We are very polite in church: At the end of the Gospel Reading, the reader says, ‘This is the Gospel of Christ’ to which we respond ‘Praise to Christ, our Lord’. However, bearing in mind what we might have just heard, we may well prefer to respond by saying ‘You what’! This is definitely the case for the religious leaders of his time. So often Jesus’ words come across as outrageous, provoking a breath-taking and incredulous response. ‘You what’! Sometimes we don’t immediately understand why Jesus says what he does. Often this is because Jesus is not answering the upfront question asked of him, but rather he is addressing the real questions that lie behind the uttered words. On this occasion Jesus is asked to speak plainly as to whether he is the Messiah. But this question does not arise out of a genuine desire to follow him. Instead, his enemies are out to cause trouble for him. The occasion is the Feast of Hanukkah when the Jews celebrated the liberation of Jerusalem in 167 BC when the Maccabeans successfully revolted against the Seleucid Empire. 

Any overt claim to be the Messiah at such a Feast would have severely provoked the present Roman powers of occupation. Jesus doesn’t deny being the Messiah, but he answers in such a way that avoids unnecessary conflict whilst striking back at the troublemakers. Another fact to bear in mind is that the Maccabeans encouraged people to rise against their foreign overlords by promising them eternal life if they laid down their life for the cause. Jesus tells his opponents that eternal life is a gift of God to those who would listen to him and follow him. This, indeed, is Jesus being very provocative. No wonder I imagine the religious leaders responding ‘You what’! Then, having addressed the thoughts hidden behind his opponents’ words, Jesus goes on to remind his hearers by what authority he speaks. He says, ‘I and the Father are one’, no doubt leaving them speechless.

There is a time to question Jesus, a time to wrestle with and argue over the deep points Jesus makes. But faith is not won by just having our questions answered. There comes a time when we hear his voice and find our spirit stirred – a moment when Jesus’ voice calls, and we stand up and follow him. Faith is a decision – a decision to act upon what we have learnt from the teacher who has irresistibly attracted our attention. We choose to follow a leader, not necessarily when they answer all our questions but when they answer enough questions. Faith is an adventure. Faith, like every challenge involves risk, but it also offers the prospects of a full life and total fulfilment.