But no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
W here does the Lord's admirable freedom come from? We well remember his terror in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his sweating blood as the mob approached. But even that dark terror passed and he greeted his assailants with characteristic serenity.
Jesus was, of course, doomed to die. We sometimes say he was born to die, but aren't we all? You and I get out of bed each day and go about our business only with a reasonable assurance that today is not that day. Were it the day and we knew it, getting up would be an entirely different experience. But even as we awaken to this day we expect to see another day, and perhaps a better day, tomorrow.
156,000 allied soldiers awoke on D-Day -- those who could sleep the night before -- and knew the long expected day had come but they still hoped to survive until the morrow. (Over four thousand died on D-Day, and another 5000 were wounded.)
As Jesus faced his opponents in today's gospel, he seemed to enjoy one advantage only some of his followers have. Responsive and obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, he had a keen sense of the hour. He knew as Qoheleth had taught that, "there is an appointed time for everything." The Gospel of John alludes to the hour -- its coming and its arrival -- nineteen times. With his extraordinary sense of the hour which would come but had not yet come, he could speak with astonishing freedom before his disciples, strangers, critics, and enemies. And when the hour came he was prepared, and knew what to do.
That knowledge of time is not beyond our comprehension. A skilled chef knows when the soup is ready; a baker knows when the pie is done. We recognize, as the Lord reminded us, the signs of the coming spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Even if we fell asleep for several months and awoke in an unexpected moment, we would probably recognize the season. "It's summer already!" we might say.
As we heard today, despite the intense hatred of his enemies, "no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come." His disciples, we wait upon the same Holy Spirit and discern its direction as we use the time we have with the same confidence.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.