«Il Figlio da se stesso non può fare nulla»

La recettività attiva di Cristo e dei cristiani

Abstract

Jesus’ healing of the paralytic in John 5 reveals that he is indeed God, but he is God as Son. In fact, Jesus can give «life to whom he wishes», because he has «life in himself» (5:21,26); he has the same salvific omnipotence as the Father. On the other hand, he acknowledges that «he can do nothing of himself» (5:19; cf v. 30). However, unlike the paralytic, who is completely re-signed to his own powerlessness, Jesus lives in that active receptivity which is characteristic of filial agápē: the more he accepts with gratitude every gift of the Father, the more capable he becomes of saving men. The same dynam-ic occurs in believers whom Christ has made partakers of his unique filial relationship with the Father, in the degree to which they welcome the Spirit.