Descendants of Abraham - Followers of Jesus

Homily for Wednesday in the Fifth Week in Lent

Once again we find ourselves reading from chapter eight of the Gospel of St. John, a chapter that is full of argument and debate between Jesus and the Pharisees. Today’s passage also features Pharisees who had been believers earlier but are probably among those who walked away from Jesus in chapter six during the Discourse on the Living Bread. You might remember that at the beginning of this discourse, Jesus was surrounded by a crowd; but by the end of the discourse, the apostles are the only ones left.

As I did yesterday, rather than trying to unravel the various strands that make up this debate, I will focus on only one aspect of it; namely, the assertion made by the Pharisees that they are children of Abraham. For the Jew, Abraham was the greatest figure in all religious history; and the Jew considered himself safe and secure in the favor of God simply because he was a descendant of Abraham.

This attitude is not without parallel in modern life. There are still those who try to live on some sort of pedigree. At some time in the history of their family, someone performed some really outstanding service to the church or to the state; and ever since they have claimed a special place because of that. There are still those who think they are better than others because of their race, because of their birth here in the United States, or because they hold an advanced degree from a prestigious university.

No person or church or nation can live on the achievements of the past. Jesus is quite blunt about this. He declares in effect that the real descendant of Abraham is the person who acts in the way in which Abraham acted. John the Baptist made to the same argument when he told the people plainly that the day of judgment was on the way and that it was no good pleading that they were descendants of Abraham, for God could raise up descendants to Abraham from the very stones.

In this particular matter, Jesus ties it down to one thing. They are seeking a way to kill him; that is precisely the opposite of what Abraham did. When a messenger from God came to him, Abraham welcomed him with all eagerness and reverence. By referring to this story from the book of Genesis, Jesus is identifying himself as one sent by God. He was not simply a man telling others what he thought about things; he was the son of God telling others what God thought.

Only the person that accepts the moral imperatives of the Gospel will escape judgment on the last day. The only thing that matters are the choices that we make in living out the gospel in our daily life.