In today’s gospel we see Jesus in an encounter with the Pharisees as time rapidly approaches the events we know as Holy Week. One of the basic threads of this narrative is about the ability to see, to intuit, to recognize the swirl of events that are around you. At first glance they might seem random, chaotic, or singularly isolated. At second glance there might not be any greater clarity, but something edges up to the corner of consciousness – maybe only to be dismissed, to be misconstrued, lost, or attach itself in that nagging way some thoughts do. The thoughts that just won’t be on their way.

The Pharisees and other religious leaders have had about three years of reports, stories, encounters and more about this itinerant preacher from Galilee. How is it that the son of a carpenter is so well versed in Scripture and such a gifted orator? What about the reports of healings, driving out demons, healing leprosy, and most disturbing of all, raising that Bethany man from the dead? The pieces of the puzzle are all there waiting to be joined into one clear mosaic. He is the one who teaches with new authority, who commands the power of the sea, the one who implies he has the power to forgive sin! But they just can’t put it together. And up to now, that has been the easy part.

One wonders how serious the Pharisees were when brought up the talk that Jesus was “born of fornication.”  Was it just a taunt? An insult? A way to dismiss Jesus so that they would not have to deal with his teaching, the miracles, his power over demons and nature – and all the rest that screamed the kingdom of God is arriving and is now among them?

Jesus’ response: “If God were your Father, you would love me” is as though Jesus were saying, “Love would be your response to my words, my works, the miracles, and the whole message I bring. Love would always be your response.”

The Pharisee threw out an insult to dismiss Jesus so they would not have to deal with him – would not have to act in love. Maybe the words we use are our ways of not having to deal with others, not having to act in love. Today’s gospel asks many things of us. In part it asks us to make sure our ways, words, and our life are always rooted in love.

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