PASSION SUNDAY

March 21, 2010

St. Augustine Anglican Church

“Before Abraham was, I am.”

The Rev. Gerald Parks +

          In a sense, one would have to say that someone making a statement as inflammatory as Jesus did in today’s Gospel (John 8:46-59) to people He knew were already suspicious of His motives and intentions, had to be crazy, or, at best, careless with His own safety.  Yet, we know that our Lord was neither of these: there was purpose in everything He said and did.  By using the Holy Name of God, “I Am,” and applying it to Himself, our Lord was crossing a line; and He had to know that the Jews would have been legally justified and, indeed, required to stone such a person to death for blasphemy.  And they would have, then and there, “but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.” (John 8:59) 

          Most of the Jews, and in particular the Pharisees, could not comprehend that Jesus – as they thought Him, this country peasant who confronted them – could be the Son of the Everlasting God.  No matter what our Lord said or did, their opinion of Him remained the same: He was crazy, or as they asked Him, “Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?” (John 8: 48)  So the question remains, why did Jesus, at the risk of His own life, confidently state, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8: 58)?  And the answer is obvious, because it was (and is) the truth!

          Now, the truth can be (and usually is) different things to different people, meaning of course that it will vary from person to person, whose opinions on it differ.  In an attempt to include all opinions as equal parts of the truth, we have somehow reached the conclusion that fairness to all beliefs exceeds in importance the obligation we have to seek out and find that which is absolute – to take a vote, as it were, majority rules.  But the problem with that kind of reasoning is that it equates men’s opinions, which vary, with the absolute Truth of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.  That truth is one, not many.

          Jesus said, “Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I speak the truth, why do ye not believe me?” (John 8: 46)  It is a fair question, and so is the conclusion, “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye hear them not because ye are not of God.” (John 8: 47)  Today, although we think ourselves so much more enlightened and sophisticated than were the Jews of our Lord’s time on earth, we are not immune to His criticism.  And it involves the same issue: the Truth of God versus the “truth” of men’s opinions.

          It doesn’t take much research to reach the conclusion that Christianity, as it exists today, is not one religion but many.  Of course we don’t call them different religions; we call them different “denominations,” but their differences from each other are striking.  Most, if not all, of them use the Gospels as the basis for their individual beliefs – at least that is what they say.  But if that is true, why is there so little agreement on such issues as Baptism, Holy Eucharist, sin, the sanctity of marriage and the dignity of human life?  These and a host of other issues, including, by the way, those which relate to the very nature and reality of God Himself, separate us from each other.  And if we believe that God’s Truth is not relative but absolute, then we must also admit that what is taught that is not God’s Truth, but merely human opinion, also separates us from God.

          C.S. Lewis, in “God in the Dock,” wrote, “Truth is always about something, but reality is that about which truth is.” (“Myth Became Fact,” 1944)  From that we may surmise that truth and reality cannot be separated, but are components one with the other.  Opinions, on the other hand, are always relative: they may be true or not, depending on the issue, and on the prejudices of those expounding them.  We cannot make something that is true, untrue, ever.  And we cannot ever take something that is untrue and make it true, simply by expressing a different opinion.  That is what the Jews were trying to do, although they probably didn’t know it, by refusing to see even the possibility that Jesus Christ could really be who He claimed to be.  They were so blinded by their opinions of Him, that the reality and fullness of His Truth was hidden from them.

          When we, through our opinions, deny ourselves the benefit of knowing God’s Truth, picking and choosing what we like to believe, and ignoring or rejecting the rest, our faith is incomplete, and our practice of it is immature and subject to worldly whims.  Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.” (John 8: 51)  Yet, what we hear is not quite the same.  We like the part about never tasting death, but that other part about keeping His saying just sails right over our heads.  And we are left with a faith that is certainly true, but only in part.  And in our time of greatest need, that faith will fail us, because we chose to seek the reward and avoid the work necessary to achieve it.

          One of our greatest tasks and challenges during this holy season should be to forget, if only for a moment, those opinions and practices that interfere with our comprehension of the Truth of Jesus Christ, and to draw near to Him in prayer to find true understanding of His words and great sacrifice for us.  For, we are never so near to Him as when we approach Him in prayer, giving Him our complete faith and uncompromising trust in His Truth.  “Before Abraham was, I am,” Jesus said.  It is the most comprehensive and complete description of God that the human mind can comprehend.  Jesus said those words to the Jews, not to impress them with His eloquence or to anger them, but because they are true.  And they are still true today, and they will be true forever, because the truth, like God, is eternal; and Jesus Christ is really the Lord, Everlasting and Almighty.