Behold! The Lamb of God

Baptism of Christ, 15th cent. Kythera, Greece.  Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens, Greece (author photo)

 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 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 

 

 In yesterday's reading, the Gospel told us the testimony of John the Baptist, 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!"  My study Bible explains that John's declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ is the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, who offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make his declaration, and thereby stop anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins.  

 

"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."  That the Spirit remained upon Him was a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity, my study Bible says.  Christ did not receive the Holy Spirit at His Baptism.  We are to understand that this vision seen by John revealed the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested upon Christ.  Here in this second day given in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist declares that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than the Baptist's own baptism of repentance, performed with only water on earth.  This parallels the separation of water above from the water below on the second day in Genesis 1:6-8.  

 

 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 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).  Christ's first disciples had been first followers of St. John the Baptist.  They were Andrew; Simon, also known as Peter or Cephas (both mentioned in today's reading); Philip; Nathanael (who was also known as Bartholomew), whom we shall find in tomorrow's reading; and also an unnamed disciple here.  The unnamed disciple is said by some patristic authors to be St. John who is the author of this Gospel.  It was a common literary device, my study Bible says, for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13-27, in which St. Luke mentions only the name of Cleopas of the two disciples).  These verses give us the third day of St. John's Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ takes in to be His own, one of whom is declared 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 on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  

 

 In today's reading, we see the unfolding beginnings of Christ's public ministry.  Everything begins with a kind of hand off from the Old Testament to the New, in which the disciples of St. John the Baptist are guided to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, and in this sense, given to Him to become His disciples.  It is an opening up, a new beginning, and also a kind of glorious fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah.  Appropriately, this happens through St. John the Baptist, the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.  At the same time, we compare the fulfillment of the Baptist's mission with the new birth of Christ's public ministry in the form of these fledgling disciples of Christ.  We get a taste of Jesus' divinity in that He gives Simon the name of Cephas, which translated into Greek is Πετρος/Petros, rendered "Peter" in English.  In some sense, the Church is being born right here, in this renaming of Simon by Christ.  We can take this understanding of the birth of something as a parallel to the ways in which Christ and our faith in Him will work in our own lives.  We may come to faith in a particular way, perhaps in our Baptism, but just like the Church that is seemingly "born" in this renaming of Simon, we also must grow into the fullness of faith throughout our lives, unfolding as a way, a journey, something which is being grown and renewed within us day by day as we grow in reliance upon God, and are transfigured through our faith.  This is a lifetime journey, even as the Church continues in its journey upon earth throughout this age.  So we meet these first disciples, and with proper gratitude to St. John the Baptist who has prepared them for and guided them to the Christ, even as we are all hopefully on the road to the wedding feast of our Bridegroom.  He is the one who comes to them as Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and is the Son of God.

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

- John 1:43–51 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the second day of Christ's earthly ministry in St. John's Gospel, John the Baptist 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 [the third day given in the Gospel], John the Baptist 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, 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).

 

  The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  In yesterday's reading, we read about the calling of the first disciples, Simon (whom Jesus named Cephas, an Aramaic word meaning A Stone; Petros/Πετρος in the Greek, from which we derive the English name Peter); and then Andrew Simon Peter's brother.  There was another disciple led to Jesus by John the Baptist who was unnamed, and that is often surmised to be St. John, the author of this Gospel (as it was a custom for authors not to speak of themselves).  Here, Jesus calls Philip ("Follow Me") to become His disciple, and Philip found Nathanael.  Nathanael is also known to us as Bartholomew.  

 

  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  My study Bible comments that no deceit means both having a pure heart and also being straightforward with others.  

 

Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."   My study Bible points out that what exactly occurred under the fig tree is not stated.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and Jesus was praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in his seeking of the Messiah.  Christ's foreknowledge and His ability to see into Nathanael's heart stir this confession of faith.  This is the fourth day given in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael.  My study Bible comments that they now see Christ as the true Light; the One revealed in the Old Testament, a lesser light.  This parallels the establishment of the lesser and greater lights governing the night and the day respectively on the fourth day in Genesis 1:14-19.

