A MEDITATION ON JOHN 8:51-59

Phêrô Dương Trọng Văn June 21, 2024

John 8:51-59 is a passage that cuts deep. It lays bare the raw vulnerability of Jesus, the sting of rejection, and the simmering tension between truth and tradition. We see Jesus, the embodiment of love, met with accusation and disbelief. The crowd, those he came to save, turns on him. Their words pierce like shards of ice: "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?" (John 8:48)

A wave of despair washes over me as I imagine the look on Jesus' face. Did a flicker of doubt cloud his eyes? Did the weight of their misunderstanding cause him to slump in his shoulders? The very people he sought to enlighten brand him as an outsider, possessed by a force for evil.

But then, Jesus speaks. His voice, though laced with a hint of sorrow, rings with unwavering conviction. "Very truly I tell you," he declares, "whoever keeps my word will never see death" (John 8:51). This simple statement ignites a spark of defiance within me. Even in the face of rejection, Jesus clings to his truth. He doesn't water down his message, doesn't chase after their approval. He offers them life, eternal life, if only they can grasp the truth he embodies.

The crowd, however, remains unconvinced. They scoff at his words, clinging to their rigid interpretations of scripture. They are comfortable in their traditions, blind to the revolutionary message standing before them. Frustration bubbles up within me. How can they be so blind? Don't they see the love radiating from him?

But Jesus doesn't respond with anger or condemnation. He redirects their focus. "Before Abraham was born," he says, "I am!" (John 8:58) This proclamation is a thunderclap. Jesus, the man standing before them, claims to exist before Abraham, a cornerstone of their faith. It's a statement of his divinity, a truth that should shatter their limited understanding.

The crowd reacts with outrage. They pick up stones, the instruments of death, ready to silence the one who speaks truth to power. This image is seared into my mind – Jesus, the embodiment of love, facing a violent mob. Tears well up in my eyes.

Yet, even in this moment of peril, Jesus doesn't flinch. He stands tall, his resolve unwavering. And then, the passage ends abruptly. We are left hanging, unsure of Jesus' fate. This open-endedness is agonizing. But perhaps it's intentional. It forces us to confront the discomfort of truth, the possibility of rejection, and the unwavering power of Jesus' message in the face of it all.

John 8:51-59 is a passage that leaves me emotionally raw. It exposes the vulnerability of truth, the sting of rejection, and the unwavering love of Jesus. It's a reminder that following him isn't always easy. It may mean facing misunderstanding, even hostility. But within this discomfort lies the promise of eternal life, a truth worth holding onto, even when the world seems determined to reject it.