Grace
Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Gospel: John 8:12-20
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040725.cfm
The treasury area is where people gave financial offerings to the temple. It was set up so that when people deposited coins, those present could hear how much they were depositing. Not only could people see what someone was giving, you could hear it as well. It was built in a way to resonate the sound of metal on metal.
This was the setting of Jesus’s experience in today’s gospel. Not only was Jesus being judged by his appearance by the Pharisees but those present in the area. It was a place of judgment. People knew who the benefactors of the temple were. So when Jesus says, “You judge by appearances, but I do not judge.” He was speaking both about himself and more generally about those around him. He was not judging them, but the Pharisees were.
These words of Jesus remain true for us. We are all limited by our narrow view of information and draw conclusions from the little bit we know. We extrapolate thoughts about others on hearsay. We don’t have the full insight and knowledge of God. If we did, we’d have the right to judge with that knowledge. As Jesus points out, he had that right, but he chose not to do it. That was not the way of God. Since we lack the full divine connection that Jesus had, how much more should we not judge?
God doesn’t call us to teardown but calls us to lift up. God doesn’t lead us to destroy but leads us to build. Yet we teardown and destroy through the way we treat others. We listen for the metal on metal to see who are the genuine givers. We keep note of those who are takers. We reflect on those who do not give their fair share. And yet we believe in a Father who gave his Son all the authority to judge and condemn, and he chose not too. God recognizes that it’s a journey for us to the kingdom, each step is one step closer. Each step is important and significant, not just the conclusion. We are being formed along the way. By the grace of God, we’ll get there. May we show others that grace to help them get there as well.
