John 2:4

Jesus answers, “Listen mother, what does all your worrying about wedding wine have to do with me?  Don’t rush me.  My moment is not here yet.” John 2:4 EFP
        
Well, here’s one of the story lines.  It’s about Jesus’ retort to his mom.  I’m not sure about you, but I can’t imagine saying these words to my mom in response to her request for help.  So perhaps I’m missing something.  First he calls her “Woman”!  What was that all about?  I would have lost a couple of teeth before the word ever left my lips.  My mom has a wicked right cross!  Then Jesus follows the opening statement with words to the affect, “What do your tiny concerns have to do with me?  I have bigger fish to fry!  In fact, my moment has not come yet.  Just let me be.”  I am definitely missing something.

Well, yes and no.  Jesus is not being rude or curt with his mother, but he is being firm.  The term “woman” is not a harsh term, rather one of affection and love.  Compare it to the scene in John 19:26.  It does not carry the connotation it denotes today, rather one of respect and deep affection. 

One the other hand his response, “What does this have to do with me?” is also very telling of their relationship. It does appear that Mary is trying to be the catalyst that pushes Jesus into his ministry.  Mary is there all those years since his miraculous birth and childhood.  See sees him develop into a young man and then into an adult—exemplary in every facet of his life.  She knows the reason for his birth: to “save his people.”  She knows he has been baptized recently.  She sees the change in him after his forty day sojourn into the desert. But she does not know the meaning of “save his people.”  She does not understand that although she has been a vessel; she could never be the catalyst.  Jesus is being guided “by the Spirit” (Matthew 4:1).  The Holy Spirit was the One that set the tone, the tenor, and the timing of his ministry.  And so, in his own tender way, he reminds her of that fact.  Which ought to lead me to the question, “Who is the final arbiter in the major decisions of my life?”  “Am I unwavering in my choice to let God lead?”  “Does he not often speak to me through people?” 

John 2:3

At some point during the festivities the wine runs out.  Jesus’ mother runs to Jesus and says, “Jesus, there is no more wine for the party!  Do something!” John 2:3 EFP

Now I’m convinced that this wedding is the victim of too many uninvited guests.  It’s not that it is totally unexpected, but I can see how it might not have been expected to this level.  People must have come out of the woodwork!  Everyone who is anyone was there and then some.  Perhaps the host had apparently invited everyone but had not expected everyone to show up.  Apparently there is plenty of food.  There are plenty of accommodations, plenty of chairs, and plenty of entertainment.  And there is plenty of wine, in fact so plentiful that there is not enough of it to outlive the festivities.  This must have been quite a party

It is fair to raise the issue of wine at this point.  There is a great divide of opinion regarding the type of wine being provided at this wedding.  Some would argue it was traditional wine, which is for the most part fermented to some degree.  Others argue it was more in the nature of grape juice, with no fermentation to speak of. The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin terms that refer to wine in the Bible, refer to both fermented and unfermented wine.  The people in the time of Jesus were quite adept at preserving “new wine” or “good wine,” which is a reference to wine that has not been fermented.  People drank a lot of grape juice.  People drank a lot of wine.  What kind of wine was the wine that ran out in Cana that day?  That answer is found in the resolution Jesus later provides to the problem facing the wedding hosts.

The point for now is that there is no more to drink and no way to acquire more refreshment without impacting the ambiance that is germane to a Jewish wedding feast.  We really don’t know why Jesus’ mother takes it upon herself to find a solution to a problem that was perhaps not even hers, but the fact is that she approaches her son and asks him to do something.  That’s not a bad thing.  You face a problem above your pay grade?  Go to Jesus and join with the words of Mary, “Jesus, do something!”  This narrative has a couple of story lines developing.  Stay tuned, the problem is in Jesus court.  His move is coming.

John 2:2

Jesus and his disciples are among the people invited to the wedding. John 2:2 EFP
      
I guess that sort of answers the questions raised yesterday.  Jesus and his crew of five are actually invited, although we still do not know who invited them.  All we established for certain is that they did not crash the party.  An invitation from Mary, the mother of Jesus, would have qualified as an official invitation since they would have had some supporting role in the festivities.

I have come to appreciate the thought that Jesus and his disciples are personally invited to come to the wedding (well, maybe just Jesus).  Actually it would make sense to invite a bunch of fishermen to the wedding.  They are a barrel of fun!  But the fact that Jesus and the disciples are all invited seems to buttress my point yesterday.  You have to remember that Jesus is not yet the person who has multitudes following him from place to place.  He is a relative unknown—perhaps totally unknown in his role as a teacher and healer.  This is just Jesus, the carpenter’s son from Nazareth—Joseph’s and Mary’s boy.  In other words there is no celebrity reason for the invitation to be made by a couple in Cana to a carpenter in a town 25 miles away! 

This says to me that Jesus is a likeable person.  He is friendly and kind.  He is generous too.  I am sure I could come up with quite a list of positive qualities Jesus possesses that would have made him an attractive guest.  Am I a good wedding guest?  Am I the type of person that others enjoy having around during celebrations…for the right reasons?  Am I a wet blanket?  I recognize there is a line in here somewhere, but Jesus knows that also, yet he is the kind of person people want around during their special moments.  Dare I say, Jesus is like the “salt of the earth”—the God flavor that brings out the best in the people around him.  What a different world this would be if Christians were a little more like Christ.

