Fr Paul reads from John’s Gospel (8: 21-30), where the Pharisees & the Jews are questioning who Jesus really is.

The Gospel passage that we have today, Fr Paul says, is one that is full of questions. Added to this uncertainty is that John, as a Gospel writer, usually has several levels of meaning in his writings. This is all part of showing that Jesus is mysterious and who cannot be fully understood in normal human terms. Fr Paul identifies that twice in this passage Jesus uses the term ‘I am He’, and we have to ask, does this relate to the ‘I am’, the name revealed to Moses in the burning bush? Is Jesus declaring the divine name itself? Or is Jesus simply identifying Himself?

It all adds to the mystery in these last days of Lent and Fr Paul asks that we might reflect on the question which is asked in this Gospel…‘Who is Jesus?’.