Daily Gospel Reflection

Think You’re Better than Jesus?

Hi, I'm Matthew Kelly. Welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where we are exploring the genius of Jesus, the genius of the gospels, the genius of Catholicism in the gospel reading of each day, looking for a word or a phrase or an idea that jumps out at you that the Holy Spirit uses to focus your attention for the day, to focus you in the gospel for the day. Today's reading is from John's Gospel chapter 15 verses 18 through 21. "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, the servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all this, they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me."

It jumps out at you. You got a word, a phrase, or an idea? Word jumps out at me. The word hate. It was forbidden to use this word in my household when I was growing up, my parents, my father particularly did not like the word hate, just would not tolerate the use of the word. So that jumps out at me. But the idea that jumps out at me, and often we choose words or phrases, but today, an idea, very often we expect better treatment than Jesus. All right, now I want you to think about that for a minute, okay? If Jesus was here and we were going out and maybe we're going to a restaurant or going to a ball game or something, you wouldn't expect to be treated better than Jesus, I don't think. Maybe you would, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't, okay?

But when we get all caught up in ourselves and we forget His presence, we expect to be treated better than Jesus. And what Jesus is saying to us in the Gospels today is, "Hey, get a grip. If that's how they treated me, don't expect that you will be treated any better." And so as you go through the day today, I want you to ask yourself, am I expecting to be treated better than Jesus? Not in broad in general, but in specific situations. Ooh, in this situation, am I expecting to be treated better than Jesus? Have an amazing day. Remember, don't just be yourself. Be the very best version of yourself, all that God created you to be.