Sunday 16 January 2011

Background

This Sunday in many denominations of the Christian Church wethink about the call of Jesus to ordinary people he met to come andfollow him. Jesus invited them to join him as companions as hetravelled around the villages teaching and healing the sick. TheJohn mentioned in this passage is known as John the Baptist andtheBible tells us he had a very distinctive lifestyle,wearing simple clothes, living in the desert, and dining on locustsand wild honey. He preached and taught - calling people to give uptheir selfish ways and return to God and God's ways. He thenbaptized people in the river Jordan as a sign of their new life,new purity and their being washed clean. He also tells people thathe washes them with water but that after him will come someonegreater - someone who won't wash them with water but rather washthem in God's Spirit, God's being, God's essence.

In this passage John sees Jesus walking by and identifies him as"the Lamb of God". For John to call Jesus the precious Lamb of Godin a culture when sheep and goats are prized and valued might meanthat Jesus is God's beloved. But it might also mean that "the Lamb"will be an offering or sacrifice. 

The consequence of this encounter is that the two disciples, orfollowers of John, leave him and follow Jesus instead. In one senseJohn points them away from himself to Jesus.

Jesus invites the two followers to come and see where he isstaying. This seems an intimate thing to do.

To Ponder

What might it mean to be described as 'God'sbeloved'?

Who do we think are those whom God loves and seesas his beloved?

What might we do to point others to God?