Catching the bull by its tail-Wednesday, 5th Week of Lent –  John 8:31- 42

So this is a classic case of catching the bull by its tail. The result is obvious; you get bull shit! Not a great way to begin a gospel reflection but it makes the silliness of the Jews quite evident. Jesus is doing some straight talk; the Jews are on an emotional trip to nowhere.

It is for this reason, that by the time we arrive at the end of Chapter 8, it becomes obvious that the two have divergent paths of thinking. Jesus will finally utter the great words, “Before Abraham was, I AM” and with one swift move will declare to the Jews that HE IS GOD.  The Jews will hear a blasphemer and pick stones to kill Him.

In yesterday’s pericope, Jesus reached a point of frustration when He said to the Jews, “why do I speak to you at all?” But hardly has He finished venting His frustrations at their lack of understanding, than He gives them one more shot and tries convincing them, all over again. It’s amazing how the Lord never gives up on us!

The invitation of Jesus is to those who wish to ‘truly be His disciples’. It is an invitation to ‘remain in His word, ‘a word of truth, that will set one free.’ It is God’s word that will preserve us from the bondage of sin. Remember how Jesus battled satan in the desert? He did so by using the ‘word’ against the lies of satan.

Sin ‘enslaves’ us, period! And enslavement to sin deprives us of our ‘permanent place’ in the house of God. But Jesus, the sinless one, has a place there for everyone (Verse 35). It is Jesus who desires to set us free from satan and welcomes us into ‘His house’.  What keeps us away from making that shift, is the ‘I’ of ego. The same ‘I’ that is found as the central alphabet in the word SIN.