Thursday in the 4th Week of Lent
Relying on Referees
Readings: Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 106:19-20, 21-22, 23; John 5:31-47
It’s quite common for us to rely on someone to speak on our behalf. Often there’s simply no other way to get what we want. Say we’re applying for a job, or for a place in graduate school. Not only do we need to take tests and submit completed application forms testifying to our own qualifications, but we also need to give the names of referees who can vouch for us, people who are willing to stake their reputations on our suitability. No one really gives a second thought to this. It’s just the way things are done. If we wish to get ahead in this world, it’s normal and even necessary to have to rely on another’s testimony.
Which is why, from a certain point of view, it’s really not difficult to understand what Jesus is doing in the gospel today. He is, in effect, submitting an application for acceptance. He implores his listeners, the stubborn Jews of John’s gospel, to believe in him, to accept him as the one sent by the Father, to trust in his power to save. Consider the impressive list of referees on whom Jesus relies. John the Baptist testified to the truth… The works that the Father gave me to accomplish… testify on my behalf… The Father who sent me has testified on my behalf… the Scriptures… testify on my behalf… Moses… wrote about me… Yet, impressive though the list may be, Jesus’ plea falls on deaf ears. His application is rejected outright. His listeners refuse to believe in him.
But here’s where the similarity with our earthly metaphor ends. We submit applications for our own good. In Jesus’ case, however, the referees are invoked not for Jesus’ own sake, but for that of his listeners. I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved. Isn’t this the irony of the situation? In refusing to rely on the testimony of Jesus’ witnesses, his listeners actually exclude themselves from relying upon the testimony that Jesus himself comes to give on their behalf. For that is what Jesus is sent to do. As Moses does in the first reading, Jesus comes to speak on our behalf. He, the Word made flesh and splendor of the Father, comes to vouch for us, to assert on our behalf that humanity is indeed worthy of salvation. In rejecting him, in refusing to accept his referees, we exclude ourselves from relying upon his testimony on our behalf. We default on our application for the only vocation that really counts, a place in the ultimate graduate program in the Father’s kingdom.
And yet, Jesus doesn’t give up. He continues sending out application after application, listing referee after referee. Through the various people and events that he sends into our lives, the Lord continues to offer himself to speak on our behalf. Far beyond his own reputation, he even goes to the extent of laying down his life on the cross, so that we might finally be moved to believe, so that we might turn again and be saved. Isn’t this what we’re preparing to celebrate in these days of Lent, the final and greatest testimony that Jesus offers to us and for us to the Father: his death and rising from the dead?
How are we being invited to accept the Lord’s application and to testify on his behalf today?
Boy, Fr Chris' reflections touch the very core of my job which is to deal with referees all the time. In choosing appropriate referees for an individual, I have to bear in mind the extent to which s/he is familiar with the candidate and/or his work. Then, when I receive the referee's testimony, I have to pensively sieve through the writing to detect any reservations or biases.
ReplyDeleteWho will be our referee when we stand before God Almighty? True, the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the sick, those in prison ... However, the Ultimate Referee is the One Who is familiar with us (especially our shortcomings) through and through and Who, despite which, attests to the Father on our behalf because we are vindicated by His death and resurrection. He has no reservations about us.
A recent event testified to the value of referees in helping another person to assess the unknown. A house helper we had asked for and received a letter of reference which came in handy for her when she tendered for another employer.
ReplyDeleteA testimonial from a reputable college helps my daughter in her application for an overseas internship and possible transfer to a foreign university.
Witnessing, either in an open forum or in written statements, declare what we believe. This sense of mission may not be obvious but it is part of the social fabric of how we live.
When we serve in church ministries, no matter what role we play, we are also testifying to Christ's love. It is how we relate to our individual calling.