"Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
“Ipsa scientia potestas est” declared Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher and statesman. “Knowledge is power!” He is credited with re-founding Science on the scientific method. Whereas knowledge had been based upon the teachings of the ancients like Plato and Aristotle, Bacon described hypotheses, experimentation, and proven theories as the way to discover truth. Experience, even personal experience, should guide our thinking, rather than the apparent wisdom of tradition. Demonstrable knowledge, proven by testing, should be more persuasive and certain than ancient lore.
Because much of our way of life is built upon Bacon's scientific method, we are fascinated with knowledge.
So what do we know about Jesus? In today’s gospel the Jerusalem mob is perplexed. Because he is creating quite a stir, they assume the authorities know all about him and are on top of the situation. But the crowds wonder, "Do the high priests suppose he is the Christ?" They're not saying yea or nay. If the high priests, scribes, and levites don't know, what should we do?
"I don't how to love him!" sang the Magdalene in the rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar; while the Judas character agonized whether to believe in him or betray him. Twenty centuries later we still wonder what to make of Jesus.
Meanwhile, Jesus challenges us with his absolute confidence:
... I did not come on my own,but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
His self-knowledge is not based upon a scientific study of himself. After four centuries of Baconian science, not many people would point to their metrics of height, weight, eye color, and blood pressure to say who they are. They might point to their academic degrees, jobs, and careers. Some foolish persons believe their skin color reveals who they are.
Christians know ourselves by our faith in Jesus, even as he knows himself by his faith in the One who sent him. Inevitably, necessarily, we meet opposition to this self-knowledge. "Society" is always ready to tell us who we are; that information may be flattering or insulting. It may be marketable, like beauty, intelligence, or attractive. Or not.
It will not be true. We find our truth in God and the revelation of Jesus Christ. As we descend ever deeper into Lent, we ask the Lord to take us by the hand and guide us in self-knowledge. Only he who knows himself in God can reveal our true identity.
Now I’m amazed. I knew of Roger Bacon, but I didn’t realize there is also Francis Bacon. Both were interested in studying the world around, also known as science.
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