So Jesus said to them,
“When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will realize that I AM…
When I was a young boy, I remember my father taking the family to the Pantages Theater in Hollywood to see Cecil B. DeMill’s great epic movie, The Ten Commandments. I was completely mesmerized by it, especially the scene when Moses went up the great mountain and encountered that mysterious burning bush.
That scene in all its 1950 kitsch, dramatized one of the most pivotal moments in the history of the Jewish people. The God of all creation would reveal himself by name. After the Lord commissioned Moses to tell his people that he would free them from bondage, Moses was bold to ask, “And whom should I say sent me?” The Lord responded, “I AM, who AM.” Libraries could be filled with books pondering the meaning of that name down through the centuries. So sacred was that name, that when it was written in the Torah, the Hebrew Scriptures, it would never be spoken by a pious Jew. Another word, “Adonai” or “Lord” would be used in its place.
As our Lenten journey nears its culmination with Passion Sunday and our remembrance of the Lord’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem this Sunday, John’s gospel takes center stage as it does today. John’s gospel was the final of the four gospels to be written. It is rich in theological content as it focuses on the meaning of Christ for the world.
Today, John has Jesus utter that very sacred name of God himself as he says: When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM… For St. John, Christ was the Word that existed with the Father before all ages. His theology of Christ focuses a laser beam on divinity, while the other gospels so often highlight the humanity of Jesus.
Jesus, the God-man, nears the definitive moment of his gifting the human family with the Father’s ultimate gift of redemption in the cross and resurrection. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.