Looking ahead to the Second Sunday in Epiphany: John 1:29-42

Angus Dei or Lamb of God
at St John's, Hills Road, Cambridge

John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is 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 ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter). 

This year we are reading from Matthew’s Gospel, but, in addition, there are a significant number of Sundays when we will be reading from John’s Gospel. This coming Sunday is one. 

“Epiphany” comes from the Greek for “appearance” or “manifestation” and during this Epiphany season we are reading Gospel stories of the first times we see Jesus, as an adult. We began last Sunday, the First Sunday after the Epiphany: the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, with the story of the very first time we see Jesus, coming to be baptized in the river Jordan by his cousin John the Baptist. 

This Sunday we will read the version of events around the baptism of Jesus from John’s Gospel’s.
The Fourth Gospel tells us that when Jesus came to be baptized, he was greeted by John the Baptist with the majestic words: 

“Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

I remember our neighboring rabbi in Hyannis on Cape Cod, remarking that in the historical time of Jesus, a lamb would be sacrificed at Passover as part of the ritual. So Jesus offered his own life, as a sacrifice in self-giving love, to bring us through death into life. Christianity took over the imagery of Jesus as the Lamb of God.

The next day John meaning of course John the Baptist again was standing with wo of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. 

They came and saw …and …remained with him that day.  We are to come and see and remain close to him, in sharing his life we will find him.

The writer of John’s Gospel always goes that writer’s own way and tells a story about Simon Peter first meeting Jesus. Next Sunday we have Jesus stop by the fishing boats to call the disciples to follow him. They leave their nets and follow, and it strikes me as logical and very probable they already had met Jesus and gotten to know him. John’s Gospel tells a story of how they first met Jesus.
  
It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon …He first found his brother, William Temple writes… and so became the first missionary.  (William Temple, Readings in St. John’s Gospel, London: Macmillan,1945, page 28)


That is why the church is here – to tell people about Jesus and bring people to meet him. This is our mission.

He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). 

In ancient Israel the prophets, priests and kings were anointed – holy oil was poured on their heads – as a sign they were chosen by God and sent by God for the work given them to do. All Israel was looking for the coming of “the anointed one” which in Hebrew is Messiah, and in Greek, Christ.

(Andrew) brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter). 

“Petros” is the Greek for Peter’s name, from “rock” or “petra” – the name of the ancient city of Petra across the Dead Sea (in modern Jordan today), hewn out of the rock cliffs.

Curiously, “Cephas” is the Aramaic name transliterated into Greek. Only John’s Gospel does this. Raymond Brown notes:

            … (the play on “Peter” and “rock” is not good in Greek where the former is

Petros and the later is petra; it is perfect in Aramaic where both are kēphâ). Neither Petros in Greek nor Kēphâ in Aramaic is a normal proper name; rather it is a nickname (like American “Rocky”) which would have to be explained by something in Simon’s character or career.

Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel according to John (i-xii) (The Anchor Bible) 

                          Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966, page 76   

Perhaps Jesus could see in Simon the qualities which would make him the leader of the disciples. Simon Peter would be far from perfect. In the stories of the arrest of Jesus, we are told Simon Peter denied even knowing Jesus – and denied him three times. And Simon Peter ran away with the others, except John.

But Jesus forgave Simon Peter, and the great traditional story is that when Simon Peter was being put to death in the city of Rome – in Nero’s circus on the edge of the city – he asked to be crucified head down, out of humility for having denied knowing Jesus.

Simon Peter was not perfect. He was, as we are, perfectly and fully forgiven. That forgiveness and salvation was the rock on which Peter the Rock built his great character and career.

(Raymond Webster)

The Gospel text is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.