading, we see Jesus hiding for a bit as he prepares himself for the tasks ahead. We hear again the words of the prophet Isaiah describing a God who “blinded their eyes and hardened their heart . . . so that they might be converted.”
We are not in charge.
The Israelites crossed the Red Sea through parted waters – after Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart – and so we see Yahweh’s power and might and mercy. The Pharisees do not acknowledge the power of Jesus – which the people see clearly – and in fact the Sanhedrin do not arrest Jesus on several occasions for fear that the people will stone them. (Acts 5:17-26)
We are not in charge.
Gerrit Van Honthorst: Christ Before the High Priest, Annas
Many times when we are doing God’s work we will find ourselves in opposition to the culture in which we live. Jesus is counter-cultural and lives on the edges of society. So must we be if we are true disciples, if we go to the light and do not hide in the dark (John 3:16-21).
We are not in charge.
We reflect on our lives and pray that we – unlike the Pharisees who preferred human praise to the glory of God . . . may remember that we are not in charge.
We remember our Lenten practice. Rather than thinking: “I will set all things right in God’s kingdom,” let us think instead, “I will strive each day to follow Jesus’ example of forgiveness, mercy and love”.
Adapted from a reflection written on April 18, 2007.
Tomorrow, passion.
Images from: http://collection.mam.org/details.php?id=4902 and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moses_and_Aaron_before_Pharaoh.jpg
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