WITH JESUS ETERNITY HAS ENTERED TIME
H. H.
John Paul II
General Audience
November 26, 1997
1. The celebration
of the Jubilee has us contemplate Jesus Christ as the endpoint of
the time preceding him and the starting point of all that follows
him. Indeed, heinaugurated a new history not only for those who
believe in him, but for the entire human community, because the
salvation he accomplished is offered to every human being.
Henceforth the fruits of his saving work are mysteriously diffused
throughout history. With Christ, eternity has entered time! "In the
beginning was the Word" (Jn 1:1). With these words John begins his
Gospel, taking us beyond the beginning of our time, to the divine
eternity. Unlike Matthew and Luke, who primarily consider the
circumstances of the Son of God’s human birth, John directs his gaze
to the mystery of the divine preexistence.
In this sentence, "in the beginning" means the absolute beginning,
the beginning without a beginning, eternity precisely. The
expression echoes that used in the creation account: "In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gn 1:1). But in
creation it was a question of the beginning of time, whereas here,
where the Word is mentioned, it is a question of eternity.
There is an infinite distance between the two principles. It is the
distance between time and eternity, between creatures and God.
2. Existing eternally as the Word, Christ has an origin that goes
back far beyond his birth in time.
John’s assertion is based on Jesus' exact words. To the Jews who
rebuked him for claiming to have seen Abraham when he was not yet 50
years old, Jesus replies: "Truly, truly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I am" (Jn 8:58). The assertion stresses the contrast
between the becoming of Abraham and the being of Jesus. The word "genésthai"
used in the Greek text for Abraham actually means "to become", or
"to come into being": it is the appropriate verb to designate the
mode of being proper to creatures. On the contrary, Jesus alone can
say: "I am", indicating by this expression the fullness of being
which lies beyond all becoming. Thus he expresses his awareness of
possessing an eternal personal existence.
3. By applying the expression "I am" to himself, Jesus makes God’s
name his own, the name revealed to Moses in Exodus. After entrusting
him with the mission of liberating his people from slavery in Egypt,
Yahweh, the Lord, guarantees him assistance and closeness, and in a
way as a pledge of his fidelity, he reveals to him the mystery of
his name: "I am who I am" (Ex 3:14). Thus Moses can say to the
Israelites: "I am has sent me to you" (ibid.). This name expresses
God’s saving presence for the sake of his people, but also his
inaccessible mystery.
Jesus makes this divine name his own. In John’s Gospel this
expression appears several times on his lips (cf. 8:24, 28, 58;
13:19). With it, Jesus effectively shows us that in his person
eternity not only precedes time, but enters time.
Although sharing the human condition, Jesus is conscious of his
eternal being, which confers a higher value on all his activities.
He himself emphasized this eternal value: "Heaven and earth will
pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Mk 13:31; par.). His
words, like his actions, have a unique, definitive value, and will
continue to call for a response from humanity until the end of time.
4. Jesus’ work involves two closely related aspects: it is a saving
action which frees humanity from the power of evil, and it is a new
creation which obtains for humanity participation in the divine
life.
Liberation from evil was prefigured in the Old Covenant, but only
Christ can fully achieve it. He alone, as Son, has eternal power
over human history: "If the Son makes you free, you will be free
indeed" (Jn 8:36). The Letter to the Hebrews forcefully underscores
this truth, showing how the one sacrifice of the Son obtained for us
"eternal redemption" (Heb 9:12), far exceeding the value of the Old
Covenant sacrifices.
The new creation can only be achieved by the One who is
all-powerful, because it implies the communication of divine life to
human existence.
5. The perspective of the eternal origin of the Word, particularly
emphasized in John’s Gospel, spurs us to enter more deeply into the
mystery.
Let us therefore approach the Jubilee, professing our faith in
Christ ever more forcefully: "God from God, Light from Light, true
God from true God". These phrases of the Creed give us access to the
mystery; they are an invitation to approach it. Jesus continues to
testify to our generation, as he did 2,000 years ago to his
disciples and listeners, his awareness of his divine identity: the
mystery of the I am.
Because of this mystery, human history is no longer left to decay,
but has a meaning and a direction: it has in a way been impregnated
with eternity. The consoling promise Christ made to his disciples
resounds for everyone: "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of
the age" (Mt 28:20).
To the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors the Holy Father said:
I warmly greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors,
especially the young people of the American All-Star Dance and Drill
Team, the students from Australia and Sweden, the group representing
the Catholic Schools of Denmark, and the pilgrims from Malaysia and
the Philippines. Upon all of you I cordially invoke the grace and
peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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