Jn 12:44-50
Judgment: Using the language of the courtroom, John pictures Jesus as continually on trial. It is as though Jesus must defend his claim of being the Son of God before the grand jury of humankind. But there is more to it than meets the eye. By his incarnation, Jesus is inseparable from humankind. When he is on trial, then we, too, are on trial. And the judgment we pass on him, we pass on ourselves.
Judgment: Using the language of the courtroom, John pictures Jesus as continually on trial. It is as though Jesus must defend his claim of being the Son of God before the grand jury of humankind. But there is more to it than meets the eye. By his incarnation, Jesus is inseparable from humankind. When he is on trial, then we, too, are on trial. And the judgment we pass on him, we pass on ourselves.
Because Jesus represents God to us, our response to him depicts our response to God. Through his revelation of the Father, Jesus offers light that dispels darkness from the world. It is the light of eternal life. Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father, and whoever hears his word hears the Father’s. To hear his word and refuse to accept it is to provoke the Father’s judgment. Whoever rejects Jesus rejects the Father. Whoever accepts Jesus receives the light of life, which leads to salvation. Anyone who is without the light of Jesus will never see the true light of life, a light that goes beyond what the senses perceive. For in Jesus is the light that enlightens all human beings (Jn 1:9), and that light is life. He himself is life and life comes through him.