Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

 Lectionary: 246

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.

There are people who never cuss or swear but they might use certain expressions when they are speaking very seriously. To signal the importance of what he is about to say, the Lord says, "Amen, Amen, I say to you...." He uses the expression twenty-five times in the Gospel of Saint John; and three times in today's Gospel, as he speaks of his sonship in God the Father. Clearly, we know nothing about Jesus if we do not know he is the Son of God. 

Nor do we know anything of God if we do not know Jesus. As Saint Paul said, "He is the image of the invisible God." (Col 1:15) Without denying the same Apostle's statement to the Romans that any reasonable person anywhere and at any time can recognize the work of an All Wise, All Powerful, and All Creating God in His creation, to know God we come through Jesus. Supposing there ought to be a God bears little resemblance to knowing Him. 

That's a hard message for those who feel their religion should include everyone in God's mercy regardless of their ignorance of Christianity. But it accurately describes the "crisis" of Jesus as the Evangelists describe him. It also describes the compelling obligation we have to share that Good News. 

Given the evidence of continual wars, violence, suspicion, and instability, Pollyanna cannot expect everything to work out just fine. But Pollyanna's "optimism" works fine as an excuse for those who, have not considered the Cost of Discipleship. In fact, it's a matter of life and death for us as well as for them. As Jesus said,

"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." Luke 12:48