The End of All Our Searching
Excerpt from John 5: 39-47
"You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings."
Reflection by Felix Carrion
Many of the religious thinkers of Jesus' day were troubled by Jesus, by his thoughts about God, by his approach to truth. The same was the case in the early church when the gospel of John was written. To be fair to some of these folks, they were not ready to let go of cherished ideas and theological doctrines that may have held the strongest sway in their lives for a long time. Yet, the more they hardened their understandings, the more calcified they became. In the end, they could neither see nor accept that much in their own scriptures pointed to one who would love God, love truth, and love all people, like Jesus did.
When we seek validation from scriptures we are more preoccupied with our glory or the glory of others than the glory of God. We want the scriptures to point back to our position. We want to win the debate. We want to prove the opponent wrong. We want to be right. Convinced that we are right, this self-gratifying approval trumps the honest inquiry and a passion for the truth.
There is another way to gain the truth from scriptures. Stand in the path that opens the scriptures, and be prepared to go wherever the scriptures lead. Search them for the truth you are seeking and you will not be disappointed. Your perspective may end up validated; it may also be refuted. Either way, you will have come upon the deeper truth that points back or forward to God, who in the end is the end of all our searching.
Prayer
O God, light a fire in my heart and mind for your truth. Make me a lover of your truth. Amen.
Excerpt from John 5: 39-47
"You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings."
Reflection by Felix Carrion
Many of the religious thinkers of Jesus' day were troubled by Jesus, by his thoughts about God, by his approach to truth. The same was the case in the early church when the gospel of John was written. To be fair to some of these folks, they were not ready to let go of cherished ideas and theological doctrines that may have held the strongest sway in their lives for a long time. Yet, the more they hardened their understandings, the more calcified they became. In the end, they could neither see nor accept that much in their own scriptures pointed to one who would love God, love truth, and love all people, like Jesus did.
When we seek validation from scriptures we are more preoccupied with our glory or the glory of others than the glory of God. We want the scriptures to point back to our position. We want to win the debate. We want to prove the opponent wrong. We want to be right. Convinced that we are right, this self-gratifying approval trumps the honest inquiry and a passion for the truth.
There is another way to gain the truth from scriptures. Stand in the path that opens the scriptures, and be prepared to go wherever the scriptures lead. Search them for the truth you are seeking and you will not be disappointed. Your perspective may end up validated; it may also be refuted. Either way, you will have come upon the deeper truth that points back or forward to God, who in the end is the end of all our searching.
Prayer
O God, light a fire in my heart and mind for your truth. Make me a lover of your truth. Amen.
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