 

And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  This title, Son of Man, is a title of the Messiah that, according to my study Bible, had a level of mystery in its meaning.  It indicated a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14).  In an Old Testament prophecy, Jacob dreamed of a ladder which connected earth to heaven, and upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  Jesus is the "ladder" who unites earth to heaven, and therefore is this Son of Man.  

 

 In yesterday's reading and commentary we remarked on the building up of Christ's body of disciples, and of His Church.  This is not something that happens overnight, or in some seemingly miraculous or instantaneous way.  In keeping with the reality of Christ's Incarnation, Jesus builds His Church as human beings must build organizations and communities.  These first disciples, in fact, come one by one, and not as an entire group.  They are first called in a way that is distinctly personal.  That is, Christ's first disciples come by way of John the Baptist, and they were first disciples of the Baptist.  In yesterday's reading (see above), this is made clear as John twice refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God and testifies to his disciples about Him.  John the Baptist explicitly directs two of his disciples to Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God!" making it clear that He is the Christ.  These first two were Andrew and an unnamed disciple, often understood to be the Evangelist John himself.  From there Andrew found his brother Simon, whom we know as Peter after the name given him by Christ.  Following this (the next day) Jesus Himself found Philip, and called him, saying "Follow Me."  At this juncture, let us note the connections that happen one by one in this story.  There is John the Baptist, who teaches his own disciples about Jesus as the Lamb of God; one of these is Simon Peter.  Simon then finds his brother, Andrew.  From there Jesus finds Philip who has another kind of connection to this first set of brothers; he's from Bethsaida, the same city as Andrew and Simon.  Then Philip himself finds Nathanael and calls him to meet Jesus, saying, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  All of these so far are individual actions, pulling people together one by one.  They are personal in nature.  There are connections between these people besides their discipleship to John the Baptist:  two are brothers, another is from the same town as the brothers, and clearly Nathanael is a friend already known to Philip.  Then there is a kind of an interesting snag:  Nathanael is skeptical.  What good thing can come out of Nazareth?  Nazareth, the town in Galilee in which Jesus was brought up, was not known for any prophecies regarding holy people, or having a particularly special identity in terms of the spiritual history of Israel.  So Nathanael asks, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"   And Philip responds in an equally level-headed and down to earth way, "Come and see."  He's to find out for himself.  And, of course, Christ responds in a phenomenally positive way to all of this level-headed skepticism:  "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  All of this so far contains within it the most distinctively human elements we can find, of a sort of level-headed honesty we might even call "dull" in others, and a Messiah who praises that very quality for it possesses "no deceit."  There's no flight of fancy or fantasy for Nathanael.  We really cannot get less like the seeming mysterious or miraculous than such a story of gathering these particular people together.  This beginning of Jesus' ministry is as down to earth as it can get.  But then Nathanael immediately comprehends something about Jesus, that Jesus knows him, knows his heart.  Jesus tells him that He saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him, and Nathanael is convinced:  "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  But Jesus assures him, He will see much, much greater things than this.  He tells him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  This is a far more profound understanding of the Messiah than even the popular expectations of the Jewish people at the time, far greater than a King of Israel.  But Nathanael is rewarded for precisely his down to earth honesty, his complete lack of pretense.  It's a humbly human story, with disciples called one by one, not a mass of people convinced by something miraculous and stupendous in its effect, and a story that is built through a very personal faith which acts in the heart, a knowing of the soul, a recognition.  All of these very human elements in this story are a necessary part of the Incarnation, God's chosen way to make Himself know to His people.  And yet, hidden in plain sight, so to speak, is the very Ladder dreamt of by Joseph, upon whom the angels of God ascend and descend.  Jesus does not come into the world with great fanfare, with huge displays of power, with an overwhelming compulsion for people to follow Him or to do what He says.  He comes out of Nazareth relatively "unknown," but identified by the Holy Spirit to John the Baptist -- and from there, in this intimate personal way, his followers grow one by one, as called by Him, and led by the Baptist who prepared the way.  For this is our very human story, which contains the Creator, the Son of Man and Lord of all that is, Whom we also may carry with us in our human hearts (Revelation 3:20).

