Listen to the Word of God and Obey

 

WED EP Reflection 090220 (Job 14; John 8: 47-59)

The book of Job is not the book to pick up if one wants an upbeat joyful story. For me, it is the acknowledgment that bad things do happen here on earth and that, the manner in which, we go through them can make a difference. In this particular passage, we find an important teaching that we get at the time of Ash Wednesday: We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. We recognize our frailty as humans and how short life is. As I read this passage in Job, I couldn’t help it but imagine God’s perspective on human life, which should be sobering to us. One cannot compare eternity with the shortness and uncertainty of human life on earth. Everything on earth depend upon God and act under God, in him we live, move and have our being. Once God’s bounds are fixed, none can pass them. It is this discussion of bounds that I discovered what Jesus meant when he told the Jews in John 8: 47: “Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.”

Jesus’ discussion with the chief priests and elders was super charged but also, it revealed the authority/wisdom of God. The Jews thought: “but Abraham is our father, who would dare dispute it?” Of course, Abraham was their biological forefather but, Jesus did dispute it and showed us how the bounds of our earthly perspective is limited compared to an eternal/ divine perspective. Often speaking spiritually, Jesus challenged them to prove how connected to Abraham they were. We see this earlier in v. 39: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.” I think this is central to the argument they had on the table. It feels like Jesus was saying: if you think you are connected to Abraham through blood, that’s not a connection! A real connection is when you do what he would have expected you to do/ what he would have done! So, if you are not doing what your father did, then whose father are you? We are bordering a spiritual reading in these questions.

We know that there were people who were considered not children of Abraham: Ishmaelites; Moabites; Ammonites whose connection to Abraham is not really considered as seed of God. So, the question was: If you think you were born in lawful wedlock, it isn’t enough to be a seed of God. Abraham was connected to God as a true worshipper in spirit and truth, you on the other hand, are not connected to the Father in the same way that Abraham was. So, there is a sense of unworthiness of relation to Abraham. The challenge was spot on: “If God were your Father, you would love me.”

You see, a bee can never be attracted to fake flowers. Real flowers have a distinct scent that fake flowers can never mimic. Jesus is the real deal here and they were not recognizing him while they claim to be connected to the Father. So, whose father, are you? The reason you do not hear my words is that you are not from God. Jesus could not have been any clearer after they challenged his relation to Abraham. He responded: “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” How could you have seen Abraham our ancestor while you are not yet even 50 years old? Let’s see, you would need to be a few thousand years old? Jesus declaration was it!  It is the same that God used when He was talking to Moses: “I am!” The bounds of human intelligence could not get it, but those who are from God, those who are the seed of God hear, understand, they listen/obey the words of Jesus.

We live a short lifespan and wither like a flower, but hearing the word of God: “the life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3” This is encouraging us to immerse ourselves in Holy Scriptures with great interest, so we can hear/listen/obey/understand the word of God. Otherwise, we would be in the category that refuses it/ that does not care about the things of God. If Israelites who are biologically related are unconnected to the Father for not listening, how far would we be then for being unrelated biologically? Way far! God help us! So, we can learn to listen to God’s word and obey.

Amen.