So some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? 26 And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where he is from. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” 28 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. 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 But many of the crowd began to believe in him, and said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man has done?”
While Jesus was still at the Feast of Tabernacles, the people of Jerusalem recognized the plot against him and wondered why he was still openly teaching without fear despite the danger. The religious authorities did not take any action to silence Jesus so the crowd speculated whether they now believed Jesus to be the Messiah. The crowd was uncertain about who Jesus truly was because the Jewish authorities’ inaction created ambiguity. Popular expectation was that the Messiah's origins would be mysterious. Jesus acknowledged that they know his earthly origin (Jn. 6:42) but he was sent by God whom they do not know. Jesus asserts his unique and intimate knowledge of the Father and affirms that he was sent by God. The religious leaders tried to arrest Jesus but were unable to do so because the appointed time of his Passion, Death, and Resurrection had not arrived. Jesus’ fate will unfold according to God’s plan. Many in the crowd begin to believe in Jesus because of the signs he performed.
Almighty God, in Your divine wisdom, You sent Your Son to reveal Your truth. Open our hearts to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, even when doubt and uncertainty surround us. Strengthen our faith, so that we may trust in Your perfect timing and follow Your will with courage. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
- McKenzie, John. Dictionary of the Bible. Collier Books, 1965.
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