"Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." These words from today's gospel (John 8:21-32) sound a bit odd to me because of where Jesus says them. Jesus' hearers have been totally befuddled by his words, misunderstanding most of what he teaches them. As so often happens in John, people hear Jesus literally and miss what he really means, and yet, "As he was saying these things, many believed in him." But how can these folks continue in his word or know the truth when they don't understand what Jesus is saying?
The 11th century theologian St. Anselm is perhaps best known for his motto, "Faith seeking understanding," and I wonder about this motto as a help with today's gospel reading. Many of us are drawn in some way to Jesus without fully understanding what the heck he is talking about. But as we do come to faith in him, we are called to continue in his word so that we will be disciples and come to know the truth.
American Protestantism often wants to reduce Christian faith to "believing in Jesus." But today's reading seems to call us to a disciplined living with Jesus' words, to a lived out discipleship that is a life of "faith seeking understanding."
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