The one who rejects me, and does not receive my words, already has a judge: the very words I have spoken will condemn him on the last day.
For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father, who sent me, has instructed me what to say and how to speak. I know that his commandment
is eternal life, and that is why the message I give, I give as the Father instructed me.”
Reflection:
Psychiatrist Ana-Maria Rizzuto explored the origins
of an individual’s private representations of God through
a clinical research, the findings of which she published in her
(now classic) book, “The Birth of the Living God.” What it reveals
is how we build up our ideas of God from our lived experiences,
and how significant they are in facilitating or retarding our
growth as human persons. One of such God-images we
suffer from is that of a judge out to scrutinize our every
thought, word, and action and to reward us with heaven or hell.
In this context, we shouldn’t miss out what Christ tells us
unequivocally: “I have come, not to condemn the world, but
to save the world.” When will we let this truth sink and let Christ
save us? Or, do we still secretly desire to be condemned, for
we cannot forgive ourselves in our secret internal chambers of
justice?
© Copyright Bible Diary 2022