Daily Lectionary 10/06/2010 (William Tyndale):  Gospel – John 12:44-50

Today, we remember William Tyndale, English theologian and one of the most influential biblical translators of the 16th century. Tyndale spent much of his life in hiding, as King Henry VIII of England and those loyal to the king searched for Tyndale throughout continental Europe in hopes of ending his efforts of translating the Bible into English. Those who sought Tyndale eventually achieved their goal and he was captured in 1535 and put to death in 1536. Ironically, the earliest English Bibles (approved by King Henry VIII) owe much of their content to Tyndale’s work.

Today, we reflect on a passage from John’s Gospel account that tells of Jesus’ mission to humanity – to come as a light to the world so that we would not remain in the darkness. Tyndale’s work was focused on bringing the Word of God out of the unavailable languages of Latin, Greek and Hebrew and helping the common English Christian to read the Bible in their native language. Our passage from John’s Gospel account reminds us that we are responsible for reflecting on God’s Word and opening ourselves to the power of God’s message in our lives, as well as serving others as Tyndale did – helping others to come out of the darkness and into the light of God’s love.