Walking in the Jesus Way: A Lenten Journey — Day Fifteen

John 12:36-43, The Living Bible

Make use of the Light while there is still time; then you will become light bearers.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them. But despite all the miracles he had done, most of the people would not believe he was the Messiah. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: “Lord, who will believe us? Who will accept God’s mighty miracles as proof?” But they couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said: “God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they can neither see nor understand nor turn to me to heal them.” Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction, for he had seen a vision of the Messiah’s glory.However, even many of the Jewish leaders believed him to be the Messiah but wouldn’t admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would excommunicate them from the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Sunset is a favorite time,
watching the light lengthen
as long as possible,
and then disappear from view.

Seeing that sun set
reminds me
to be a
light-bearer
my own self,
shining whatever
light I have
right into the darkness.

And yet,
the very next line
tells us that Jesus
made himself
‘hidden.’

Even the Light
needs a break
now and then,
I guess.

(Have you noticed
how often the
word ‘glory’
appears in these readings?)