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But no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 8:20
This short line comes at the end of today’s Gospel after Jesus,
once again, directly confronted the Pharisees. He confronts
them, in this situation, by speaking the truth of His union with
the Father and the power and authority He had on account of this
union. The Pharisees attempt to confront and challenge Him
but He speaks the truth right back to them in clear language.
Their response to Jesus’ words is not recorded but it’s clear that
they do not know what to say and it’s clear that they remain
skeptical and desirous of trapping Jesus.
This passage quoted above reveals to us the profound truth that
neither the malice of the Pharisees nor that of anyone else could
ultimately triumph since Jesus’ “hour had not yet come.” What
does this mean? Here are two truths we should take from this
line.
First, malice cannot overpower the will of God. Since God the
Father did not permit Jesus’ arrest at that time, those with evil
intentions were powerless to do so. Jesus was able to speak
clearly and openly, challenging the Pharisees with the truth, and
they could do nothing to stop it. Though His words stung them
to the heart, they could do no more than listen and grow in anger
and obstinacy toward our Lord. But they could not harm
Him. This shows that God is ultimately in control of even the
malice of others and will only allow malice to appear to triumph
when He sees some greater purpose for allowing such a thing to
happen.
Secondly, it reveals that there is a coming “hour” when Jesus will
be handed over to sinful men. But in John’s Gospel, this hour
is not an hour of shame and disgrace for Jesus; rather, it is an
hour of total triumph over sin and death. From a worldly
perspective we know that His hour of arrest, persecution and
Crucifixion takes on the public appearance of horror and disgrace
for Jesus. It appears as if He lost and the Pharisees
won. But from the perspective of God, which is the only true
perspective, Jesus triumphs gloriously. In fact, the Father
ultimately permits the malice of the Pharisees to be the instrument
of Jesus’ glorification through the sufferings He endured in this
hour. From the divine perspective, His hour does not become
one of defeat; rather, it becomes one of ultimate victory.
Reflect, today, upon the coming hour of Jesus. Soon we will
enter into the glories of Holy Week and ponder, once again, that
the Father did permit Jesus to enter into the most cruel suffering
and death imaginable. We will be confronted with the apparent
scandal of His arrest and the illusion of the victory of the
malicious leaders of the day. But their victory is only an
illusion since the permissive will of the Father had other
intentions. Begin preparing for this annual celebration of
the hour of Jesus and enter into it with the utmost confidence and
faith.
My glorious Lord, I glorify You for Your wisdom and power and
rejoice in the perfect will of the Father in Heaven. The
Father sent You on a mission of redemption and salvation and
permitted You to ultimately suffer and die. But through this
suffering He brought final victory over death and all evil.
Give me faith to know and believe this truth with my whole
heart. Bless this coming Holy Week, dear Lord, and permit me
to rejoice in Your glorious victory. Jesus, I trust in
You.
Image: James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia
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