John 1:29-34
2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, year A.
Questions
1. What strikes you about this passage and how does it speak to you?
2. Is there anything in my comments that you find interesting?
3. If someone asked you, Who is Jesus?, how would you answer?
4. How do you understand sacrifice? Is it a concept that you are comfortable with? How would you explain it to a non Christian?
6. Anything else!
Full Text
‘It was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water’
Today we continue the theme of manifestation from the Epiphany and Baptism. Jesus is first of all manifest to John the Baptist by the Spirit who comes from heaven and rests on him like a dove. And he in turn reveals Jesus to Israel, that is in fact the mission of John the Baptist.
How is Jesus revealed? In this short passage he is given three names
- ‘Look, there is the lamb of God’ John 1:29.‘the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit’ John 1:33‘He is the Chosen One of God’ John 1:34
As the chapter continues, the Evangelist gives us numerous other names for Jesus, from each of the disciples as they meet Jesus. Incidentally, several of the disciples are given names too. But to focus on Jesus
- Andrew, ‘we have found the Christ’Philip, ‘we have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.Nathanael, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel’
Finally, Jesus himself says, ‘you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of man’. So Jesus calls himself Son of man.
So, the question is surely, who is Jesus? And maybe, what is he going to do, what is his mission? I find this a fascinating question, who is this man?
I have been thinking about Jesus as ‘Lamb of God’. Personally I find this an ambiguous image. It’s attractive in that lambs are sweet and woolly and gentle, but less attractive when I think about the ultimate fate of most lambs, to be eaten. And surely this is the point, Jesus will have a similar fate. The lamb dies to give life to the one who eats it, all human beings have to eat other living things (plants and animals) in order to live themselves, that is how nature works.
But a difference is that the lamb has its life taken away it has no choice, Jesus chose to give himself in the eucharist. Jesus died to give eternal life to those of us who eat his body and drink his blood. So right at the beginning of his Gospel, we are reminded, this has to be read in the light of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is essential to who Jesus is.
The notion of sacrifice is not something that many people find easy to understand today, including me. But it is central to the new testament, therefore I don’t feel I can ignore it. St Therese of Lisieux loved the image of the rose giving its petals, she said that to her the rose that has lost all its petals is more beautiful than the one in full bloom, because it is given. I find that quite a challenging idea. Do I see the beauty of a young mother who is grey from fatigue and somewhat grumpy after being up night after night with her baby? Do I see the beauty of a cyclist who is trying to reduce global warming or do I just get irritated because they are slowing down my car? Do I see the beauty of migrants who risk everything to try to find a better life for themselves and their children?
Do I see the beauty of Jesus who was the Lamb of God and died on a cross?
But I think that what Jesus says about himself is crucial, ‘you will see heaven open’. Jesus has come to open heaven, to enter into eternal life, and to open the way to eternal life for us. Death was not the point, life was the point. Just giving things up, just being miserable, just suffering, - that’s not really Christian sacrifice, the sacrifice we are talking about gives life. Jesus says, ‘I have come that they may have life, and in abundance.’
This links with John the baptist’s third title for Jesus, ‘He is the Chosen one of God’. Jesus did not act from his own human power, but God acted through him. This is also a central theme of St John’s Gospel, that Jesus comes from God and acts with the power of God. Jesus is open to God and full of God in a unique way.
So right from chapter 1 of St John’s Gospel, the question is asked, ‘Who is Jesus?’ and ‘What has Jesus come to accomplish?’