Some Things Never Change

No wonder parents get so frustrated with their kids! They love their children and give them everything they need to be healthy and happy: a loving home, good food, a great education and so much more. And STILL their kids gripe and moan and complain, seemingly incapable of accepting, even recognizing so much goodness. No wonder our Father, the God of Moses, got so perturbed when "the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road" and started complaining. These were the same people who had seen the unbelievable wonders God worked to free them from slavery in Egypt. They had seen the plagues, been passed over by the angel of death, and even passed through walls of water on their way to the promised land. And what do they do? They complain about the food! "We are disgusted with this wretched food!" they said. No wonder God sent snakes to bite them... and no wonder my mom got ticked off when her kids complained about a meal. Some things never change.

So when Jesus -- who's one with our Father-- has to explain himself yet again to the same folks who had seen him say and do unbelievable wonders, he gets frustrated. "You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above," he tells them. And he has to explain (again) that if they don't believe that he is 'I AM' (a reference any good Jewish individual would know means God/Yahweh), they're going to die. So what do these folks ask Jesus after everything they've seen and heard-- the miracles and amazing parables, food for thousands from a few fish? They ask, "Who are you?" You can almost hear Jesus sigh and shake his head. How could they still not get it?

Well, that's what I suppose parents feel, too. After everything they've done for us-- all the wonders and experiences and sacrifices-- their children just don't get it, sometimes not until much later. It seems like all God, or our parents, really want in return for all that goodness is our acceptance and love. Let's hope that never changes!

Author: Patrick O'Malley, Admissions Office

(photo cred: Zachary Kadolph on Unsplash)