In today's lesson, it is John who reveals the nature of Jesus when he says, "behold the Lamb of God." John bears witness to Jesus when he says, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove," and "This is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." and "I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God."
We know that John had made quite a name for himself - there hadn't been a prophet in Israel for 400 years and suddenly one appears. John was that voice crying out in the wilderness - could the Messiah be far behind? People were coming out to see this curiosity - the man in animal skins.
John was taking all people to task – he was calling for reform at every level from the personal level of the ordinary person on the street to the rich and famous. Regardless of who they were, he was calling each person to turn their life around and live it within the calling of God. So John had gathered a number of disciples - men who had come from all parts of Judea and from Galilee - people who heard and wanted to follow the call of God on their lives. And one of those disciples was a young man named Andrew. He sat at the feet of John and listened to what he said - probably hung on every word, as they waited on the one God had promised so long ago.
And one day, John changes for his usual litany of "Prepare the way... The time is coming... Repent and be saved... " He points to Jesus and says, "there he is folks - that's the one we have been waiting for." And Andrew and another disciple - curious about what this might really mean
get up and follow Jesus.
Now Jesus turns around and see them and he asks, "What do you want?" (Implied is "Why are you here? Why are you following me?")
Now if Jesus sees you sitting here and asks you that question, how would you answer it? Why are you here? What do you expect to find in this place at this time? What is it that you are seeking? If you could ask God one question, what would it be?
The question Andrew decided to ask was "Where are you staying?" That question sounds strange to us, but remember, this was a different time and place. The connotation here is more than, "are you staying at the motel, or with friends, or sleeping under the bridge?" The Greek
word Andrew uses for "staying" is "meno" - and it has many connotations. It is used in the gospel of John 39 times. Such as:
the spirit descended like a dove and meno - remained - on him. John 1:32
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood meno - remains - in me, and I in him. John 6:56
- everyone who believes in me should not meno - remain - in the darkness. John 12:46
If you meno - abide - in me, and my words meno - abide - in you…. John 15:7
Meno means to stay - in a given place, state, or relationship, or even expectancy. Not just where are you going to sleep tonight - but where do you live - with who do you place your trust - where is your heart - who are you?
You notice that Jesus doesn't actually answer that question? No, because any answer he could have given to Andrew would have been inadequate. Jesus tells him, “Come and see.” The entity that was Jesus could not be defined or described. He has to be experienced - and that takes time.
Now it was about 4 in the afternoon when Andrew and Jesus first spoke. And after staying with Jesus for the rest of the day - Andrew goes to his brother Simon and tells him, "We have found the Messiah." That was all it took, a few hours with Jesus, and Andrew was convinced that it was
important for him to remain - meno - with Jesus; that there was something vital –life-giving about this man.
For Andrew, the revelation - the revealing of God in Jesus - began with John saying, "Behold, the Lamb of God." but it didn't end there. In seeking, Andrew followed and learned for himself what it meant to "Come and see." This is important for us also - that the revealing of God in Jesus Christ is on-going - it doesn't stop in a single encounter. It is an on-going experience and our understanding of Jesus changes and grows as we learn more and more about this one we call
Lord.
As Andrew learned what it meant to follow, he didn't hesitate to bring others to Jesus - starting with his brother. He brought a young boy who had a lunch of two fish and five barley loaves. He brought some Greeks who were seeking Jesus. And for Andrew, following Jesus was the invitation to life in it's fullest.... and he never hesitated to share that invitation with others.
What are any of us looking for in life? Security, love, meaning, a sense of belonging? Something brought you here today? But many of us are here for the same reason that Andrew was with John and then followed Jesus. We are searching for something to hold onto when life gets tough – something to believe in outside our meager existence.
Like us, Andrew wanted to believe that there was more to life - more to his existence than what he had experienced so far. Jesus says to us, "Come and see." And like Andrew, we will find for ourselves something worth living for, something beyond ourselves - something that can't be contained in a single time or place, but that continues to reach out - crying to be shared. Jesus invites each of us to "Come and See," and most importantly, to share with others what we find in him.
No comments:
Post a Comment