 

 

 

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, 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:(29–34) 35–42 

 

Yesterday we read the beginning of Christ's public ministry, which begins with the testimony of John the Baptist.  Now 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."   My study Bible comments that John's declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ is the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, and He offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  According to my study Bible, St. John Chrysostom teaches that Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make this declaration, and thereby 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."  That the Spirit remained upon Him, my study Bible says, was a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  Christ did not receive the Holy Spirit at His Baptism; this vision which John saw was a revelation of the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested on Christ.  This completes the second day given in St. John's Gospel; as John the Baptist declares that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than John's own baptism of repentance, which was performed with water on earth.  This is a parallel to the separation of water above from water below on the second day of creation in Genesis 1:6-8.

 

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, 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).  Here we are given the third day in St. John's Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ gathers to be His own, one of whom Jesus declares to be the foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  This parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  These first disciples now called by Christ had been followers of John.  They are Andrew and Simon (also known as Peter, or Cephas).  On the following day (in our next reading), there will be two more disciples called by Jesus.  There is yet another disciple who is unnamed here; according to some patristic commentary he is John the Evangelist himself, author of this Gospel.  My study Bible explains that it was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13).  

 

St. John the Evangelist begins his Gospel with the words "In the beginning," paralleling Genesis and the creation story. What follows his Prologue, so far in this first chapter of his Gospel, is a day by day account of Christ's public ministry.  In so doing, St. John gives us a glimpse into the building of this ministry, and what we notice, just as the Gospel builds this story by approaching it day by day, is that nothing happens simply by fiat.  That is, Christ starts small, and goes step by step.  He doesn't immediately declare the establishment of His Church, although one would consider that Christ, as Second Person of the Trinity and Son, can do anything He wants to.  Instead, just as the story of the Incarnation is essential to our understanding of Christ, Jesus' building of His Church and His public ministry is part of the Incarnation, and, we can extrapolate, the "work" of the Incarnation.  In understanding the purpose of Christ, as God, becoming a human being, the theology of the Church teaches us (notably according to St. Athanasius of Alexandria) that Christ was meant to assume all aspects of humanity in order to bring healing to all aspects of our lives.  This would include the things by which all human endeavors are bound, such as time and space, the communication necessary between people, and perhaps most notably the interpersonal connections shaped in the reality of Creator to creature as manifested through the Incarnation.  Christ, as the Good Shepherd (as He will call Himself) calls to His sheep, and knows them all by name, as they know Him.  See John 10:1-6.  Ironically, when Jesus makes this statement about Himself in chapter 10 of this Gospel, the religious leadership has no idea what He is talking about, but their expectations of the Messiah are all to be confounded in those who lack faith.  But we, through the benefit of the understanding in the mind of the Church, can appreciate that Christ's work in this world is, in particular, the specific work of the Incarnation, meant to take on all aspects of humanity even as Christ remains fully divine, in order to heal the world and fulfill all righteousness.  So, as we readers seek our own understanding of our faith, let us take heart that for our Creator, all aspects of the human experience and the building of His Church are crucially important to assume, and so this teaches us as well that our perfectly human endeavors also may shine with the light of Christ, even as we build what is good in our lives, bit by bit, person by person, drop by drop (so to speak).  Let us hastily admit here that it remains to be seen throughout the reading of this Gospel just how imperfect even these chosen disciples can be in their understanding and reception of His teachings.  When we question our own capacities to build up something in our lives, let us not be impatient with ourselves and with the reality of the nature of life in this world, for even our Lord has done the same, started small, and through His grace and presence enshrined and made holy even the smallest of endeavors.  Let us continue in all ways in our lives to seek to embody the things which Christ teaches us, acting and calling upon His name, His light, to guide us and help us.  Let us remain in His peace, and grow in patience and strength, as we are able (see also Galatians 5:22-23).  May the grace of our Lord inform all our endeavors, even those which don't always work the ways we wanted them to (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

 

 

 

 

We have found the Messiah

 

 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 Jon 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 

 

Yesterday we were given the second day (paralleling the creation story of Genesis) of the beginning of Christ's ministry, the testimony of John the Baptist: 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 Jon 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 that the Lord's first disciples had been followers of John the Baptist.  They were Andrew; Simon (also known as Peter), or Cephas;  Philip and Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew), both of whom we will read about in tomorrow's reading; and an unnamed disciple, whom some patristic commentary say was John, the author of the Gospel.  It was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13). 

 

Today's reading encompasses the third day of the beginning of the story of Christ's ministry.  Here in today's reading, John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ then gathers to be His own.  One of them He declares to be the foundation of the Church (see also Matthew 16:18).  As this Gospel began with the words, "In the beginning" (John 1:1), suggesting the creation story of Genesis (Genesis 1:1), so each day also parallels a day of that creation story.  Today's reading parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  In the story of creation in Genesis, we find that God brings order out of chaos, and fills the world with good things, establishing both order and creativity.  Here John's ministry takes the shape of its fullness by John leading his disciples to Christ, following his testimony to Jesus as the Christ in yesterday's reading (the second day in the unfolding of Christ's ministry).  We could suggest the parallel to the creation story gives us Logos Himself -- both the organizing and creative principle of existence -- as the center of all things.  John the Baptist plays his role by revealing Logos to the world, and also gathering his own disciples to the Christ, thus filling the world with good things, even children to the Lord.  In our own lives, we might consider this same pattern and how it can be set down for us -- and set into motion: a blessed and good way of life.  We first place the Lord at the center of all things in life, for He is the creative and organizing principle Himself in His Person.  He is the Logos.  In John 1:1, the Greek word Logos is translated as "Word" ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God").  This, of course, refers to Jesus Christ, whom we know is the eternal Son of God.  My study Bible commented on that verse that Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word" -- all of these are attributes of the Son of God.  So, when we first place Jesus our Lord at the center of our lives, it is all of these properties of Logos that we are putting front and center in life, and as we pray and as we worship and structure our lives around Christ, so we are bringing the energies of those properties into our lives as well.  We participate in His life through prayer and worship practices and following the things He teaches (such as almsgiving, fasting, repentance, etc.) and in this way we ally with His energies.  This process is called "Theosis" in the Orthodox Christian tradition.  But by putting this principle of Logos first in our lives as the center of our focus, we bring organization, order, creativity, and all that Christ offers into our homes and our lives, into our families and relationships.  This is the story of the unfolding of Christ's ministry, where first John the Baptist serves Christ by revealing Him to the world, and then draws his own disciples to Jesus.  So we can do the same ourselves in our lives.  We can first put Christ in the center, knowing and learning and growing in our understanding of Him, and after that we seek to grow all things in our lives as things which serve Christ.  Whatever we do, whatever we choose, whatever steps we take, whatever we create in our lives, follows the pattern of creatively serving Christ and filling our lives with good things.  In our own practice of discipleship, we seek this constant pattern, so that we in turn are ordered, creative, and serving and enhancing the good with all we produce.  Christ has life in Himself, and the things that come from the Lord remain dynamic, creative, original, unique, and a constant marvel, such as the myriad saints that come from our faith, all of whom are unique and show us original ways in which their uniqueness is magnified in ways that serve God.  In this sense, we return the gift of our lives to our Creator, and in turn our Creator blesses us with ways to serve, to be a true part of this dynamic unfolding creation, and its salvation in Him.  Let us consider this pattern, and the growth of Christ's disciples and ministry, and how that pattern can work and unfold as well in our own lives.  In today's reading, Simon is brought to Christ, and he is revealed by Christ to be Cephas, or Peter (from the Greek Petros, meaning a Stone); that is, he is revealed by the Lord to be the foundation of the Church.  So we also may seek the Lord, and He in turn reveals to us who we are, giving us life and ministry and a way to lead our lives.

 

 

Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

 

 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."

 

- John 1:29–34 

 

Yesterday we were given the parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee, found in St. Luke's Gospel:   Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  For the previous reading in St. John's Gospel to today's, please see Tuesday's reading.

 

  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."  My study Bible comments that John's declaring Jesus as the 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).  My study Bible adds that, according to St. John Chrysostom, Jesus came to John this second time so that John could make this declaration.  Therefore it would stop anyone from thinking 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."   That the Spirit remained upon Jesus is a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  This does not indicate that Jesus received the Holy Spirit first at His Baptism.  Instead, this is a vision that John saw which revealed the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested upon Christ, the Son.

 

 In today's reading, John the Baptist brings into fullness his destiny to introduce the world to Jesus the Messiah, the Lamb of God.  We know that John has already indicated of himself that he is "'the voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." (quoting from Isaiah 40:3).  In other words, John has already identified himself as the fulfillment of this part of the prophesy of Isaiah:  the one who heralds the coming of the Messiah, and prepares the people to receive Him.  Today his identity comes to its apex, when he presents Jesus as the Lamb of God, the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, upon whom the Spirit sits as clear indication that He is the Christ.  This clear fulfillment of the ministry and identity of John the Baptist gives us a sense of how God works in the world and through creation.  God does not work alone, but brings each of us into the entirety of the salvation story.  God works through God's ministers, the angels, through saints (holy human beings like John), prophets, and others.  And finally, God works through the Incarnation of His Son as the human being Jesus to bring us the Christ, fully divine and fully human.  There is only one Son, and that is Jesus Christ.  But just as Christ is unique in His identity in the story of salvation and of existence, so each one of us -- like John the Baptist -- may also have our own place, our own identity, to fulfill within the salvation story and in service to Christ.  John is an exemplary saint.  Only Mary the Theotokos, the Mother of God, has a similar place on the iconostasis of an Orthodox Church; she is always on Christ's right, while John is on His left.  In other words, John (and the Theotokos) so fully embrace the holiness that is possible for them, that they attain this exalted saintly stature as human beings through their lives.  They both fulfill to a maximal degree the identity that Christ offers as God shares with each of us the capacity to participate in the salvation story.  There is such a deep and complete communion given through God's act of creation that we are all invited in to participate to the greatest degree possible, and this happens by a gift of God and through faith.  In today's story, John fulfills his destiny by presenting the Lamb of God to the world, and witnessing the full truth of Christ's identity, testifying to all that He is the One upon whom the Holy Spirit rests.  This is John's exalted honor, his great place of tremendous grace, to fulfill this service.  Each one of us, then, taking John as example, should consider, throughout this Lent as we approach Resurrection, what role Christ asks of us, how we may serve.  For we, too, may embody holiness should we embrace our faith and devote ourselves to the grace He offers us, and we do this through all the practices we're given in Lent, all the ways we are invited to participate.  We can pray, we fast, we give alms, but perhaps most of all we make time for God in that secret place and in ways not spectacular but hidden from the world in our heart and in the inner room we make for contemplative prayer (Matthew 6:6).   For it is in seeking God who sees in secret, and who is in the secret place, that we find ourselves.   Let us take this secret place seriously, for Jesus has told us that it is there we find our Father, and there we must be to meet Him. 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit

 

 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."

 

- John 1:29-34 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, from Luke's Gospel.   It is a parable that sets the tone for Lent.  Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  For the verses in John's Gospel just prior to today's see Tuesday's reading and commentary.

 

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."  This is the second day of seven given in John's Gospel, in this story of the begining of Christ's public ministry.  My study Bible comments here that John's declaration of Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  It notes that Christ is the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, and He offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  My study Bible further cites St. John Chrysostom as teaching that Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make this declaration, and thereby 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."  My study Bible asks us to note that the text tells us the Spirit remained upon Him.  It remarks that we are to understand this as 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.  In this second day given in John's Gospel, John the Baptist declares that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than John's own baptism of repentance, which was performed with water on earth.  This parallels the separation of water above from the water below on the second day in Genesis 6:1-8.  

In our previous reading and commentary from John's Gospel (on Tuesday), we noted how John the Baptist acts from faith.  We must differentiate faith from knowing with certainty, or with proofs.  John the Baptist, in today's reading, declares about Jesus, whom He has just pronounced the Lamb of God, "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."  This was a revelation to John in the right moment in time, the moment God chose for the revelation of Jesus to John, and for John to reveal to his disciples (from among whom will come the first disciples of Jesus).  It is highly significant that we understand how much faith plays a role in all that we do and all that we know.  John has been baptizing in his ministry of repentance all along, in expectation of the Messiah, but without knowing precisely who the Messiah is.  Here, the Messiah is revealed also as the Lamb of God.  Again, the language is so important here, because what has been revealed to John the Baptist is Jesus as the Lamb which will be the ultimate sacrifice, the one sacrifice for all of us to come, for all time.  He is that Paschal lamb, which would be shared in the Eucharist for the life of the Church, and which unites the whole community of the people of God, including those who were to come from among the Gentiles.  This is how we understand Jesus as the Lamb of God.  In the ancient world, sacrifice was common to virtually all religions.  In the sacrifice, a meal was prepared to share among whichever god (God) was worshiped and with the people of that deity.  For the Jews, we can read from the Old Testament, the entire system of sacrifice and temple worship was about uniting the people and making community -- with God and in righteousness.  So it was also a reflection of the other, pagan religions and their own varied gods.  Even though distinct from the Jews, the sacrifice system had this similar concept of a communal meal.  With Christ as the Lamb of God, we are to understand, with every Eucharist, that this is our communal meal, and He Himself is the One sacrifice that unites and feeds the community.  This concept of sacrifice is similar to the idea of inviting a friend over, or preparing a meal for family:  one gives and another receives, but the whole purpose is for community, for peace, for friendship, for love.  Our Eucharist continues to embody this understanding.  But without faith, this cannot exist.  Without faith, John the Baptist could not engage in his ministry of baptism in preparation for the Messiah whom he did not know until it was revealed to him by the same One who sent him to baptize with water.  John the Baptist is a towering figure, widely revered as a holy man in his own time, but who bridges the Old and the New Testaments, linking the old covenant with the new.  But all of that happens only through faith.  And so it is that we must also view our own lives in faith, for this remains very important and of the essence to who we are as followers of Jesus Christ.  We don't live by proofs or certainty, but by something else that leads us just as John the Baptist was also led.  In this we join in community with all the "great cloud of witnesses," with the saints and faithful who are uncountable who've come before us, with those who also worship with us in heaven, who live to God.  We join in this great community also through the Lamb of God, just as John the Baptist was joined by faith in the story of salvation.  Let us rest in that faith, take heart in it, and know that faith also means unknowing.  It means we follow even what we cannot fully know nor comprehend, for no one can fully know nor comprehend God save God.  We live in an age that somehow demands certainty and proofs, photos and links, can call almost anything disinformation through logical fallacy or omission, and in which we have all new technology through which to scatter doubts and fears -- and just as potent "certainties."  But we live by faith; we live by faith in something that has proven itself over and over again through the human experience of God's love and redemptive power at work in our lives and through the faith of those who've come before us, those who witness to us daily through their own prayers and righteous lives because of the love of God.  If there is any sort of certainty that we can pick for ourselves, let us choose to be certain that faith may lead us to love and to the righteousness that makes beauty, adds luster to life even in the darkest of circumstances, redeems us from what is desperate and even without hope.  It is there we take heart and our forward direction, because after all, what does the world offer that is preferable to that which we have seen and known?  In Hebrews 11:1, St. Paul writes that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  He adds, "For by it the elders obtained a good testimony."  And this is where we start today, with the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.  For by it we have obtained the good testimony of John the Baptist that Christ is the Lamb and Son of God, a testimony in which so many have joined.

 

 

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)

 

 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 the testimony of John the Baptist, 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."  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."  This is the second day given in John's Gospel, in a parallel to the creation story in Genesis.  John the baptist declares here that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than his own baptism of repentance, performed with earthly water alone.  We should note in this context that when Jesus discusses Christian baptism with Nicodemus in chapter 3, the words translated as "born again" literally mean "born from above" in the Greek text (John 3:1-8).   My study Bible suggests this parallels the separation of water above from the water below on the second day in Genesis 1:6-8.   My study Bible also comments that John's declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ is the true Paschal or Passover Lamb, and offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  My study Bible also cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that Jesus came to John the Baptist this second time in order for John to make this declaration, thereby stopping anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins.  Note also that the Spirit remained upon Him; this is considered in tradition a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  In other words, He did not receive the Holy Spirit at His Baptism.  Instead, this vision which 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).  Christ's first disciples were already followers of John the Baptist.  They were Andrew; Simon (also known as Peter, or Cephas); Philip and Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew; see verses 43-45); and an unnamed disciple here in today's passage, who some patristic commentaries say was John the Evangelist, author of this Gospel.  It was a common literary device, my study Bible says, for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13).  This is the third day given in John's Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ gathers to be His own, declaring Simon (Peter) Cephas, meaning A Stone, and revealing him 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.

In yesterday's reading and commentary we remarked upon the understanding that it is in being face to face with Christ that we find our true identity, true self.  St. John the Baptist shows himself (again in yesterday's reading, above) as one who is supremely humble before Christ, and thereby apprehends entirely his place in salvation history as prophet, and last in the lineage of the Old Testament prophets, herald of the Christ.  In today's reading, we are given a taste of the same phenomenon regarding identity, when Jesus names Simon Cephas, or A Stone.  The name "Peter" is also derived from the Greek version of this name, Petros, meaning Stone.  As we read in the Gospels, Peter is practically anything but a stable stone to begin with.  He is frequently carried away by his emotions.  He challenges Christ's prophecy of His death by denying that this was even conceivable, and in so doing is "rewarded" with a remarkable rebuke from Jesus ("Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" - Matthew 16:23).  He fails to stay awake and pray with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" - Matthew 26:40-41).  Of course we all know about his denial that he was a disciple of Christ three times before a servant girl, while Jesus was on trial inside the home of the Chief Priest (see Matthew 26:69-76), deeply humiliating and disappointing himself.  But it is Peter who confesses Jesus to be Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16), and it is upon this rock of faith that Christ says He will build His Church.  Of course, Peter would go on to be a great leader and spokesperson among the apostles, leading the Church in its birth and infancy, and dying a death of martyrdom, also prophesied by Christ in this Gospel (John 21:15-19).  So, in today's reading, when we read, 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), it is clear that this is a revelation of identity that no one else knows:   not Peter, not his brother Andrew, nor none of the disciples.  It is an identity that would not surface in its fullness until much, much later, and would be revealed through Peter's life subsequent to Pentecost, and in its fullness only in the duration of Peter's life.  But nevertheless it is yet another demonstration about identity found only in our relationship to Christ.  The Lord is called the "heart-knower" (Acts 1:24), rendered a single word in Greek:  καρδιογνώστης/kardiognostes.  For those who would follow Him, it is in the relationship -- specifically in a life of prayer and also participation in the other sacraments and worship of the Church -- that we come to find ourselves, to know ourselves, as it is Christ who truly reveals the heart.  We may seek to imitate and adopt all kinds of things and images we learn from the world around us, but the depths of the heart are found there, in a prayerful life, and in the realities of the struggle for faith and truth we will find in such a life with Christ.  

