John 5:17-30

Isaiah 49:8-15

Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18

John 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews:

“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”

For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,

because he not only broke the sabbath

but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them,

“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,

but only what he sees the Father doing;

for what he does, the Son will do also.

For the Father loves the Son

and shows him everything that he himself does,

and he will show him greater works than these,

so that you may be amazed.

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,

so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.

Nor does the Father judge anyone,

but he has given all judgment to the Son,

so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

Whoever does not honor the Son

does not honor the Father who sent him.

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word

and believes in the one who sent me

has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,

but has passed from death to life.

Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here

when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,

and those who hear will live.

For just as the Father has life in himself,

so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.

And he gave him power to exercise judgment,

because he is the Son of Man.

Do not be amazed at this,

because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs

will hear his voice and will come out,

those who have done good deeds

to the resurrection of life,

but those who have done wicked deeds

to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own;

I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,

because I do not seek my own will

but the will of the one who sent me.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are at work bringing all creation to its consummation. You work through your Son and Spirit so that I may share in your eternal rest and divine life. Help me to do the good deeds, empowered by your grace, that lead to the resurrection of life.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Work of the Servant of the Lord: In the First Reading God speaks to the Suffering Servant about his mission and commissions him. The Lord tells the Servant that he has been given as a covenant to the people. This Servant is revealed in the New Testament to be Jesus Christ, who establishes the New Covenant in his blood. Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection will truly restore the land, free those imprisoned by sin, enlighten those in darkness, and give heavenly food and living water to those who hunger and thirst. The people, referred to as Zion, think that the Lord has forsaken them after the fall of David’s Kingdom. But God responds that he does not forget them, nor will he ever forget them, and uses the image of the unchanging love a mother has for her child. God will comfort his people in their exile and show mercy to them despite their sins. In sending his only begotten Son to save us from sin and death, the Lord reveals to us that he “is gracious and merciful.” He is faithful, holy, just, and near to those who call upon him.

2. The First Work of God: In the Gospel, Jesus declares that God is his Father. The works and signs that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, accomplishes are in full agreement with the works of the Father. The Son is the Word and Image of the Father and does what he “sees” the Father doing. In the Gospel passage we read, Jesus speaks about two of these divine and fatherly works. The first work concerns the bestowal of life. The Father, Jesus says, has life in himself. He raises the dead and gives life. The Father eternally gives life to the Son. The Son, in turn, gives life to those who believe in the Father and the Son.

3. The Second Work of God: The second work concerns judgment. The Father himself does not judge, but instead has given all judgment to his Son. By becoming man and assuming our human nature, Jesus enters into solidarity with humanity. He can sympathize with our weakness. He understands us and was tested in all things as we are. He undergoes suffering and is transformed by suffering. He became like us in all things but sin and took upon himself the fate of sinful humankind (see A. Vanhoye, A Different Priest, 159-160). Our passage from death to life, our sharing in Christ's passion, death, and resurrection, depends on hearing the voice of the Son and responding to him in faith, as well as doing good deeds through the grace of God. We should recall that the Father sent the Son into the world not to condemn it but to save and redeem it (John 3:16). Those who reject the Father and the Son, those who love darkness rather than light (John 3:19), share in the resurrection of condemnation. Those, on the other hand, who believe in the Father and the Son and do good deeds – meritorious works of love and charity empowered by divine grace – will share in the resurrection of life. To all who receive the Word, to all who believe in his name, the Word gives power to become children of God.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are coming to judge the world. You know our weaknesses and struggles. Be merciful to me when you judge me. Help me to repent and turn from sin as I journey toward you and your Father.

Living the Word of God: What good deeds or works of charity am I called to do today? How can I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, or visit the sick today? How can I counsel, instruct, comfort, and forgive today?