Reflection on Today's Readings, Wednesday of 4th Week of Easter, Year B, April 28th, 2021
Texts: Acts 12:24-13:5a; Ps. 67:2-3.5.6.8; John 12:44-56
Jesus Christ reminds us, today, that what we have and are we owe to God. He affirms this about Himself when He says, "He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me." Believing in a person is more than believing a person. Believing a person is having confidence in one's ability, power, strength or what one stands for. Believing in a person goes beyond believing a person to having commitment or relying on the person. Believing a person places emphasis on what a person has and he/she is, while believing in a person emphasizes putting of hope in a person because of what he/she has and is. Put differently, one puts hope in whom he/she believes in but not so for the one he/she believes. We believe in a person because of what he/she has and is. If the belief in Jesus is the belief in God His Father, it means that all He has and is, that makes people believe in Him, He owes to God His Father. If He owes what He has and who He is to Himself and not to God His Father, the belief in Him will not translate to the belief in His Father.
This teaches us that we, as the children of God, all we have and are, we owe to God; we have nothing but what God has given us; we are nothing but what God has made us to become as His children. Whoever believes in us, as the children of God, believes in our God. If someone believes in us and the belief is not translated to the belief in our God, there is something wrong with us; perhaps, we are not genuinely children of God. If we are genuinely children of God, whoever loves us will love our God, whoever believes in us will also believe in our God. We are nothing, our God should be the reason or the ground for which people believe in us. It does not make sense to believe in a human being but make sense to believe in a person because of his God. In this case the basis of the belief is God.
Today, Jesus establishes connection between Him and the Father. This is because Jesus has come to do not His will but the will of the Father who sent Him; He has come to us in the person and authority of the Father. He says, "For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me.” Because He is sent, His words are not His, the authority belongs to Him who sent.
Jesus also gives meaning to today's first reading. Whoever listen to Paul and Barnabas, listen to Him, He is the one who sent them. Whoever believes in them believes in Him. The work belongs to Him; they did not their work but His work. It is said, in the first reading, "While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them'.” This reminds us once again that whatever we do for the growth and multiplication of God's words, we do it for God. We are to take the word of God far and near and also to support those who have committed their whole life to the spreading of the Goodnews.
God our Father, bless us your children and make us always live in obedience to you and may we have devotion to growing and multiplying your word. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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