Gospel
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
“John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true.”
And many there began to believe in him.
Once again, they saw signs. Works of the Father. They did not deny what they saw or who the works came from. They did not deny they were good works.
It was his words proclaiming he was God they would not accept. For that meant many things to them they could not accept.
They could not accept the way Jesus came to be one of us.
It was not what they expected and insisted upon.
He was not of the priestly lineage but of Judah.
He was not among their own priesthood but the son of a carpenter.
He being God often chose the will of God over what the religious institution said to do. He ate with sinners. He did works to heal others and feed others…even on the sabbath.
Are we not like that too. Do I expect and demand that how God comes into my life be according to what I insist upon?
If my blessings are less than another’s, do I ask why me? Why did I not get the job?
Why do I struggle with work and life?
Shouldn’t Jesus give me what I want and believe I deserve?
We can believe in Jesus Christ and still fail to see that his ways are not always our ways. What is best for us is not what we expect. Some thing we prayer for would not result in the best for us and those around us.
Do we push Jesus out of parts of our life and relegate where he impacts us? Refusing to give him all our day and life?
Eternal life waits for those who out Gods will first. Always. There is no other way for the Christian.
Have we used this Lent to prepare ourselves by opening up our time to be with him more. Pray more. Meditate more.
Have we opened up our wallet to give to others more.
Have we found time to sacrifice this Lent so we can build our discipline to follow him even when our bodies are demanding food?
If we believe in his good works and his love for us what and why would we hold anything back?
Deacon Tony Pynes 
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