And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.
When the Lord tells us that "the ruler of the world is coming" who has "no power over me," I suppose we should say, "Well, get on it. Make sure he doesn't come! You are the Savior, after all. This is your moment!"
And it was his moment; there was no doubt about that as he said, "Now the hour has come!" And it's true that the "ruler" had no power over him.
But he did not prevent his coming. Jesus predicted his coming "so that when it happens you may believe." He would neither prevent that hour from coming, nor obstruct the ruler's intention to kill him. That evil had to run its course.
And, more importantly, these words prepared us to see, "that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."
There is no power in heaven or earth more powerful than the Lord's obedience to his Father. Nothing can move, shake, or alter that. Nothing can come between them. Saint Paul spoke of that mystery from his own experience of hardship:
...in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37)
The Lord's obedience to the All-Powerful God is his absolute power and authority over all creation; he receives it from his Father, and we have seen his glory. The will of the Father and the Son are identical; it is one. And so authority becomes obedience and obedience becomes authority.
Someone might suppose that Jesus's obedience means he is less than God. Some Christians believe he is a demigod, without using the word. The Church recognized and condemned that heresy at Ephesus in 325 AD. It corresponds neither to the Scriptures, our liturgy, our beliefs, nor our experience of him. It makes sense only to those who try to explain mysteries beyond human language.
More importantly, as we hear Jesus speak to us, we can rest assured that this man, this Son of David and Son of Mary, has by his death and resurrection reestablished the Kingdom of God. And, as Julian of Norwich said, "All things will be well, and all things will be well, and all manner of things will be well."
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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.