Remaining in Jesus' Word

Homily for Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

by Fr. Tommy Lane

“Jesus spoke to those Jews who believed in him.” That is how the Gospel passage began today (John 8:31-42). You would think that Jesus now has a receptive audience of believers for once, unlike the many other times in John’s Gospel when Jesus’ audience was anything but responsive. Yet as the Gospel continued today, we heard that these listeners were not open to Jesus. So those who believed in Jesus in today’s passage, did not have a deep belief in Jesus; instead their belief appears as something superficial as the conversation continues. That explains why Jesus said, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples.” (John 8:31) At the moment, they do not seem to be truly Jesus’ disciples. They are not remaining in his word. To truly be a disciple of Jesus involves remaining in his word. The Greek word μένω (menō) which John uses to signify remaining in Jesus’ word means abiding in Jesus’ words, living in Jesus’ words, soaking in Jesus’ words until they become part of our very being. Jesus is saying that to truly be his disciples involves not just a superficial learning of his words but a deep pondering on his word so that we are transformed by his word. The word from Jesus passes into us and changes us. To truly be Jesus’ disciples is not just listening to his words but his words becoming part of us. It is not just studying Jesus’ words but getting to know Jesus through his word. Abiding in Jesus’ word is living in deep relationship with Jesus.

Elsewhere in this Gospel Jesus also emphasizes the importance of abiding in him:

Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

Abiding in Jesus is getting to know Jesus and seeing the world with Jesus. It is thinking the way Jesus would think. It is knowing the truth, being set free by the truth and no longer being a slave of sin, to use the words of Jesus in the Gospel today (John 8:32, 34). Abiding in Jesus ultimately leads to us finding our vocation even when that involves some kind of self-giving as it did for the three men in the first reading (Dan 3). It is living our day centered on Jesus and his word. In the parish, I used to encourage young couples getting married in Church, as they set up their homes, to have sacred pictures on the walls to remind them of who they are before God. It is having crucifixes on our walls to remind us of the greatest word of all, the word of Jesus from the cross. It is living the moment of Holy Communion as our closest moment of the day with Jesus. In a short while, we will fulfill the words of Jesus elsewhere in this Gospel,

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him (John 6:56).

© Fr. Tommy Lane 2019

This homily was delivered in Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland.