012220B- Jn1. 29-42
First, we get HIT with a rather confusing statement or “a comment in passing.”
It comes from the mouth of John the Baptizer.
He’s that WILD GUY out there in the desert, EATING all kinds of strange things and WEARING a crazy-funky- animal-skin-tunic.
When the Baptizer sees Jesus, he shouts out, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
It is kind of a RANDOM COMMENT and seemingly COMES out of nowhere…
To us and for us it is kind of a MEANINGLESS statement to make…
And it IS NOT exactly the “kind of statement” you would expect to be YELLED OUT publicly.
When we think of LAMBS, we think of cute, cuddly, soft, fuzzy animals at a children’s petting zoo. You see them being bottle-fed…and can hear them bleating…or hear small little children going Baa-baa. Aww…so cute!
So obviously, a LAMB in Jesus’ culture was VIEWED differently…from OURS.
Over time the LAMB became a rather SIGNIFICANT SYMBOL for the nation of Israel-itself.
A lamb represented “the much repeated process” of God RESCUING his people over and over again…just like a shepherd rescues his SHEEP.
When the Israelites were SLAVES in Egypt, God told the people to take the BLOOD of a LAMB and spread it on their DOORPOSTS.
When the ANGEL OF DEATH came through the land to kill the FIRSTBORN SON, if it SAW the LAMB’S BLOOD on the doorposts it would PASSOVER the house and SPARE or SAVE THE CHILD inside.
Because of this story, the LAMB became a SYMBOL of God’s FAITHFULNESS and his DELIVERANCE.
MANY years BEFORE Israel and JUDAH had become EXILED IN ASSYRIA and BABYLON, the prophet Isaiah had said that God would raise up A SERVANT to DELIVER the people. He would be “a SUFFERING SERVANT.”
The word for LAMB could mean either a LAMB or a SERVANT.
So, in essence, John was PROCLAIMING TO the nation of Israel: “Hey everybody, (listen up) we all know that we are under the OPPRESSION of another major power. Well, GUESS who showed up?”
Come on, guess?
YEP, IT IS NONE OTHER than the LAMB OF GOD. He will shed HIS BLOOD so that we might be FORGIVEN of our sins…and BE SAVED.
That leads us to the NEXT BIG moment in the text…when an important question gets raised!
Jesus shows up AGAIN and John yells out a second time…“Behold, the lamb of God.”
THIS TIME two of John’s disciples actually LEAVE John and immediately start following after Jesus.
Jesus turns to the guys and says, “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
They say, “Teacher, WHERE are you STAYING.” Jesus says, “Come and See.” …Then, they go spend the day with Jesus and Andrew is SO CHANGED by it – he goes to find his brother, Simon.
At first glance this may seem like and INCIDENTAL SCENE with trivial information in it.
BUT EVERYTHING in the gospels has meaning in it and to it.
WHAT are YOU LOOKING FOR?
IS REALLY a very fundamental question ALL BELIEVERS should ask themselves.
The good news is found in HOW the disciples respond. They don’t give him an answer. They ask him a question. “Teacher, WHERE do you stay?”
The word used here is A BIG DEAL.
The Greek word “meno” means to ABIDE, to DWELL or to REMAIN. This is a “central theme” for John’s Gospel.
In John 15, at the END of the story, Jesus tells his disciples, “If you REMAIN IN ME, and I in YOU, then you will bear MUCH FRUIT.”
It is ALL about a relationship WITH GOD.
There is GIVE AND TAKE.
IT IS a MUTUAL relationship. It is a loving, forgiving and merciful relationship. It is to be an enduring-on-going-relationship.
A relationship that is STRONG, DYNAMIC, VITAL and MEANINGFUL and it CHANGES US from the inside out.
It works on US continually…it eats away and gnaws away at us. We are to be better people for it. It challenges us, daily!
It is a relationship for the LONG HAUL, a relationship for LIFE!
And all of this, from a simple comment and a question. Amen…