Then Jesus replied, “Is this not written in your law: I said, you are gods? So those who received this word of God were called gods,
and the Scripture is always true. What then should be said of the one anointed, and sent into the world, by the Father? Am I insulting God when I say,
‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do them, even if you have no faith in me,
believe because of the works I do; and know that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” Again they tried to arrest him,
but Jesus escaped from their hands.
He went away again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John had baptized, and there he stayed. Many people came to Jesus,
and said, “John worked no miracles, but he spoke about you, and everything he said was true.” And many in that place became believers.
REFLECTION:
Rejected by the very people he was sent to care for, love, and save, the prophet cries out to God, affirming his unshakeable trust in the Almighty’s power.
Jesus experiences the same kind of rejection in the Gospel. Like Jeremiah, Jesus too not only stood his ground, but anchored his faith firmly in his Father’s promise of protection.
And that fidelity, over and over again, brought those with whom he came in contact, to believe in the power and providence of God.
Putting our trust completely in the providence and protection of God is something easier said than done.
To put our confidence in the Lord’s promise is a beautiful and edifying thought; it becomes harder to put into practice when,
like Jeremiah and the prophets, Jesus and his first disciples, we sometimes find ourselves face to face with circumstances and events that shake us to the core:
challenges, difficulties, frustrations and disappointments. How do we react when these challenges arise? Do we anchor ourselves even more firmly in trust,
or do we allow the challenges that come our way to uproot us from the love, care and providence of God?
© Copyright Bible Diary 2020
