As we are drawn deeper and deeper into the Lenten experience, we begin to notice that, during His public ministry, Jesus was a source of some confusion in the minds of many people. Isn’t He still a source of confusion for a lot of us? On the one hand, the people of His day were aware that He had become a target of their religious leaders, and yet He went about openly and speaking freely and without fear. Jesus would not be Jesus if He were to keep His message to Himself. The Word of God cannot remain silent.
On the other hand, the people of His day were also confused about the actual identity of Jesus. Was He allowed to speak freely because the leaders believed He really was the Messiah? But everyone knew where Jesus came from (Nazareth in Galilee). How, then, could He be the Messiah? Well, Jesus told them: “Yes, you know me and you know where I come from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the One who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent me.” (John 7) This only angered His listeners who knew what He was implying, but they could not arrest Him (then) because “His time had not yet come.” The time of His arrest could only be in accordance with God’s plan.
Do we really know who Jesus is? Can we know who the real Jesus without reading the Scriptures? Can we know Him without opening ourselves to His grace, without purification and conversion? Can we come to know Him better without prayer and contemplation? Lent is an excellent time for us to do all of these things and, better still, to begin making them practices and habits that go far beyond Lent.
