Come and See – The Lamb – 22/01/2023
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, “A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’
32 Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.” 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.’
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’
They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’
39 ‘Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter).
Sam Kekovich, the Australia Day Lamb advert man, might be interested in this bible text, come Australia Day. It is focussed on Lamb!
Different ‘Lamb’ though. Not a tasty little sheep but an adult human being: not roasted, but baptised. But similar on one way – like a lamb, Jesus is set to die so we live.
Strange way to speak of someone isn’t it, “Lamb of God”?
This day down by the river, John sees this particular man in the que. It is his cousin. But more … John seems to instantly know that Jesus is not your average sinner or cousin!
29 … John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look,’ the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
To everyone in earshot, John is saying that this ‘Lamb’ does not fill your stomach but forgives all your sinning pride and weakness inside. Good Lamb, Sam!
But, ‘Lamb of God’?
- Their minds would flash to last Passover with the family and Exodus from Egypt.
- Then to Isaiah about the Suffering Servant being ‘led like a lamb to be slaughtered’ (Isaiah 53:7), and, or course,
- the temple with all of its sacrificial animals and gifts …, but particularly the lamb that is slaughtered in the temple by the priest for the sins of the whole nation once a year on the day of Yom Kippur – the ‘Day of Atonement’.
There is a lot in this ‘Lamb’. Jesus’ obvious singular purpose is stated here by John: He is the One who;
‘…. takes away the sin of the world’
He is here to somehow ‘take away’ human destructive behaviour that kills community, destroys the planet and bight the hand that feeds them.
He will have to do something extraordinary to achieve his goal, because this destructive human way comes from a deeply tainted human heart.
It is this ongoing natural tendency of the human heart to put no faith in the grace of God in this Jesus, and simply trust itself and just about anyone and anything else more than this Lamb of God that this sacrificial Lamb had to deal with.
Jesus did. We know what he, that Suffering Servant, goes on to do. He heads into vicious places with conniving people, ignorant people, self-interested people, or just unknowing, lost people in lost places.
So, this Lamb is more like a lion – he is on the hunt to seek, to find, to heal, to bless, to love, to forgive, to speak good news into many a person’s heart.
The very next day we see this Lamb go looking.
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’
They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’
The first words this Lamb on the lookout for disciples speaks is a question.
They ask a question in response to the question:
They ask a question in response to the question:
“Where are you staying?”
And then the invitation from this Lamb on the lookout; this man who will take away the barrier between the Father, and his loved creation once and for all by his own slaughter and rising …
39 ‘Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’
They did, and because they did and many more did, we have come and seen that the Lord is good.
The question today still stands. “What do you want?”.
Do you want to go with him, be with him and learn anything from him?
Would you trust this Jesus and all he is and has done to want him?
Do we believe this Jesus has a whole new community, a whole new creation, a whole new planet, a whole new peace, for the lost sheep, the blemished lambs: you and me, right here in the trouble and suffering and evil we face, within and without?
It only took one question, one simple heart-felt response to Jesus invitation to come and see this new hope and joy for living.
… they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him
Why did they go?
That is clear from the title they named him – “Rabbi”. ‘Teacher’. Teachers teach. They obviously went with him to learn.
Jesus has never stopped seeking lost sheep, tainted sheep, sheep on the way to certain death as they head for dangerous territory with many predators in waiting out there in the dark away, from the light.
The Good Shepherd who paid for you in his own blood offers you a life free from that dark, that fear, that destructive behaviour, that troublesome body and mind, those hurtful words and actions again.
“Come and see”, he says.
But will you. Will I?
“What do you want?
Do you we really want to learn anything from him today?
We spend a lot of time trying to find peace for our many wrongs and troubles and pains and losses by our own goodness and effort and technology and money, and…. the list goes on.
Would you ask him today;
“Where are you staying?”
“Where are you in my life at the moment, Jesus? I know I need to be with you to hear and see you and learn from you for this success or this trouble I am experiencing, these wins I am having or these mistakes I am making, this victory I am enjoying or this regret I am carrying, this pride I am abiding or this fear I’m hiding”.
How?
Be with him and listen in;
- His Scripture in public and alone
- His Sacrament gifts of grace for you
- His worshipping community in whatever place.
With those constant gifts you might do’ an Andrew’ with your kids, your parents, your mates, your colleagues….
41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
In the birth or a baby or the death of a loved one, the times when you are at your prime and the times when you are in decline, the time when you have had a win and the time when we you know you feel like a loser – what we do is help them – invite them – speak with them – point them to this Jesus. Our mission is to ‘bring them to Jesus’.
And in it all we are fully seen and known.
As John named Jesus, ‘the Lamb of God’, So Jesus names us with a name that describes something of who we are and what our part will be. Peter got his name straight away.
Jesus looked at him (Simon) and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter).
Friends, you go by the name you were given by your parents, but you are becoming the person Jesus knows you to be.
I am not exactly sure what his exact name for you is. We will one day. At the last day you will hear The Lamb speak the name he has been calling you all along.
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
Can’t wait to learn my real name, and yours!
Until then, you and I have our lamb who is our Shepherd and his mission. We have out Teacher and his teaching for being with him and learning from him in this mission all the way through.
What else would you want?
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