“Block-headed”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, December 19, 2022

John 5:30-47 (Forward, p. 41) CEV p.1106

We probably all know people of whom it could be said, “My mind is made up. Don’t confuse me with the facts.” Unfortunately, there were people in Jesus’ audience who were just like that. There were a number of sources that gave them the unvarnished, unadulterated truth, but they refused to listen to them or heed them. Today’s passage mentions a number of them:

a) John the Baptist: he told the truth and you were content to enjoy his light for a while. But did you heed him? Not in the least;

b) Jesus’ own deeds: these are the things that God had expressly given Him to do, and indeed, speak for Him and prove that God sent Him;

c) God’s words: God Himself speaks for Him, but then these folks have never heard His voice nor seen Him face to face. They have not been willing to believe His message simply because they refused to have faith in the one that God had sent;

d) The Scriptures: “You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me, but you refuse to come to me for eternal life” (verses 39-40);

e) Moses: “Moses wrote about me, and if you had believed Moses, you have believed me. But if you don’t believe what Moses wrote, how can you believe what I say?” (verses 46-47). (Presumably, what Jesus is referring to is the Torah, the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses.)

However, given all these numerous and varied witnesses to who Jesus is, how can they be so stubborn, so block headed, so pig headed? Jesus tells us straight out: these folks were more interested in the praise that they received from their fellow humans than the praise they could receive from

God. Certainly that was the problem of many of the Pharisees and other religious leaders: they gloried in the attention and esteem that they got from other people and, quite frankly, basked in it.

And isn’t that an age-old problem for us humans? We like the sense of accomplishment, the praise, the esteem, that we either gain from our own selves or from others, rather than seeking the will and purposes of God, and thereby gaining His praise and His approval.

Forward notes: “How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God?” (verse 44).

“Jesus doesn’t need a master’s degree in psychology to understand human behaviour. He knows our identity often gets wrapped up in our work and our piety. We love to be recognized for a job well done or a big donation to our favourite charity. Our accomplishments become life-giving—or so we think.

“Jesus sees us for who we are: short-sighted people who are well meaning but detached from our identity as children of God and beloved siblings of one another. The glory that really matters comes from our relationship with God. To improve that relationship, we must seek concrete ways to connect with God’s life-giving power. We must study God’s word, attend worship, enjoy fellowship, and find opportunities to genuinely serve others.

“Earlier in chapter 5, Jesus tells his followers that he can do nothing on his own: he does what he sees God doing, for whatever the father is doing, the son does likewise. This is our challenge: to imitate God’s nature by following the one who reveals it.

Moving Forward: “Where does God fall on your list of priorities?”