Jesus answered, “Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. (Jn 8:51-59)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032124.cfm
An interesting detail about Jesus’ age is revealed in this passage, “You are not yet fifty years old.” Traditionally the Lord was about 30-35 years old at the time of his Passion and Resurrection. Of course, the solemn declaration, “Before Abraham came to be, I AM,” gets him into trouble. I AM is a reference to the Divine Name.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Thursday, Week V, Lent
