Continue in My Word

Homily for Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

The passage from St. John’s Gospel which we read today begins on a curious note. The verses that immediately precede today’s reading told us that Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. However, the people to whom Jesus is speaking today are identified as: “Jews who believed in him.” How are we to understand this? Perhaps a better way to express this is “Jews who used to believe in him.” Chapter six of this Gospel contains a long discourse about the Bread of Life, the Eucharist. You might remember that when Jesus began this discourse, there was a crowd surrounding him, the people whom he had fed with the five barley loaves and two fish. By the end of this discourse, the Gospel tells us that: “many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” These former disciples may be the ones whom Jesus is addressing at this point.

Jesus’s response begins, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Their objections to his use of the word free is an indication that they have not yet totally embraced belief in Jesus. When they object, Jesus says: “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Throughout St. John’s Gospel, sin is identified by lack of faith in Jesus.

This debate which takes up much of chapter eight will be followed by the story of the man born blind. Jesus will further develop the notion of how these Jews are still blinded by sin. They do not possess the eyes of faith. Continuing in the word of Jesus is a way to knowledge of the truth and the experience of free and open relationships with God and with others. These first tentative believers did not recognize their enslavement to sin, and neither do most of us. Rather than confront the reality of sin in their lives, they enter into a debate with Jesus. It is clear that they have not completely turned away from sin and put their faith in the Gospel of Jesus. These were the words with which we began our Lenten journey, “Turn away from sin and believe the Gospel.” As Jesus has reminded us, true disciples will continue in his word.