January 15, 2023
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois
John 1:29-42[1]
When we invite
people over to our house, we usually spend the morning cleaning. We’ll gather
up dirty dishes, scrub the bathrooms, empty the trash cans, make the beds, and
put out fresh towels. When people show up unexpectedly, however, things may be
a bit messier. Without warning, they might catch a glimpse of a more realistic,
less polished, version of us.
Two disciples followed
Jesus. “When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are
you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’ He said to
them, ‘Come and see.’”[2]
They did, leaving us to wonder, what did they see?
Was this Jesus
at home? It seems he wasn’t expecting them. Things would not have been polished
up for special guests. Did they watch him interact with his siblings, answer to
his mother? Did they share the evening meal as Jesus prayed over the food? Did
he sing a psalm, laugh at a joke, or tell stories from childhood? Maybe they
saw him sharing leftovers with a poor neighbor. Perhaps, on the way home, he
talked with an unclean person, asked about a widowed neighbor, or even
performed an act of healing. Did they see an ordinary day in the life of Jesus?
I believe what
they saw and heard was Jesus moving through an ordinary world on an ordinary
day, and it was extraordinary. So much so that Andrew was compelled to bring
his brother Simon to see Jesus, saying “We have found the Messiah.”[3]
We are all
looking for something extraordinary in life. Some meaning, some purpose,
something that will drive us, energize us, and make us happy. In our ordinary
lives we have hopes and dreams. We want to achieve our goals, feel good as much
as possible, and maximize our quality of life. We want to be happy. And we can
find some happiness, most of the time, if we work hard, are frugal with our
money and time, and take care of the people and things that matter to us.
We often get
stuck, however, on some external object that doesn’t really meet our needs.
Maybe we think that the next job, a promotion, or a new romantic partner will
be the thing that brings us happiness. Maybe it’s an actual object, like a new
car, or a bigger TV. Now, getting a great job or meeting the right person can
make you happy. But we often find that the job turns out to be more stressful
than we thought, or the amazing person turns out to have a shadow side. The
shiny new object is great, until we become accustomed to it, and then it blends
into the background like everything else.
We often focus too
much on external achievements and material things, neglecting our internal
needs, our spiritual well-being. We focus on competing and winning, rather than
supporting and collaborating with each other. We plug along from one chore to
the next without taking time for wonder, dreams, and prayer. We each have a
hunger for something more, but what we find often leaves us still empty.
Andrew, the
disciple of John the Baptizer, was looking for something more. He was a
fisherman. He, and his brother, Simon, had learned the trade from their father,
and were probably decent fishermen. But they want3ed more. There’s no corporate
ladder to climb when you’re a fisherman. If you wanted a fancier boat, you had
to make it yourself. And even finding the right partner is tough when everyone
in the village already knows everyone else’s shadow side. Simon and Andrew
longed for more meaning and purpose, something greater to be a part of.
They had heard
of this wild person baptizing people and went to hear what he had to say. They
learned about repentance, about preparing for what was to come. John wasn’t the
answer to their search, however, as he himself pointed out. “After me comes a
man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”[4]
There were rumors of someone who would come to bring glory back to Israel, the
Messiah. Now that was something worth looking for. Maybe that was what John had
been talking about.
Then, Jesus
walked by. “Look,” John exclaimed, “here is the Lamb of God!” John didn’t hold
them back, and they followed Jesus. “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Teacher, we
want to see who you are. “Come and see,” he said.[5]
They did see,
and they found something more than they were looking for. They found a teacher.
But this teacher wouldn’t teach them how to build a fancier boat or start a
business in carpentry. This teacher would teach them how to find the love of
God planted deep inside themselves and bring it to life in others. They found a
guide. But this guide wouldn’t teach them which roads to Jerusalem were the
safest or quickest. This guide would show them how to walk the hard road, the
road that would eventually lead to the cross, but to walk with hope in their
hearts, compassion in their touch, and love in every encounter.
They found the
Messiah. But this messiah would not lead them in glorious battle to retake
Israel from the Romans and put a king like David back on the throne. This
messiah would lead them in glorious battle against disease, distress,
hopelessness, emptiness, and heartlessness. This messiah would lead them, not
to find a destination, but to see the Kingdom of God wherever they went, and to
proclaim the presence of God in the midst of the journey.
They found the
Lamb of God. This ruler would not become a king or conqueror, but would choose
instead to sacrifice himself in order to save others. This leader would show
them how to be servants, to put the needs of others ahead of their own. This master
would not seek power and control, but rather to take away the sin of the world.
They found the
Son of God. In this person, Jesus, they found the one who understood them
better than they understood themselves. They found the one who would challenge
them, test them, make them grow and change in ways they could hardly imagine.
Simon would become a different person, taking a new name, Cephas, or Peter.
They found a teacher who would make them into teachers, a healer who would make
them into healers, a brother who would welcome them into the household of God.
All of that is
yet to come, of course. This was only the beginning. What were they looking
for? What did they see? A teacher, a master, and so much more. What are you
looking for? A sense of purpose, some meaning in life, a way to be set free?
Come and see. Watch how Jesus moves through the world. Maybe you’ll find that
what you’re looking for is something you already have, the seed of love,
planted by God, waiting for you to give it away. Amen.
[1] The
scripture quotations contained herein are 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 U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2]
John 1:38-39.
[3]
John 1:41.
[4]
John 1:30.
[5]
John 1:36-39.
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