Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God

       Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God.

         Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God. Behold the Lamb…

One of the curious features of John’s Gospel is that there is no Last Supper—because the Last Supper was a Passover meal, and John wants to make crystal clear that Jesus is killed at the same time as the lambs are slaughtered for Passover, not because it makes chronological sense, but because Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

         When John the Baptist points to Jesus, he points to a Universal Passover, a cosmic Passover, a whole world…
(this is the God-So-Loved-the-World Gospel after all) a whole world Passover.
Just as death passed over the first born in Egypt and God brought the people out into the promised land—so too this Lamb of God, this Son of God, liberates the whole world, frees us from Sin and connects all of creation to God.

         This Lamb of God, Jesus, marks creation out for life, not death! Calls the world out of death into new life!
Think of those images of joyful kangaroos and their joeys, gathered together to drink from the first rain since the bush fires down in the inferno formerly known as Australia. Life, not death!
The Lamb of God marks the whole cosmos for life!

         Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God. Behold the testimony of the SpiritLook at the evidence given by John
—it is as if he is at a trial and testifies:
“I didn’t know the defendant, but the Holy Spirit identified him in a line-up. And I trust the Holy Spirit. She is a trustworthy witness to the invisible God made visible in Jesus Christ.”
She abides
—she remains, with him.

         It should be a comfort for we who have our doubts, who find it hard to hold this whole faith thing together sometimes
—John didn’t see it, save for the Spirit’s revelation…

         

         Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God. Behold, He in whom we may abide.

         “What are you looking for?” He asks these disciples of John, now following after him, these would be disciples of his.

Take a moment:
         -Ignore all pretense,
         -be honest with yourself,
         -trust that the question isn’t an opening line to sell you something
         -don’t worry about giving a good solid theological answer…
—What are you looking for?

…

         Jesus will sharpen this question as things go along.
         “Who are you looking for?” he asks the detachment of soldiers and guards gathered behind Judas on Good Friday.

         “Who are you looking for?” he asks Mary at the tomb that first Easter.

         Your deepest desires—your truest longings—will be found there, here, in the Life and Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
The whole story is where you will find your story, where you find what you are looking for
—with Jesus
—abiding with him, through it all.

         “Where are you staying?” Where do you abide? They ask him… 

         John’s Gospel is filled with people conversing with Jesus, but only scratching the surface
—Nicodemus, confused about the mechanics of entering a mother’s womb a second time,
the unnamed Samaritan Woman at the Well, concerned first about buckets and fresh watercourses,
while Jesus offers God’s Spirit and the Water of Eternity.

         These disciples ask the question, “Where are you staying,” and the unspoken answer is,
“At the bosom of the Father—I abide in the very heart of God.”

         But that would mean nothing to them
—Just as John can not see that Jesus is the Lamb of God, save through the witness of the Spirit,
so too the disciples…
and so Jesus simply says, “Come and see.”

         “Abide with me.”

         Go on this journey with Jesus, be with him for his life, death, and resurrection
—discover what God is up to,
join the Passover throng through desert and water
—God’s ongoing loving work for creation,
a risky adventure,
curiosity and fear balanced there,
being present with Jesus.

         “Come and see.”

         Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God. Behold, He will call you by your true name.

         Andrew is astonished at his afternoon with Jesus
—did you catch that he’s already become his disciple
—following after him
—imitating his actions to becoming like him.
He says to his brother, Simon Peter, essentially the same thing Jesus said to him, “come and see.”

         There is this whole line of testimony
—a cloud of witnesses gathered
—the Spirit tells John, John tells Andrew, Andrew tells Peter, and on it goes,
the good news that God is on the move, that all of creation is being freed through him—and this life giving liberty includes Peter.

         In Ursula Le Guin’s fantasy series, “Earth Sea” there is a whole magical system based on names—everything has two names, one that is known to everyone, and one that is kept hidden, because if that name becomes known it can be influenced magically, because that name touches upon the essence, interior, the true self.

         And Le Guin didn’t pull that idea out of thin air
—it is a common belief, nick-names and name changes were once a common way to know the character of a person—Just think of Sarai and Abram becoming Sarah and Abraham, Jacob becoming Israel, Saul becoming Paul
—in some fundamental way, these people are changed, are becoming more fully their true self…

         Now, you’ve probably heard some Christians talk about Naming and Claiming things in Jesus’ name… well, we Lutherans have good grounds to suggest that the pattern ought to be reversed. Jesus names and claims Peter (Cephas in the Aramaic) and calls him by a new name. Calls him on a journey that will transform him, will make him more fully his true self. Just as we are claimed by Jesus in Baptism for our faith journey, Peter is claimed by Jesus.

         Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Behold the Lamb—he is bringing the world out of death to life.
Behold the Spirit’s testimony—she points us to Jesus in whom we can see the invisible God made visible.
Behold the one in whom we may abide—he continually calls us to come and see.
Behold your true name—you are children of God.
Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God.
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