Behold the Lamb 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 1:35-42 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the "second day" of Jesus' public ministry:   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).  My study Bible comments on today's reading by asking us to note that the Lord's first disciples had been followers of John the Baptist.  Here in today's reading are Andrew and Simon.  Simon was also known as Peter, or Cephas, as the text tells us.  In the next reading will be the calling of Philip and Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew).  Note that in today's reading there is also an unnamed disciple (John the Baptist stood with two of his disciples; yet only one of the two is named, and that is Andrew, Simon Peter's brother).  Some patristic sources say that this unnamed disciple was John, the author of the Gospel.  It was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name.  See, for example, the story in Luke's Gospel of the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), in which it is said that two disciples were traveling but only Cleopas is named.  According to tradition, the unnamed disciple is Luke himself.  In this third day of seven given in John's Gospel, John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ gathers to be His own -- and one of them Jesus declares to be the foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  My study Bible says that this parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land in the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.

It's interesting to note once again how events unfold in Christ's ministry, in this beginning of the establishment of His public ministry, as reported by John the Evangelist.   Just as we have observed that John the Baptist operated solely through faith, relying on God to reveal the Messiah to him although his entire ministry was a preparation for this Messiah, so we observe events in John's Gospel that almost seem to be random happenstance that unfold Jesus' ministry.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus was revealed to John the Baptist as the Lamb of God, the Savior.  In today's reading, we're told that John was standing with two of his disciples as he observes Jesus walking.  John tells them, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  We don't know if others were present to overhear this, and we don't even know how those two disciples decided they would go follow Jesus.  But Jesus turns and responds, asking them, "What do you seek?"  Now all of this seems in some sense perfectly ordinary, except for the fact that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the Son, the Messiah as incarnate human being!  If we look at Christ the way the Bible looks at Christ -- as the very centerpiece of all of history -- we might find it a bit disconcerting to note how random things appear to be.  Two disciples just happen to be standing with the Baptist when they observe Jesus walking.  Then those two decide they will follow Jesus, and He turns to ask them what they're seeking.  This is a seemingly strange dichotomy, with two contradictory observations -- the seemingly random happenstances and human choices in the story, coupled with what is true "from the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4-5).  Somehow human cooperation and choice is known to God in a completely different sense of time than we understand it, and so the contradiction is a great dichotomy for us, a paradox and mystery.  Nevertheless, what appears seemingly random to us is how the Bible tells us these profound events unfold, and the mission of Christ takes its shape.   Without exploring every possibility and question here, let us take a pragmatic approach to this observation and simply use what we're taught in ways that help us in our own lives, and teaches us something about our own faith experiences.  There will be times in our faith lives when a type of personal revelation hits us like a ton of bricks.  We might be standing in church listening to a hymn when we realize how the words speak to us.  How common such an experience is in the reading of Scripture must be so myriad that it is impossible to put a number on it.  But the meanings and values of God, the recognition of some sort of a call or reflection to events in our own lives is what gives faith its shape and experience, and keeps calling us back, and has done so for all of the history of the Church.  And yet, there is a thread through such seemingly random encounters with faith and meaning that is recognized as a repeated call from God, a partial revelation of who we are found in this deep relationship that is beyond our fully knowing it.  I might be standing on a street corner when an overheard snip of conversation gives me a glimmer of God's word for something I'm concerned about.  Or maybe I'm worried about something and see a sign that gives me an answer printed on a person's t-shirt as I drive by in traffic.  Recently as I was walking home from the grocery store, I questioned in myself what community means, with concern about how it evolves, and silently prayed about it.  A moment later  I looked up and saw an old friend walking toward me who'd recently lost her husband.   I realized I was given an answer -- just like Christ telling the lawyer to "go and do likewise" in the story of the Good Samaritan, and Christ's response to his question of who was a neighbor.  Whatever comfort and support she needed, it was my call to offer, and find my community there.  How random was that really?  Whatever the case truly is, it was a profound answer resounding with meaning for me, even teaching me something about identity and mission.  We read in the Gospel today of meetings that will have meaning for all time -- but they don't happen in great announcements to the world at the moment.  Like so many such moments reported in the Bible, these events when they take place are intimate and personal.   In today's reading, such a moment is answered with two questions.  Jesus asks, "What do you seek?" and the future disciples ask, "Where are you staying?"  Christ's simple command to "Come and see" begins the journey and the entire future history of the Church and all that we associate with it.  Let us not look for fireworks and parades for our faith, but pay attention in the quiet moments, in our prayers, and in the "random" events and encounters that may unfold great meanings.  For God is at work and always with us.