"You shall die in your sins unless you believe I am He."

The "I Am" Claim: Jesus is identifying himself as the Messiah and claiming divinity.

Believing in Jesus without accepting his divine identity,

they will die unforgiven, facing eternal separation from God.

 

＊＊＊ 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."

 

The Lord 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 the Lord and against you.

Plead with the Lord to take the serpents away."

Moses pleaded for the people and the Lord 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 ：

To genuinely embrace our identities.

In this passage, the theme of identity stands out as Jesus speaks

about where He comes from, why He is here, and where He is going.

He warns the people, "You shall die in your sins unless you believe I am He."

At the heart of this passage is the tension between knowledge and belief.

The crowd struggles to understand Jesus, questioning who He is and what authority He possesses.

 

This mirrors our lives, where we often wrestle with our identities and how others perceive us.

Discovering our true selves and the paths we should take can be

challenging in a world filled with noise and differing opinions.

Jesus's statement reminds us that our identities are closely linked to our beliefs and actions.

 

We can navigate life purposefully and confidently when we understand

ourselves beyond societal expectations. This Gospel encourages us to genuinely embrace our identities,

recognizing that self-awareness and belief in our value can lead to a more fulfilling life.

In doing so, we gain clarity for ourselves and inspire others to discover their own truths.