Internal Testimony!

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Ex 32: 7-14; Jn 5:31-37

Today’s Gospel highlights the two kinds of testimony that testify to the mission of Jesus. 

1.Heavenly Testimony: Highlighting the inadequacy of human testimony, Jesus talks of the heavenly testimony that comes from his Father. For Jesus, it is the heavenly testimony that validates his mission and nothing else. In other words, Jesus is content with his Father’s testimony on his behalf, though the people to whom he ministers fail to perceive it and thus reject him and his works. Here, Jesus shows more loyalty to aligning his will with God’s than seeking human praise. Jesus disregards the acceptability of humans as he seeks conformity to God’s will. 

2. Deeds as Testimony: In the second instance, Jesus talks of his own works as offering enough testimony for who he is. Since his works fulfill God’s will for humanity, they also justify and complement the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. Here, more than the works that he accomplishes, Jesus prizes his faithfulness and loyalty to God’s plan, though his fidelity to God would lead to his sure death in the end. Hence, Jesus takes pride in the mission that he has been entrusted with and the works that justify the mission. 

Both testimonies that Jesus talks of reveal the alienation that he suffers despite all his goodwill and hard work. 

It is not that Jesus does not accept human testimony, but it was a rarity except that of John. 

With no one to hold him up, Jesus relies on what is more internal to carry his mission forward.

Let us pray that our missional commitment may rely more on internal validation than external ones. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar