The Lamb of God
(Free Version) Second Sunday After the Epiphany- Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42
Image: Detail from Hans Memling, 'Saint John the Baptist', about 1480
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We are in the season of Epiphany. This is the season of light going into all the world. Epiphany is a bit of the “now what” of Christmas.
In our readings today, we are reminded that the Christian faith is inherently Jesus-centered and others-reaching. The very nature of the Christian faith is that it is self-giving. Christianity is not a thing if it is not focused on love for others.
But here’s the problem…I am a naturally selfish person. So are you. Left to our own devices, we think about ourselves first. We begin with ourselves, and then think about our tribe (whoever that tribe may be). This has served as a survival-mechanism for humanity. We protect ourselves. A certain measure of this is appropriate.
The story of the Bible has always been about surprise. This is illustrated by the consistent focus on the outsider and the unlikely. In the book of Genesis, God chooses the family of Abraham to be his chosen people. This is not out of a sense of nativism or ethnocentrism. Rather, it is that God chooses one people (and a people with their own pain and struggles and weakness) to be his ambassadors, his messengers, to show the world that God is at work among his people and reflect his desire to liberate people from sin and death.
In true Epiphany fashion, our readings proclaim revelation, light, and surprise in the midst of exile, broken lives and relationships, and the counterfeit narratives of the world.
In our Old Testament reading (Isaiah 49:1-7), the Servant is called and empowered by the LORD to gather Israel to himself. At times, the Servant’s work seems fruitless, even frustrating. It often feels like labor in vain. This is often the case with the kingdom of God because it’s work is neither “efficient” nor “productive” in the worldly sense. And yet, somehow, this servant, though abhorred and rejected by the world, will be the Light to the nations.
In our epistle reading (1 Corinthians 1:1-9), Paul begins his letter to the Corinthian church by celebrating all that God has done, is doing, and will do in them. Such a beginning to a letter may seem strange given all the terrible behaviors they have been exhibiting, which Paul is about to address: sexual immorality, separating rich and poor at communion, etc. But that is precisely the point. Their behavior is not consistent with their identity in Christ. Even given what he knows about these broken behaviors, Paul gives thanks for the church. They have been set apart. They have knowledge and gifts, and they do not need anything more. In the end, it is about God, not about them. And, God will show himself faithful.
In our gospel reading (John 1:29-42), John the Baptist understands his role as the one who points away from himself and to Jesus. He is, in fact, so secure in this role that he can point his own disciples to Jesus and urge them to follow him instead of himself. This confidence is rooted in what happened at Jesus’ baptism and God’s word to John himself.
Twice, John refers to Jesus as “the Lamb of God.” This is an image rooted in 1) The Passover story and Jesus’ death which takes place during the Passover feast, bringing about a new Exodus; 2) the Day of Atonement, when a Lamb is sacrificed by the high priest as a vicarious substitute for the sins of the people. In this image, Jesus is both the true priest and the true Lamb; 3) An image from the book of Enoch where one lamb grows horns and rises up to defend the flock and defeat their enemies. All three of these images converge on the image of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sins.
The rest of the reading is filled with some important phrases which are often by John throughout his gospel. Jesus tells the disciples to “come and see” a very Epiphanyesque word which always refers to revelation. The disciples are about to be surprised. We also see the language of “staying” or “remaining.” The life of the disciple is not a casual fandom, but a complete transformation of everyday existence.
This shows itself in the moment when the disciples receive a new identity. Though we are not given the details, we know that Andrew is impacted by Jesus immediately. He knows that Jesus is the Christ and runs to tell his brother, Simon. Once Jesus looks at Simon, he tells him that he is to take on a new name. Simon is now “Cephas” or “Peter” indicating that he is being called into something new.
Remember this week: the Servant is here, even if his work is often ill-received and frustrating. The Christian’s identity is never based on their behavior, but on the word of God and their identity in him. Jesus is the Lamb of God. Everyday we are invited to “come and see,” to be surprised by Him, and to remain with him. May we be a people who are secure in the faithfulness of God: that our entire lives would be lived in view of his faithfulness to us.