St. Toribio de Mogrovejo, bishop 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Numbers 21:4-9

From Mount Hor they set out by the Red Sea road

To go around the land of Edom. The people were  discouraged  by  the  journey and began to com­plain against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is neither bread nor water here and we are disgusted with this tasteless manna.”

 Yahweh then sent fiery serpents against them. They bit the people and many of the Israelites died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, speaking against Yahweh and against you. Plead with Yahweh to take the serpents away.”

Moses pleaded for the people and Yahweh said to him, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard; whoever has been bitten and then looks at it shall live.”  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a standard. Whenever a man was bitten, he looked towards the bronze serpent and he lived.

 

Ps 102: 2-3, 16-18, 19-21

O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

John 8:21-30

 Again Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and though you look for me, you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come.” The Jews wondered, “Why does he say that we can’t come where he is going? Will he kill him­self?”

 But Jesus said, “You are from below and I am from above; you are of this world and I am not of this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. And you shall die in your sins unless you believe that I am He.”

 They asked him, “Who are you?”; and Jesus said, “Just what I have told you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the One who sent me is truthful and everything I learned from him, I proclaim to the world.”

They didn’t understand that Jesus was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing of my­self, but I say just what the Father taught me. He who sent me is with me and has not left me alone; because I always do what pleases him.”

 As Jesus spoke like this, many believed in him.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Context is important in understanding what is being said. It provides a background on which we can situate the words spoken. Without context, we are left to our own imagination and guess work.

Our interpretation is uncertain. The people in today’s gospel doesn’t have the context to understand what Jesus speaks. Hence, misunderstanding and confusion sets in. they keep asking Jesus to clarify what He means.

Jesus shows extraordinary patience in accommodating these people who are slow to understand and believe. But he persists, thus many believe in Him in the end. It always pays to be patient.