1Reflection for March 17 Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent: John 5:17-30

Gospel: John 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God. 

Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. 

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 

For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation. 

“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

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Reflection:

What does faith do to us? It makes us believe in something that is hard to believe for many. 

In the gospel Jesus mentions of His equality with God.  Do you believe it? If you do, count yourself as blessed for others do not believe. After believing in the equality of Jesus and God the Father, what should you do next? You must obey His teachings and help Him spread the good news of His salvation for this is His will for you. 

As we journey in this world there would be instances that we would veer away from Jesus and disobey His commands. We would embrace the teachings of this world, we would embrace sin and in the process we slowly but surely are creating distance between us and Jesus. 

But all is not lost no matter how despicable the sins that we have committed. The infinite love of Jesus is always there for us, it’s there for us to take and to ask for. Therefore, let us be aware of this infinite love and mercy of Jesus while we still have the luxury of time in this world. Let us go to Him and let us turn our backs from sin. 

In the latter part of the gospel Jesus mentions about judgment that would befall those who have done evil. Let us not wait for that judgment to come to us.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas