The Work of Jesus is the Work of God

There is something deeply comforting, and at the same time deeply challenging in today’s readings. God speaks through the prophet Isaiah with tenderness: “Can a mother forget her infant? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” This it is a revelation of God’s heart. A God who does not abandon. A God who restores. Yet when this promise is fulfilled in Jesus, many fail to recognize it. In the Gospel, Jesus boldly declares that His work is not separate from God’s work: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” He reveals a profound unity, everything He does flows from the Father. To see Jesus is to see God at work. To hear Jesus is to hear the voice of God calling us from death to life. But the tragedy is this: the very people waiting for God could not trust Him when He stood before them. They questioned Him, resisted Him, even sought to kill Him. Why? Because He did not fit their expectations. Because His authority challenged their control. Because trusting Him required surrender. We call Jesus Lord, but do we truly trust Him? Jesus is not distant, He is our brother. He shares our humanity, our struggles, our wounds. And precisely because He is our brother, we are invited into a relationship of trust, not fear. A brother walks with you, understands you, lifts you up. Jesus does exactly that—but only if we allow Him. Many of us carry hidden darkness: wounds from the past, habits of sin, discouragement, or silent struggles that weigh heavily on the heart. Sometimes, like Zion in the first reading, we feel forgotten: “The Lord has forsaken me.” But God’s response is clear, “I will never forget you.” Jesus, our brother, comes into those exact places, not to condemn, but to restore. He has the power to call life out of death, hope out of despair, light out of darkness. But restoration requires trust. The Jews struggled because they saw Jesus but did not believe Him. We, too, can be close to Him—hearing His word, receiving the sacrament yet still resist trusting Him with our deepest wounds. Today, Jesus reminds us: “Whoever hears my word and believes… has passed from death to life.” Notice, it is not just hearing, but believing. Trust is the bridge between where we are and where God is calling us to be.