Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, February 8, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I gotta be honest. Sometimes I just find John ponderous. The layers of theologizing make my head spin. I think he is just saying, here, that Jesus has full authority from God to do and say all the things he’s doing and saying. Which was important. Lots of people were questioning just who Jesus thought he was. He was breaking deeply ingrained traditions in his pursuit of healing and justice. He was stepping on a lot of establishment toes. And almost everybody loved him for it.
God calls us to look critically at social norms, economic and political systems, and the status quo, and act decisively against them in pursuit of justice for all God’s children. Who do we think we are? Well, we’re certainly not Jesus. But the work of justice is God’s work, and if we are doing it whole-heartedly, we have all the authority we need.
What do I think about the idea that God gives me the authority to do God’s work in the world?