Is he a megalomaniac? (Wed of Lent 4)

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Isaiah 49:8-15 ; John 5:17-30

O GOD, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: grant to us such strength and protection, as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

What is it like to be divine? 

We are privileged to hear in today’s Gospel our Lord revealing something of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. Our Lord is responding to opposition amongst the Jews to what He is saying about His own equality with the Father.

The accusation “making himself God’s equal” is an accusation of some sort of megalomania, or we might say, “delusions of grandeur”. But our Lord is keen to emphasise that His relationship with the Father is not that of a wayward son drunk with power, but a relationship of both complete unity and also hierarchy. In God the Trinity there is both perfect unity and equality, but also hierarchy. As with much of our understanding of the life of God in the Trinity it is tricky to get our heads around it. We tend to try to project our own experience on to God which always results in dodgy theology. We tend to think equality and hierarchy are opposite and we have to choose between the two. We see this for example in politics with communism/socialism and feminism essentially rejecting hierarchy as something intrinsically wrong.

Our Lord does not project human ideas onto God of course, but is revealing to us the way the relationship is. The Son does nothing independent of the Father but does the Father’s will. The Father loves the Son and reveals to the Son everything the Father does. Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone He chooses. Judgement has been given to the Son by the Father. And so those that honour the Son, honour the Father. And those that refuse to honour the Son refuse honour to the Father. The Father is the source of life and has made the Son the source of life. And because the Son is incarnate, because He is both divine and human, the Father has made the Son judge. Though as judge the Son judges as the Father tells Him to!

The inner life of the Holy Trinity as revealed by God the Son is also our goal as Christians, for we are called to divine life which is heaven. And so because the Church on earth (Church militant) is those journeying towards this divine life, the Church is structured both with hierarchy and with equality of communion. But this is a necessary part of preparing for heaven. Of course the Church militant gets it wrong* and we can develop the Church structure to make it closer to the divine life (especially through greater holiness), but nevertheless we cannot restructure the Church in order to fit in with modern ideas.

The Father has made the Son our judge because the Son knows what it is to be human. Judgement is not to do with a fearful figure wagging his finger in our direction, but as much about the truth of our deeds judging us and also showing to what extent we were willing to cooperate with the grace our Saviour brings us through His self-giving on the Cross.

So let us continue our Lenten journey in the secure knowledge of God the Son’s giving of Himself for our salvation, and that our work is to cooperate with all the grace He is pouring on us, grace that is life for us.

* Our Lord warned the Apostles against “lording” it over others – though they were high up in the hierarchy of the Church they were to consider themselves servants. And this has been echoed recently by our Popes, not least, Pope Francis. Authority and power are given not to “lord” it over others, but in order to be able to serve them, more specifically, to bring them grace and order. That does not mean the hierarchy is greater than the laity, nor that the work of the hierarchy is more important than the laity. This is where clericalism comes in – trying to make the laity like clerics is clericalism. But for the Church to function well the laity need to be the laity, served by the clerics.

Psalm 145

Exaltabo te, Deus

I WILL magnify thee, O God, my King : and I will praise thy Name for ever and ever.

2. Every day will I give thanks unto thee : and praise thy Name for ever and ever.

3. Great is the Lord, and marvellous worthy to be praised : there is no end of his greatness.

4. One generation shall praise thy works unto another : and declare thy power.

5. As for me, I will be talking of thy worship : thy glory, thy praise, and wondrous works;

6. So that men shall speak of the might of thy marvellous acts : and I will also tell of thy greatness.

7. The memorial of thine abundant kindness shall be shewed : and men shall sing of thy righteousness.

8. The Lord is gracious and merciful : long-suffering and of great goodness.

9. The Lord is loving unto every man : and his mercy is over all his works.

10. All thy works praise thee, O Lord : and thy saints give thanks unto thee.

11. They shew the glory of thy kingdom : and talk of thy power;

12. That thy power, thy glory, and mightiness of thy kingdom : might be known unto men.

13. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom : and thy dominion endureth throughout all ages.

14. The Lord upholdeth all such as fall : and lifteth up all those that are down.

15. The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord : and thou givest them their meat in due season.

16. Thou openest thine hand : and fillest all things living with plenteousness.

17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways : and holy in all his works.

18. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him : yea, all such as call upon him faithfully.

19. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him : he also will hear their cry, and will help them.

20. The Lord preserveth all them that love him : but scattereth abroad all the ungodly.

21. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord : and let all flesh give thanks unto his holy Name for ever and ever.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sin of all those who are penitent: create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.