Reflection for March 20 Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Jesus moved about within Galilee; he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.  

Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”   

So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me. So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.

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Reflection:

Does Jesus fear death?

Yes, He feared death. Yet in the face of that fear, He did not allow Himself to be paralyzed. Instead, He entrusted Himself to the Father and remained faithful to His salvific mission. With unwavering love and obedience, He continued forward, even becoming more resolute, until He reached His appointed time of arrest, suffering, and death on the Cross. 

We see this in today’s Gospel. Jesus initially avoided going to Judea because there were those who sought to kill Him. And yet, when the time came for the Feast of Tabernacles—a sacred moment of worship and encounter—He chose to go. Quietly at first, but when the moment was right, He stood and spoke with courage, truth, and authority. He did not allow fear to silence His mission. 

In our own lives, we too experience fears—fears of rejection, failure, suffering, or even the unknown. These fears can quietly creep into our hearts and tempt us to withdraw, to delay, or to turn away from what God is calling us to do. But Jesus shows us another way. He teaches us that fear, when surrendered to God, does not have the final word. 

Let us remember: when we face our fears with faith, we open ourselves to God’s grace. When we move forward despite our uncertainties, we allow His power to work within us. Fear may try to hold us back, but God’s love calls us forward—into trust, into courage, into mission. 

Today, let us bring our fears before the Lord. Let us place them at His feet and ask for the strength to move forward, even if our steps are small and trembling. For He walks with us, strengthens us, and leads us toward the fulfillment of His purpose in our lives. 

What fear is quietly holding us back today—and are we willing to trust Jesus enough to take one step forward in faith despite it? —Marino J. Dasmarinas