Friday of the Third Week in Advent
Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Jn 5:33-36
December 16, 2022 | Friday
Jesus said to the Jews: “You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. I do not accept testimony from a human being, but I say this so that you may be saved. John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in this light. But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.”
Today’s Reflection:
Jesus claimed that he was truly the one from above. He presented his witnesses to prove this. The first is John the Baptist who testified the truth (v. 33). At first, the Jews listened to John but their excitement on his preaching about the Messiah was short-lived because they could not believe that it was Jesus whom John was preaching. As his witness, Jesus considered John as a lamp like Elijah, although he was not the light. The second were the works Jesus himself had been performing (v. 36). The miracles he performed and his teachings pointed to the Father’s presence through Jesus. Again, the Jews did not believe him thinking that what he was doing was not from above, but of the devil (cf. Mat. 12:22-37). The Jews’ attitude towards Jesus was understandable for they expected a Messiah with political and military power. They failed to understand that Jesus as the one sent from above is the one who will bring them spiritual freedom. /Vulnerasti, 2022
