April 5, 2025

John 7:40-53

In today’s reading, there is confusion, or one might say mystery, about where Jesus came from, and therefore his identity.  Some in the crowd think he is “the Prophet” or even “the Christ” who they have been waiting for, but others discount this idea, because they believe that Jesus is a Galilean, and that the Christ will not come from Galilee. They are expecting someone from Bethlehem from the house of David.  

Meanwhile, the Pharisees have sent guards to arrest him. Yet these guards are among those people who perceive Jesus for who he is. They are unable to arrest him, telling their bosses that “never before has anyone spoken like this man.” And Nicodemus, a higher status Jew, likewise tries to stick up for Jesus. 

These are the few who sensed clearly that God was among them and trusted in that perception. Many of the others were expecting God to send a Messiah according to their specifications.  When Jesus did not fit their specs, they rejected him.  When does God send us messengers according to our own human specifications and expectations?  Very rarely.

Thus, while focused on their expectations, they missed God among them. Let us breathe the air around Jesus and drink the water that he blesses.  Let us contemplate, meditate, pray and take actions to serve others, and be guided, and let us not be so focused on our own human conceptual specifications that we miss out on God in our midst. Amen.