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)

 

 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 

 

Yesterday, we were given the "second day" in John's Gospel, in the story of the beginning of Jesus' ministry (see here for the first):   John the Baptist 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).   In the context of the orientation toward Genesis in this first chapter of John's Gospel (which evoked Genesis 1 by commencing with the words, "In the beginning" -- see this reading), we are now given the third day of Jesus' ministry.  Here we observe that Christ's first disciples had first been followers of John the Baptist.   They are Andrew and Simon, who would come to be known as Peter, here also called Cephas.  Peter is the Anglicized Greek "Petros" which means "Stone," and is a translation of the Hebrew/Aramaic Cephas.  In the following reading (giving us the fourth day), two more disciples will be named who were originally disciples of John the Baptist (Philip and Nathanael, also known as Bartholomew).  Looking at today's text closely, we see also there is an unnamed disciple who is frequently presumed to be John, the author of this Gospel.  My study bible explains that it was a common literary device for a writer not to give one's own name (see Luke 24:13).  In this third day given in John's Gospel, John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ gathers to be Hi sown, and one of whom He declares to be the foundation of the Church (when He declares Simon the son of Jonah to be called Cephas, or Peter).   My study bible says this parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.

 

 What does it mean that Peter is proclaimed by Jesus to be called Cephas, or "A Stone"?  St. Peter himself would go on to write about the living stones in the Church, extending his name into yet new meanings that apply to all of us.  He writes, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.'  Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” and 'A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.'  They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed" (1 Peter 2:4-8).  St. Peter quotes from Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22, and Isaiah 8:4, and clearly refers to Christ in so doing (just as Christ was referring to Himself by quoting this verse from Psalm 118 in telling to the religious leaders the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers (Matthew 21:33-43).  But taking his name as assigned by Christ, and extending that metaphor of stones to each one of us -- each one who is faithful -- Peter shares his name with the rest of us.  He not only becomes the foundation of the Church, as declared by Christ, but also tells to each one of us that we are each essential to the building up of this Church.  Our faith has everything to do with whether or not we are living stones, as it is Peter's confession of faith which is tied to his name being given by Christ in  Matthew's Gospel; see Matthew 16:13–20, Mark 8:27–30, Luke 9:18–21.  So, when we pay our attention to Peter's letter, and to his teaching regarding the "living stones," it is important to understand that his teaching is activated and made real via faith.  This is the mystical reality of the Church, which we cannot separate from the fullness of what the Church truly is or how it manifests itself in the world.  Peter speaks on behalf of all of the apostles when he makes his confession of faith, but here in his letter, he expands his own experience of faith, and Christ's confidence in that faith, to include all of us who will follow.  We are, indeed, the mystical living stones of the Church.  In order for us to absorb what this means in the fullness of which it is given, we have to understand our Church as a mystical reality.  We are not just tied together by a united slogan, or statement of faith, or Creed.  We are tied together by a mystical reality which is made real in faith, just as Jesus' miraculous healings are always tied to faith, and he can do no "great works" where there is no faith.  Faith adds an entirely new dimension to our lives, ties us into participation in the life of Christ, and communion in the kingdom of heaven.  It is on this basis that Jesus looks at Peter in today's reading, and peers deeply into Peter's capacity for faith, and assigns him the name that means A Stone.  Peter testifies to all of us and on behalf of all when he writes that we are "chosen by God and precious," and that we are "being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."  This mystical reality continues as each in turn is called and believes and lives one's faith, even as part of a holy priesthood.  When we "offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" we are practicing our priesthood, even as we turn our lives to the place Christ calls us to follow, giving up what might seem the easier way for His way.  We may wonder what each of these stones has to offer the world, as precious jewels, polished and honed, showing forth brilliant colors from and through the prisms God's light shines through each facet of a life of faith.  Let us consider and not neglect our mystical life here in Lent, and find a way to deepen our communion with Him, and with the saints like Peter, who inform us about our faith and teach us who we are.   For in his testimony he truly gives us our foundation, as Christ has said.