Gospel JN 5:33-36
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 his 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.”
Reflection:
Jesus said to the Jews:
“John was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.”
A “burning and shining lamp” may illuminate and enlightened the minds of men. But when the lamp burns out and the light is gone then men tend to forget what “lit them up”. The preaching of an elegant sermon on Sunday may fade from memory when facing the challenges life on Monday.
“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.”
Jesus is saying that as great as the preaching of John the Baptist was, his words did not have a lasting impact on those who doubted the loving, forgiving nature of God. The “doubters” even argued with the words of Jesus himself.
But the miracles performed by Jesus, restoring the blind to sight, opening the ears of the deaf, cleansing the leper of disease, and raising the dead to life, “the works,” in themselves, were testimony that Jesus was sent by God.
Sweet and comforting words may lift and sooth the spirit but they will not quell the hunger pains of a starving child. Beautiful phrases may inspire the soul but only the gift of a warm coat will bring relief from the icy wind.
Our good works of bringing comfort to our sisters and brothers in need are the authentic “testimony” that we are children of the One Loving God.
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”        – – James 2: 14-17