{"id":6322,"date":"2017-04-03T13:37:41","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T20:37:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lubukhati.org\/?p=6322"},"modified":"2017-04-03T13:37:41","modified_gmt":"2017-04-03T20:37:41","slug":"not-an-ordinary-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lubukhati.org\/?p=6322","title":{"rendered":"Not an Ordinary God"},"content":{"rendered":"
Not an Ordinary God<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Tuesday in the Fifth Sunday of Lent<\/div>\n
April 4, 2017<\/div>\n
John 8:21-30<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM (John\u00a08:28)\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In few days, we are going to enter the Holy Week, and the Gospel readings narrate to us the growing animosity between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. The Jewish leaders were anxious and suspicious with who Jesus was and what His intention was all about. He did wonderful signs and attracted people to follow Him, but there were certain anomalies that bothered the Jews. If He was truly the Messiah and why did He break the Law of Moses? Why did He heal on Sabbath rest? Why did He forgive and save a condemned women? He must be a sinner, but why would God listen to a sinner?<\/div>\n
The Jewish authorities became even more concerned because more and more people came to believe in Jesus. The growing popularity and increasing number of followers might lead to civil unrest and even challenge their power and position. Thus, the leaders began to investigate and interrogate Jesus. Yet, Jesus took this as an opportunity to reveal who He is and drew even more people to Himself.<\/div>\n
To call God as Father might be tolerable to the Jews, but to claim that Jesus was coming from God and through Him, we may go to God, this was alarming. To do God\u2019s will was laudable, but to follow Jesus because He revealed who the Father was no longer acceptable. To believe in God is fundamental for the Jews, but to believe in Jesus in order to be saved was nothing but blasphemous. The leaders concluded that Jesus made Himself equal to God and it was too radical, and He deserved no less than death. Indeed, Jesus paid the price of becoming God\u2019s revelation with His own blood.<\/div>\n
\u00a0Jesus\u2019 revelation of His Father is unusual, radically different, but the Jewish leaders failed to see that it was also liberating and energizing. It is liberating because God cannot be boxed and limited by their categories. God can bridge the eternity just to be close to us and becomes a loving Father to us. It is energizing because through faith in Jesus, we are made children of God and we can share in that intimate relationship with Him.<\/div>\n
As we are entering the Holy of Holies in our liturgical seasons, we may together reflect. When Jesus comes to our lives with His unique and unexpected ways, do we see Him as an energizing and liberating presence or do we immediately ignore or even suppress His presence? Does our encounter with Christ in the sacraments and our prayers motivate us more to serve others? Does the preaching and teaching of faith we receive and give free us from our limiting understanding of God?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not an Ordinary God Tuesday in the Fifth Sunday of Lent April 4, 2017 John 8:21-30 \u201cWhen you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM (John\u00a08:28)\u201d In few days, we are going to enter the Holy Week, and the Gospel readings narrate to us the growing animosity between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. The Jewish leaders were anxious and suspicious with who Jesus was and what His intention was all about. He did wonderful…<\/p>\n

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