Behold, the Lamb of God!

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

- John 1:29-42

 Yesterday, we read:  This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'the voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  John's declaring Jesus as Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ, the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  St. John Chrysostom teaches that Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make this declaration and thus stop anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins."

 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."   A note says here:  "That the Spirit remained upon Him was a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  Christ did not 'receive' the Holy Spirit at His Baptism; rather, this vision that John saw revealed the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested on Christ." 

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  My study bible explains that the Lord's first disciples had been followers of John the Baptist.  In today's reading, these disciples are Andrew and Simon, who was also known as Peter, or Cephas.  In the next reading we will be introduced to Philip and Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew).  There's a third disciple here, unnamed, referred to in the phrase "one of the two who heard John speak."    This is considered by some to be John, the author of this Gospel, as it was a traditional literary device  for an author not to give his own name.

Today's reading covers two days in the story of the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  (We recall that just as this Gospel began with the words "in the beginning," reminiscent of Genesis, so after its Prologue begins seven days in the story of who Jesus is.)  Yesterday we read about the first day.  Today we read Day 2, John the Baptist's declaration that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, greater than his baptism (paralleling Genesis 1:6-8); and Day 3, in which the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ gathers as His own, including Peter -- whom Jesus declares to be the foundation of the Church.  My study bible suggests this "third day" parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land in the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  As we begin these chapters of John's Gospel (that is, John the Evangelist, not John the Baptist), we understand that the story is evolving; we see the parallels to the beginning of Genesis.  But it's important to remember that Jesus Christ has no beginning in the sense that the Son always was, and is, and is to come.  But the human Jesus begins someplace; for John's Gospel, that place is the human Jesus as the Incarnation of the Light, and the very human steps this ministry takes is worth noting for us.  That is because we need to keep in mind that, as He was one of us, so we take His example.  Life forms and shapes itself through steps, and we, too, should see ourselves involved in steps on a long journey, following Him.  If today's step requires of you prayerful mindfulness, you have done what is necessary to follow Him.   If it asks you to make a commitment, just for today, then that is your part for today.  If just this moment, you are called to a sense of who you are right now and what is simply right in front of you, then you are making that journey in the steps that are asked of you.  This is really our human goal, to be present to His call, just as these first disciples are there in today's reading.  One step, one day -- are we there for Him, however that calling is meant for today, even for this one moment?