+ St John tells us in his beautifully written letter today that belief in Jesus is essential to plug into his offer of eternal life. “Whoever possesses the Son, through belief in him, has life, and whoever doesn’t, doesn’t.” This is a rather radical statement and one not to be contradicted.
By the end of the first
century when this letter was written there was much discussion on the origins
of Jesus and his claim to Divinity. St. John in this famous passage tells us
that he actually has three witness to his Divinity: the Spirit, the water and the Blood. What does this mean? The
Spirit overshadows him at his Baptism in the Jordan (and the Father’s voice is
heard proclaiming him as his Beloved Son in whom he is well pleased), the water
is the very water used at the Baptism (and similar water that is transformed into
wine by Jesus as his first miracle – another sign of his divinity), and lastly
the Blood: his blood shed on the Cross as he price of our salvation: he saw
everything through to the end, and we all were cleansed in this Blood and our
sins were forgiven.
It is this Jesus that we are
to believe and put all our hopes and trust in: he will never fail us, and will
see us through into another world of unending bliss.
The healing power of the
Divine Son of God (as shown in the gospel passage) is always available to us
who believe in him, and his name. Let us count on it, invoke it, and then thank
him when he comes through for us and for our loved ones.
Praise
the Lord, Jerusalem
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