GOSPEL READING:
John 1:35-4235 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).
Meditation: Who is Jesus for you? John calls Jesus the Lamb
of
God and thus signifies Jesus' mission as the One who redeems
us from
our sins. The blood of the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12)
delivered the
Israelites from their oppression in Egypt and from the plague of
death. The
Lord Jesus freely offered up his life for us on the cross as the
atoning sacrifice
for our sins (1 Corinthians 5:7). The blood which he poured out
for us on
the cross cleanses, heals, and frees us from our slavery to sin,
and from
the "wages of sin which is death" (Romans 6:23) and the
"destruction of both
body and soul in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
It is significant that John was the
son of the priest, Zachariah, who participated in the daily
sacrifice of
a lamb in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29). In
Jesus John
saw the true and only sacrifice which could deliver us from
bondage to sin,
death, and the powers of hell. How did John know the true identity
of Jesus,
as the Son of God and Savior of the world (John 1:29)? The Holy
Spirit revealed
to John Jesus' true nature, such that John bore witness that this
is the
Son of God. How can we be certain that Jesus is truly the Christ,
the Son
of the living God? The Holy Spirit makes the Lord Jesus Christ
known to us
through the gift of faith. God gives us freely of his Spirit that
we may
comprehend - with enlightened minds and eyes of faith - the great
mystery
and plan of God to unite all things in his Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ.
"What do you seek?"
John in his characteristic humility was eager to point beyond
himself to
the Christ (means Anointed One and Messiah). He
did not hesitate to direct his own disciples to the Lord Jesus.
When two of John's disciples began to seek Jesus out, Jesus took
the initiative
to invite them into his company. He did not wait for them to get
his attention.
Instead he met them halfway. He asked them one of the most
fundamental questions
of life: "What are you looking for?" Jesus asks each one of us the
same question:"What are you searching for? Do you know the meaning
and purpose for your
life?" Only God, the Father and Author of life, can answer that
question
and make our purpose fully known to us. That is why the Lord Jesus
invites
each one of us to draw near to himself. He wants us to know him
personally - to know what he came to do for us and what he wants
to offer us.
"Come and see"
"Come and see" is the Lord's invitation for each one of us to
discover the
joy of friendship and communion with the One who made us in love
for love.
Saint Augustine of Hippo reminds us that it is God, our Creator
and Redeemer,
who seeks us out, even when we are not looking for him: "If you
hadn't been
called by God, what could you have done to turn back? Didn't the
very One
who called you when you were opposed to Him make it possible for
you to turn
back?" It is God who initiates and who draws us to himself.
Without his mercy
and help we could not find him on our own.
When we find something of great value it's natural to want to
share the
good news of our discovery with our family, friends, and
neighbors. When
Andrew met Jesus and discovered that he was truly the Messiah, he
immediately
went to his brother Simon and told him the good news. Andrew
brought his
brother to meet Jesus so he could "come and see" for himself. When
Jesus
saw Simon approaching he immediately reached out to Simon in the
same way
he had done for Andrew earlier. Jesus looked at Simon and revealed
that he
knew who Simon was and where he came from even before Simon had
set his eyes
on Jesus. Jesus gave Simon a new name which signified that God had
a personal
call and mission for him. Jesus gave Simon the name "Cephas" which
is the
Aramaic word for "rock". Cephas is translated as Peter (Petros
in
Greek and Petrus in Latin) which also literally means
"rock".
To call someone a "rock" was one of the greatest compliments in
the ancient
world. The rabbis had a saying that when God saw Abraham, he
exclaimed: "I
have discovered a rock to found the world upon." Through Abraham
God established
a nation for himself. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly
was - the
Anointed One (Messiah and Christ) and the
only begotten Son of God.
The New Testament describes the church as a spiritual house or
temple with
each member joined together as living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5).
Faith in
Jesus Christ makes us into rocks or spiritual stones. The Holy
Spirit gives
us the gift of faith to know the Lord Jesus personally, power to
live the
gospel faithfully, and courage to witness the truth and joy of the
Gospel
to others. The Lord Jesus is ever ready to draw us to himself. Do
you
seek to grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Lord Jesus Christ, fill me with the power of your Holy Spirit that I may grow in the knowledge of your great love and truth. Let your Spirit be aflame in my heart that I may joyfully seek to do your will in all things.
Psalm 98:1,7-9
1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The first disciples longing for the Messiah, by John Chrysostom (349-407 AD)
"Andrew, after having stayed with Jesus and after having learned
what he did, did not keep the treasure to himself but hurries and
races to his brother in order to let him know the good things
Jesus has shared with him. But why hasn't John mentioned what they
talked about? How do we know this is why they 'stayed with
him'?... Observe what Andrew says to his brother, 'We have found
the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.' You see
how, in a short time, he demonstrates not only the persuasiveness
of the wise teacher but also his own longing that he had from the
beginning. For this word, 'we have found,' is the expression of a
soul that longs for his presence, looking for his coming from
above, and is so ecstatic when what he is looking for happens that
he hurries to tell others the good news. This is what brotherly
affection, natural friendship, is all about when someone is eager
to extend a hand to another when it comes to spiritual matters.
Also see how he adds the article, for he does not say 'Messiah'
but 'the Messiah.' They were expecting the Christ who would have
nothing in common with the others." (excerpt from HOMILIES
ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 19.1)
