Wednesday 4th Week of Lent

“The hour is coming”, Jesus says, and he doesn’t mean that this “hour” is in some distant future, because he quickly adds, “and is now here”, meaning “now while I am living among you” - “when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God” and, hearing, will come alive. Jesus is referring to the dead whom he will soon raise up: the widow’s son, the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, Lazarus, and others.

Then he makes another argument to prove his point:” For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself”, and the Son will bring to life those who hear his voice. But the Father has not granted the Son the power only to give life, but also to “exercise judgment”, that is to decide and carry out matters of judgment. Jesus speaks repeatedly of judgment in order to draw the listeners to himself. Once a person is convinced of his own resurrection from the dead and that he will have to give an account of his sins to the Lord, he will be more likely to turn to him and beg mercy and forgiveness from the One who will be his judge.

Jesus is “the Son of Man” and yet he will judge the world, because he is also the Son of God, and as such it is only right that he should have this authority. Since he had referred to the raising of Lazarus and of the others who had recentlydied, Jesus then speaks about the general resurrection: “The hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out.

Earlier in this passage Jesus had said, “whoever...believes...will not come to condemnation”. He’s not saying that faith alone is sufficient for our salvation, because he now adds, “those who have done good deeds” will be raised “to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation”. Faith alone, without works, does not make us righteous; we also have to do good deeds. Only then is our faith true.

Notice how Jesus presents his teaching in two ways: by warning and by gladdening us. The condemnation of evildoers is meant to deter us by fear; the resurrection to life for those who have done good deeds urges us forward with joy.

And so this Gospel is a kind of summary of the themes of Lent. We will soon be celebrating the resurrection of the Lord, and that fact reminds us that we too will be raised up to face our particular judgment. Therefore we should do penance now for our sins and engage in the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These will prepare us not only for Easter, but for our own resurrection to life and to eternal joy with all those who have done good deeds, and now share the joy of our risen Lord.