Year A

John 1:29-42

The Very Rev. Denise Vaughn

What Are You Looking For?

“What are you looking for”? What a powerful question, Jesus; one that I have asked myself many times in my life. We are, I believe, all searching for the answer to that question; searching for meaning and purpose; a reason for our existence. Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet and author wrote “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived.” I have this quote on a laminated piece of paper sitting on my desk at home which I first read when I was going through the discernment process for ordination. One of the commission on ministry members asked me why I wanted to go into ordained ministry? Another way of saying…what are you looking for?

My response was that I wanted to help people know and love God and to make a difference in people’s lives with the help of God’s Spirit. This is still true some twenty-seven years later. Through the years, I’ve been very thankful to have Emerson’s words in front of me on the desk to remind me of what, in my opinion, life should be about, especially on those days when I don’t feel very happy or useful. It is my hope and work to try and make a difference. And that means that I strive to provide testimony as to who Jesus Christ is by my life and words and to point the way so that others come to recognize him as Lord and Savior.

This is what John the Baptist was trying to do in the verses today from the gospel of John. His whole life had been a preparation for this moment of declaring Jesus as “the Lamb of God.” John the gospel writer today, introduces the Baptist differently than the other gospels. All of them introduce John the Baptist early in their narratives but it is Matthew, Mark, and Luke who tell us something about the Baptist’s preaching and ministry of baptism at the Jordan River. John skips over that part of the Baptist’s ministry. We don’t hear about the Baptist denouncing the religious leaders as “brood of vipers.” John skips over the thunderous preaching of the Baptist and the crowds of enraptured people flocking to hear.

In John, the Baptist tells the religious authorities who ask him “Who are you”? That he is not the Messiah. Many Jews were waiting for a messiah to bring them back to political prominence. He is not Elijah. Some people expected him to come back. He is not a prophet. Some people expected a prophet like Moses. The Baptist identifies himself only as a voice, calling out in the wilderness, embodying the words of Isaiah; he came to prepare the way for Jesus. In the text today, the Baptist does what he has come to do. He identifies Jesus. In John’s account of Jesus’ baptism and the call of the first disciples we learn who Jesus is—the Lamb of God and we also learn what Jesus does, he takes away the sin of the world, an Epiphany moment.

John wants to make sure we know who Jesus is and what he does. He often, in his gospel, relates not simply what he did or taught, but also why or for what reason he did such things. When compared to the other gospels, John paints a more divine picture of Jesus, so we will not forget or miss the fact that this earthly Jesus is God’s Son who existed before all time and that he came to take the sin and the darkness from all creation. We live in a world full of sin and darkness. Sin surrounds us all the time, but sometimes it seems to erupt in overflows of hatred and violence. We need to hear that Jesus takes away the sin that is all around us. He conquered sin by the cross and in the resurrection. We conquer sin by following and testifying to the Lamb. 

Standing with his two disciples, the Baptist sees Jesus walk by and he tells them “This is he of whom I said….that he might be revealed to Israel” Jesus is the “Lamb of God!” John’s disciples then follow Jesus, and Jesus then begins to call his own disciples. Throughout these verses it is the Baptist that provides testimony as to who Jesus is and points the way so that others come to recognize Jesus Christ. John’s picture of how the disciple’s make their change in loyalty is important because he differs from the other gospels. Matthew especially presents a scene in which the disciples immediately drop everything to follow Jesus of which we hear about next Sunday.

Some of us need for one reason or another to take our time and John allows for that. In John, the disciples begin with a conversation. As always seems to happen in John, the conversation doesn’t quite follow. Jesus asks the potential disciples. “What are you looking for?” We can think of a number of answers. We’re looking for spiritual fulfillment. We’re looking for a deeper connection to God. We’re looking for a way to make sense of our lives. Instead, they answer Jesus’ question with another question, “Rabbi, where are you staying. “ Asking Jesus if they can go to where Jesus is staying for some quality time together?

We can safely assume that since it was the tenth hour or four o’clock in the afternoon, the disciples had time to converse with and learn from Jesus that day. Though we are not privy to what was discussed during their time together, we may well see in Simon’s change of name to Cephas a sign of the transformation that was beginning in these disciples. Yet, it wasn’t until they saw Jesus turn water into wine at the wedding at Cana that they fully came to believe. The disciples of John become the disciples of Jesus when they begin to speak of him and draw others to him. This is the Christ, come and see. The cycle continues. Jesus speaks through the scripture, we listen, and then we speak, telling others about Jesus.

Paul confirmed this truth for us today in his letter to the Corinthians. He like the other disciples believed that faith is a matter of calling, to be called by God, to become followers of Jesus Christ, who give witness to the grace and peace given us by the Son of God. “God is faithful: by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Paul is confident that the Corinthians will leave their childish ways because they have been called by God to be in fellowship with others in a journey that includes rich and poor, Jew and Greek, set apart and commissioned to do the work of God.

He asserts that they have received the capacity for speech and that they have been given knowledge-just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among them-so that they are not lacking in any gift as they go out to make Christ known to a world looking for meaning and purpose. The Holy Spirit is at work in us and through us and even in spite of us! Yet, we would do well to ask ourselves, “What are you looking for?” The disciples stake their lives on trusting that Jesus is the Messiah, the Lamb of God, a start to a remarkable journey. To have it make some difference that they have lived.”