Commentary on the Gospel of
John 8, 51-59. - Created for a Purpose
We are created for a purpose, for an ultimate goal which is only accomplished beyond our earthly lives, when we reunite with our God!
The Lord Jesus Christ was born to bring us into the rhythmic dance of this purposeful journey back to the Father. We need to be educated, schooled on where true life abides. And that’s what the Lord Jesus does. In this passage he communicates to us ‘not to limit our perception of reality’ to the here and now! In other words, not to be mentally earth-bound!!
The normal ritual of a typical African traditional worshipper (in Igboland, Nigeria) revolves around offering drops of palm wine and kola nut to the ancestors! Sometimes these (ancestors) are referred to as the ‘living dead.’ The issue here is not about the “content” of the belief system, instead, an appreciation of the fact that this traditionalist believes that his departed ancestor lives on; he believes in the life beyond the physical separation.
Jesus invites us to go beyond frontiers, to enter a reality beyond this physical life! He says, “whoever keeps my word will never see death.” Our daily, ordinary life is meant to be propelled and guided by the wisdom inspired by the deep longing for the realization of what ‘authentic life’ stands for in one’s own life. Abraham got this understanding and lived by it, says the Lord Jesus! And so, Father Abraham is our exemplar, our Father in faith!!
In one of his series ‘Life is Worth-living’, Archbishop Fulton Sheen invites his audience to go beyond the ‘rat race’ – meaning to see the ultimate goal of human existence beyond the immediate pursuit of material satisfaction. Each of us is therefore called upon to organize and live one’s lifestyle in a manner that acknowledges and believes that the present life continues hereafter.
