First Reading - Exodus 32:7-14
Gospel - John 5:31-47
The first reading concentrates on three important elements; sins of people, power of intercession of Moses for the people, and forgiveness by God. The people of Israel became impatient on their way to the promised land in the absence of Moses and compelled Aaron to make them a statue of God and Aaron yielded to their request. This led them to idolatry. Moses, perceiving the deviation of the people from God to idolatry, pleaded with God with mercy and God relented from destroying the people. The intercession of Moses displays closeness of him with God and readiness to implore for mercy. The closeness and readiness of Moses transform the fierce anger of God to His tenderness of mercy and forgiveness.
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus defends His Messianic claims. The Jews demanded proofs for Jesus’ Messianic claims, quoting Dt 19:15 which requires two or three witnesses to substantiate a person’s claims. Here, Jesus presents four witnesses who approved His Messianic and Divine claims:
1) John the Baptist, whom many Jews considered a prophet, bore witness to Jesus as the “Lamb of God” and the Holy One whose paths he had come to prepare. 2) The miracles Jesus worked could only have been done by the power of God his Father. 3) God the Father attested to the Divinity of Jesus at Jesus’ Baptism; at the Transfiguration, and later, in the presence of the whole crowd. 4) The books of the Old Testament, namely the Law and the Prophets, bear testimony to Jesus’ Divine and Messianic claims. It was the Spirit of God Who prompted the prophets of the Old Testament to write their Messianic prophecies. Then Jesus identifies four obstacles which prevented the Jews from recognizing him as the Messiah and Son of God: 1) their lack of love of God, 2) their striving after human glory, 3) their prejudiced interpretation of Sacred texts, and 4) their lack of Faith in Moses and the prophets.
Dear friends, impatience in faith of people of Israel led them to the sin of idolatry and doubts of Jews regarding Jesus led them to their disbelief in Jesus. They remind us that faith is a gradual process and to grow in it we need patience and firmness in faith in God. It's through our patience, we can slowly grow in faith and through our firmness, doubts and suspicions will not be able to overcome us.
Moses, through the first reading, becomes an example for us to pray for those who have faltered in their life of faith and are led to skepticism, atheism, agnosticism and unbelief. Moses prayed for his people and God relented so also our prayers will certainly show the unbelievers the path of faith in God.
Jesus presents in the gospel his testimonies to the unbelieving Jews. Today we also need to become testimony for Christ through our lives and deeds that people may come to faith in Jesus. There are many around us who don't believe in Jesus, our testimony of life can certainly bring them to Jesus.
Let's pray that we may be able to grow in our faith everyday.
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