“Ecce Agnus Dei” is a photograph by Lawrence OP of a Detail of a window in Chartres Cathedral which depicts today’s Gospel reading.
START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 1:29-42
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OBSERVE:
We receive a glimpse into the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. This is a time of transition. John has been preaching repentance and he has been baptizing in the Jordan River, but he has been keenly aware that his own role was preparatory. Now, the one for whom he was preparing has come!
The day before the events in our Scripture passage, John had answered several questions from priests and Levites, who already seemed hostile. He made it clear that he was neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet that they were expecting (these were all titles from Messianic prophecies from their Scriptures) — he was simply a messenger who was preparing the way of the Lord:
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said (John 1:23).
In our lectionary Gospel passage, a day later, he sees Jesus and announces:
“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 didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to Israel.”
An entire theology of salvation is hinted at in John’s words. Supernaturally, John understands that Jesus is the Lamb of God, i.e., he is to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin, superseding the temple sacrifices that were inadequate to remove sin. John also sees what the writer of the Gospel sees — that Jesus is the preexistent Son of God, who existed before John did.
How does he know these things?
John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
Although John’s Gospel doesn’t describe the baptism of Jesus, this is essentially the same description given by the Synoptic Gospels when Jesus is baptized by John (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). What is clear is that the Holy Spirit confirms the divine nature of Jesus, and Jesus introduces a new baptism in the Holy Spirit. This a baptism of power, not merely water.
John continues his ministry by directing even his own disciples toward Jesus. When he sees Jesus again the next day, he declares to two of his disciples:
“Behold, the Lamb of God!”
They take the hint. They are no longer to follow John; they are to follow Jesus. Immediately, they begin walking after Jesus, who turns and says to them:
What are you looking for?
They themselves seem not to understand what they are seeking — they simply blurt out:
“Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?”
These are the first two of Jesus’ followers; his first disciples. They haven’t responded to any miracle, or even any great teaching, that Jesus has offered. They have responded to the testimony of John. And Jesus doesn’t offer much yet. He simply answers:
Come, and see.
It is seemingly an inauspicious beginning. The two men stay with Jesus that day, beginning at about four o’clock in the afternoon, we are told. We aren’t told what they did, or what they talked about. But we know that one of the disciples was moved to become the second witness after John the Baptist. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, went looking for his brother and blurts out:
“We have found the Messiah!” (which is, being interpreted, Christ).
Again, there is an economy of words and description. We don’t have the calling of the Big Fisherman by the Sea of Galilee, or the boats or the nets, as we have in the other Gospels (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20). Andrew, who will become known as a disciple who brings others to Jesus, brings his big brother to Jesus.
And in a divine foreshadowing, Jesus recognizes who this Simon is (Simon the son of Jonah), and who he will become — Cephas (Cephas is Aramaic for Rock, as Peter is the Greek word for Rock).
APPLY:
The most important thing we can do as Christians is exactly what John and Andrew do — point others toward Jesus.
Neither of them are particularly “showy” as they testify about Jesus. John simply announces that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John recognizes that the work of Jesus is everything, and that his task is to point others toward Jesus. A little later, John’s disciples will grow jealous of the new Rabbi who is drawing people away from John, and will tattle to him about this new upstart. But John knows his own role quite well. He tells his followers:
You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This, my joy, therefore is made full. He must increase, but I must decrease (John 4:28-30).
Andrew is also not one to draw attention to himself. He spends time with Jesus, becomes convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, and shares what he has experienced with his brother.
This is evangelism. When we become aware that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and the Son of God, the most natural thing that we can do is to tell others what we have experienced. If we tell no one this life-changing news, have we truly experienced it for ourselves?
RESPOND:
Wouldn’t you have loved to be present at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry? The only concern I would have is that I might have missed it. I might have misunderstood, like so many others did. I might have questioned the credentials of this carpenter from Nazareth, or his crazy cousin from the desert.
I thank God that in my own time and my own context, I haven’t missed out on meeting Jesus! I too have come to recognize that he is the Lamb of God who has taken away my sins, and given my life purpose and meaning. And I have made it my life’s work to tell others.
May we share this truth by whatever means we can — with those who are close to us, as John did; with our family members, as Andrew did.
You come into our midst, and when we recognize you we respond in faith. We ask that you equip and empower us to tell others about you. We aren’t all apostles, or even preachers, but we can be like Andrew and bring others with us to meet you. Amen.
PHOTO:
“Ecce Agnus Dei” by Lawrence OP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
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