Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
WITNESSING
Introduction
“God has put his Word into the mouth of people in order that it may be communicated to others. When the Word strikes one person, he or she speaks it to others. God has willed that we should seek and find his living Word, in the witness of a brother or sister, in the mouth of his people. Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him or her.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together) The core of our faith is that we owe a new life to Jesus, in whom we are reborn. The Spirit, whom he gives us without measure, prompts us to bear witness to Jesus and to his new life in us.
Reading 1: Acts 5:27-33
29-32 Peter and the apostles answered, “It’s necessary to obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One you killed by hanging him on a cross. God set him on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven. And we are witnesses to these things. The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey him, corroborates every detail.”
33-37 When they heard that, they were furious and wanted to kill them on the spot.
Gospel: Jn 3:31-36
31-33 “The One who comes from above is head and shoulders over other messengers from God. The earthborn is earthbound and speaks earth language; the heavenborn is in a league of his own. He sets out the evidence of what he saw and heard in heaven. No one wants to deal with these facts. But anyone who examines this evidence will come to stake his life on this: that God himself is the truth.
34-36 “The One that God sent speaks God’s words. And don’t think he rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces. The Father loves the Son extravagantly. He turned everything over to him so he could give it away—a lavish distribution of gifts. That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn’t see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that.”
Prayer
Lord, our God,
your Son Jesus Christ, came from you
and bore witness to the things
he had heard and seen.
He could not but bear witness to you.
Give us the Spirit of your Son, we pray you,
to speak your word and to live it,
that we may show Christ, your living Word,
to those who have not seen him.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Reflection
20 April 2023
John 3:31-36
The Messianic plenty
Since the beginning of this week, we have been reading about Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus. As their conversation progresses, we realise that Nicodemus is no longer around, but Jesus continues teaching on matters of Heaven and the Holy Spirit. Jesus invites all his listeners to be people of God instead of becoming people of the world.
Today’s passage is an appeal as to why one should believe in Jesus – the one who comes from heaven. John, the evangelist, is utilising the instance of Nicodemus meeting Jesus to teach his listeners why they should believe in Jesus. John writes from his long experience with the early Church and enlightened by the Spirit. His objective is to tell his listeners that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
We usually speak of things that we see, hear and experience. Similarly, when Jesus speaks, he speaks of things that he has seen, heard and experienced with his Father, and therefore, the words of Jesus are words about his Father and about the Kingdom of heaven! But John expresses his frustration and deep pain at the widespread rejection of Jesus. He is pained that no one accepts his testimony!
Of course, the community of believers did believe in Jesus. And to those who believed in the words of Jesus, he has sent the Holy Spirit upon them. John himself had experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the group of disciples without measure. And, of course, whenever God gives, he gives in plenty without measure!
Remember the wedding at Cana – the host runs out of wine, and then comes six stone jars full of wine! And when the Lord fed the 5000 with five loaves of bread, the leftovers were collected in 12 baskets! When the disciples go fishing the whole night and catch nothing, Jesus orders them to put out to the deep – and the catch was miraculous. God does not ration out his blessings in bits and pieces … he gives them in plenty!
Think of the Eucharist. Every time we receive the Lord in the Eucharist, he leaves in us a renewal and deepening of his presence – the presence of his Holy Spirit. What other gifts can we ask from the Lord than the gift of life filled with the Spirit of Jesus – the person of Jesus – in abundance! This is the new birth that Jesus invites us into.