April 13, 2008

"Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope." - Reinhold Niebuhr

John's gospel, written down approximately 90-100 A.D., is called "high Christology" because in it Jesus is noble, powerful and divine. He knows who He is and what He is to do. The synoptic gospels --Matthew, Mark, and Luke -- are called low Christology because in them at times Jesus seems to be becoming aware of who He is as He lives His life. (An example of this would be to compare the crucifixion scenes in all four gospels.)

To me, the important verse in this week's gospel is John 10:10. "I have come that you may have life and have it to the full." That's the Good News of Easter. We have just one life, and Jesus wants us to have the best life possible, to enjoy nature and the company of family and friends, always remembering that Jesus is with us.

In John's gospel, Jesus has many "I AM" statements --"good shepherd," "the way, truth and life," "the vine," "the light of the world," "the bread of life," "the gate." When Jesus says "I am," he is making the connection between Himself and God as revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus. Jesus is constantly with us in the present moment --in the NOW. He isn't a God of the past or the future as we know it.

Jesus' command to us is to follow Him. We are to be light, life, and bread to those we meet. We are to be good shepherds, caring for each other, leading others to Christ; and seeking out the lost. The time is coming and even already here when we will not be able to depend on having a pastor to be our leader. We must pray for our priests as they minister through this difficult time in our church history.

We all must claim Jesus' message for ourselves, pray, study Scripture and be the people Jesus asks us to be in our world and thereby have the best life possible.