Jesus moved about within Galilee; but He did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill Him. But the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near.

But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, He Himself also went up, not openly but [as it were] in secret.

So some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, "Is He not the one they are trying to kill? And look, He is speaking openly and they say nothing to Him. Could the authorities have realized that He is the Messiah? But we know where He is from. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where He is from." So Jesus cried out in the temple area as He was teaching and said, "You know Me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on My own, but the one who sent Me, whom you do not know, is true. I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me." So they tried to arrest Him, but no one laid a hand upon Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Today's gospel is one of the most confrontational passages in the gospels, and shows how hatred by the Establishment leads inexorably to the arrest and death of Jesus. When some people said they knew Him and His origins, Jesus replied that His earthly origin didn’t prevent His having been sent by Him who has the right to "send" and with whom He dwells. At this declaration some of the leaders, violently shocked, tried to seize Him, but His hour hadn’t yet come. The people whispered, still in fear of the officials who wouldn’t give up their looking for ways to kill Jesus.

Hatred for goodness was the same when the Book of Wisdom was written at Alexandria in Egypt about a hundred years before Christ. The book wisely understands that without a belief in God true goodness isn’t possible. Many people try to be good out of ideals that have no connection with God, but their principles wind up as less than satisfactory. The Book of Wisdom sets forth wicked people’s erroneous philosophy of life. Their concept of life is completely this – worldly.

They resolve to plot against the good person. Why? Because His life and words are a reproach to them (Wis 2:12-16), and they determine to test the claims of the just man (Wis 2:17, 20). The just one is openly against their wicked doings, reproaches them, makes charges against them, tries to act as a person of God, bothers their conscience, rightly calls them debased, doesn’t associate with their like, and calls the outcome of holy people happy.

SOURCE: "366 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.