A reading from the gospel according to John 10:31-42:
31 The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
33 The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?
35 If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside,
36 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’?
37 If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
38 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.”
39 Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.
40 He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
41 Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.”
42 And many there began to believe in him.
Reflection: Son of God
In the gospel reading above, John the Evangelist continues to narrate on the identity of Jesus as the God-sent Messiah. He endeavors to give convincing support to the divinity of Jesus and we are exhorted to believe in Him. At the same time, he also tells us of His rejection by the people who were supposedly and especially chosen to form the nucleus of His family on earth.
The Jews considers Jesus as an ordinary man. Even if they had already witnessed several miracles, they could hardly accept Him as the “Anointed One”. No amount of authoritative words and amazing works would change their heart of stone. This must be an important lesson to all preachers and also a warning to those aspiring to be one. Always expect rejection and opposition. It happened to the Son of God. It will surely happen to us too – the sons and daughters of God.
Yes, if Jesus is our brother, then by logic, we are also the sons and daughters of God. Yet it is not just logic. At the beginning of the gospel of John, it says that to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, has been given the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Also, every time we pray the “Our Father” which Jesus Himself taught us, we declare that God is our Father in heaven and in this way, we are also declaring that we are His sons and daughters.
But what does it mean to be children of God? It will take a book to fully expound this phrase. For now, it will suffice to say that as children of God, we are heirs of His Kingdom (Romans 8:17). That is why if God is King then we are princes and princesses on earth. Is that not something to be proud of? At the same time, we are to reflect His image of love, justice and peace. All parents know what joy there is when their children behave well. How wonderful it would be to hear God Himself saying about us: “These are my children in whom I am well pleased.” Let us therefore go about pleasing our Father in heaven in our thoughts, words and deeds.
