Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
The Pharisees then said to him, "You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true."
Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness to myself, my testimony is true, for I know whence I have come and whither I am going, but you do not know whence I come or whither I am going. You judge according to the flesh, I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone that judge, but I and he who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true; I bear witness to myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness to me."
They said to him therefore, "Where is your Father?"
Jesus answered, "You know neither me nor my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father also." These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. - Jn 8: 12-20
I find this interchange between Jesus and the Pharisees fascinating. On one hand their logic seems flawed: there is a difference between saying, "we cannot believe you if you alone bear witness to yourself," and "your testimony is not true." On the other, there is validity in their point of view, which makes more sense since Jesus himself had already said, If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true. (Jn 5: 31) He then went on, though, to point out that the works which the Father allows him to do bear witness that the words he speaks are true. This is what keeps the remainder of his argument here against the Pharisees from being absurd, as it would have been from the mouth of anyone who hadn't performed such wonders.
This foundation of testimony and witnesses and veracity also makes St. John's words near the end of his passion narrative - which seem non sequitur when we hear them on Good Friday - make more sense: He who saw it has borne witness -- his testimony is true. (Jn 19:35a) In fact, it makes it more clear how the entire structure of St. John's gospel serves the purpose he announces near the end of his gospel: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. - Jn 20: 30-31.
I doubt that this is the main reason for including this reading in this step of the Exercises, though, except to underscore the point at the beginning of this passage: "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - Jn 8: 12b. This is who Jesus is, and we are to believe this because of the testimony of the Father in the wonders that Jesus worked as recorded by this eyewitness, and therefore we are to choose to live in the light of life.
If one judges only by the testimony of the words of this blog, one might conclude that I am having a good Lent, walking daily in the light of God's word as I respond to his loving call to holiness. Unfortunately, the testimony of my thoughts and my self-indulgence would bear witness to a less favorable truth: that I have squandered this entire season of retreat by refusing to fast in the desert, sinfully scorning Jesus' call to purity and selflessness. In some ways it has been the antithesis of prior years, in which my Lenten desert journey has often been the high point of my year. This year I feel that I was doing a better job of conforming my will to that of Jesus before this holy season began. But I had a full household then, so perhaps I am mistaking a lack of opportunity for something more honorable.
Lord Jesus, light of the world, come illumine my path, and help me walk with my whole life in your light.
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