"I speak just as the Father has told me"

John 12:44-50 + Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Easter

Our Gospel today begins with the words, Jesus “cried aloud” – the Greek word is ekraksen – it means that he croaked, like a crow! There was pain and agony in his voice when he said these words. This is the last time that Jesus will speak to the crowds in Jerusalem. After this will come his arrest and trial, followed by his agonizing death. This is his last attempt to get the people to grasp his message. Thus, it hurts him to have to say this, and it hurts him to try to think of what he might say to convince them.

Jesus says, “don’t listen just to me. I am speaking for God. If you hear me, you are hearing God. If you listen and obey, you are listening to and obeying God. If you don’t obey, you are disobeying God.” This is the clearest statement he could make, and he saved it for last.

Jesus says, “if you see me, you are seeing God.” This was a challenge to those around him: “I cannot be any more clear about this – Look here: I am the Son of God, and you are in the presence of the Holy One of Israel.”

Then Jesus states his purpose: to shine a light on the world. The world has lived in the darkness of sin and sorrow since the very beginning. Now, that is all about to change. Light will replace darkness, and Jesus is that light. But as John’s Gospel begins: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (Jn 1:5) Another, perhaps better, translation reads, “the darkness has not understood it.” And those who heard Jesus continued to not understand him.

Jesus is then very clear: he has not come to judge the world, but to save the world. And yet we know that there will be a Judgment Day. On that great and terrible day, Jesus “will come again to judge the living and the dead,” as we say in the Apostles’ Creed. But his point is very clear – he will not be like a human judge, using his own opinions, knowledge, and logic to render judgment. Instead, the only judge, and the only evidence presented, will be Jesus’ words, and the only question will be whether we heeded those words or ignored them. “On the last day, the word that I have spoken will serve a judge.”

Finally, just to be clear about it, Jesus tells us, “I speak just as the Father has told me.” Jesus speaks for God, and nothing can be clearer than that. The question is: will we listen and heed?

The call to those people went largely unheeded. They condemned Jesus, they cried aloud for his execution, using the same Greek word for croaking that we heard at the beginning of today’s Gospel.

What will we do? Will we heed the word of Jesus? Will we acknowledge that we believe in the One who sent him? Will we see the Father when we look at our brothers and sisters? Will we be judged by the words of Jesus and found innocent or guilty of ignoring them? What clearer message could Jesus give us?

“I speak just as the Father has told me.”