witness to me. John also bore witness to the truth when you sent messengers to him, but
I do not seek such human testimony; I recall this for you, so that you may be saved. John
was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were willing to enjoy his light. But
I have greater evidence than that of John—the works which the Father entrusted to me to
carry out. The very works I do bear witness: the Father has sent me. Thus he who bears
witness to me is the Father who sent me. You have never heard his voice and have never
seen his likeness; therefore, as long as you do not believe his messenger, his word is not
in you. You search in the Scriptures, thinking that in them you will find life; yet Scripture
bears witness to me. But you refuse to come to me, that you may live. I am not seeking
human praise; but I know that the love of God is not within you, for I have come in my
Father’s name and you do not accept me. If another comes in his own name, you will accept
him. As long as you seek praise from one another, instead of seeking the glory which comes
from the only God, how can you believe? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father.
Moses himself, in whom you placed your hope, accuses you. If you believed Moses, you
would believe me, for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you
believe what I say?
Reflect
“Reach out to one another.” The Gospel of John depicts John (the Baptist) to be a witness
to Jesus. If Jesus is the eternal light, John is the temporal light that bears witness to the
eternal light. We, as followers of Jesus, share this calling. Today’s Gospel particularly points
out that John’s bearing witness to Jesus is inseparable from his bearing witness to the truth. A
world that is characterized by falsehood, disinformation and lies, is a world where darkness is
also present. Nevertheless, with Jesus as our eternal light, darkness surely will not have the
last say. John’s Prologue clearly says that Jesus, our light, shines in the darkness and darkness
did not overcome the light (cf. Jn. 1:5). As modern-day witnesses to Jesus, it is our mission to
reach out to one another especially in times when we grope in the dark. However, to be able
to do this, we have to reach out to Jesus who is our eternal light. Otherwise, we will only fumble
and stumble in the dark. Lent challenges us to deepen our relationship with Jesus, allowing his
light to penetrate even the darkest side of our being.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024