John 2:1

Three days after the events in Bethsaida it so happens that a wedding is being celebrated in Cana of Galilee. And who should be there but Jesus’ mother.  John 2:1 EFP
        
Jesus has just selected his first five disciples, all from the city of Bethsaida.  His newly-formed entourage consists of, in order of appearance, John (the previously nameless disciple of John the Baptist), Andrew, Simon Peter, Phillip, and Nathanael. One is left to wonder why Jesus chooses this backwater fish town as the primary source for his original disciples.  If these first five are any indication of the choices Jesus was to make in the future, there is reason for concern.  John was passive aggressive, Andrew was introverted, Peter was headstrong, Phillip was non-descript, Nathanael was bigoted.  What was Jesus thinking?

In any case, as if to take our minds off the choices Jesus has made in the first round of the original draft of disciples, a random wedding appears on the Galilean social calendar and all that is said about the wedding is that Jesus’ mother is present.  Are these people relatives of Mary?  Are they close friends?  Or is everyone invited to the festivities, a la Hispanic wedding?  Jewish weddings are week-long events, and yes, most everyone is invited.  No doubt there are party-crashers in those days as well (read Matthew 22).  But is seems like the family of the bride and groom must have included Mary on the guest list, and she invites Jesus to come, and of course, since he now has an entourage, they come along as well.

Who knows on what day of the wedding festivities Jesus and his crew arrive.  The point is that they travel about 40 kilometers (25 miles or so) to get there.  Walking.  This is not one of those “We were in the neighborhood…” moments.  Jesus makes a conscious decision to be there.  Why?  Is it to show that he is a pro-marriage prophet?  Perhaps to lend support to his mother who may have been a helper or even the marriage planner?  Could it be that he chooses a wedding as the best setting in which to initiate his official ministry?  Or is it simply to perform a miracle that would jump-start it?  Perhaps any or all of these might be a valid reason, but I do not believe they are the main reason.  I believe Jesus attends this wedding because it is like him to join the party.  Many days of mourning lay before him.  He was to become very much “acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3).  But Jesus also enjoyed enjoying life with people.  He is not a sour-puss.  He is the life of the party.  People are drawn to him, not because of his good looks (Isaiah 53:2), but because of who he is.  I do well to follow his example…in all things.  Joy is, after all, one of the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)

John 1:51

Friday, March 15, 2013

Jesus continues, “In fact,” he says, “The day will come when you will see the very heavens open up, and you will witness the angels of heaven going up and coming down on the Son of Man.” John 1:51 EFP

          
What’s the deal here?  What is Jesus talking about?  Am I missing something?  Well, first the obvious—this appears to be a clear reference to the dream Jacob had at a place called Bethel (Genesis 28:19), which means “House of God.”  As you recall, Jacob had run away from home after that “misunderstanding” with his older twin brother.  It was while sleeping on the ground, with a rock as a pillow that he dreamed this dream (Genesis 28:10-12) about angels climbing and descending from a ladder that towered into heaven.  He even saw God standing at the top of the ladder.  It was one of many turning points in Jacob’s life as God assured him that he was not alone.

The most obvious message Jesus is conveying to Nathanael is just as God promised to be with Jacob, he is now assuring this somewhat unsettled disciple that he will not abandon him.  There is a second message that ought not to be missed.  He is also making a startling declaration that he is the link between heaven and earth.  Jesus is saying, “I’m the ladder in that dream.”  That is an amazing claim at this early juncture of his ministry.  Nathanael may have heard from Phillip or Andrew or Cephas, what John the Baptist said about Jesus being “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)  This statement of Jesus only magnifies that previous statement of John.

But there is yet another perspective that makes me smile.  Of all the amazing things that Jesus will do over the course of the next three and a half years (remember this comes at the heels of the statement “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”), Jesus is saying the greatest thing he will ever do is bridge the gap between God and his wayward and homeless children—you and me.  Bridging the gap.  I figure we are the homeless and near-hopeless Jacob, on the run from our past mistakes and missteps.  In the story of our redemption, it’s God who takes the initiative to make contact with us—direct and designed for maximum impact.  That’s Jesus—the ladder…the Way, the Truth, and the Life.   Coool!

John 1:50

To which Jesus replies, “You think it’s amazing to hear me say, ‘I saw you under the fig tree’?  You believe in me because of that?  Let me tell you—you haven’t seen anything yet.” John 1:50 EFP
          
There is no doubt that Nathanael’s perspective on life is radically changed by his first encounter with Jesus.  The words spoken to him by the Master shake him to the core.  Here is a Man that knows him before he meets him.  Nathanael’s confession is a powerful moment in the Gospel narrative.

Yet here, Jesus says something even more amazing—in the vernacular, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”  What Nathanael sees and hears on that day will pale in comparison to what he has yet to see in the days to come.  He has no idea the amazing events that await him.  The blind will see.  The lame will walk.  The dead will live again.  Unmitigated joy and unimaginable disappointment lay before him in the months ahead.  And that’s not even the beginning.

I sense sometimes I also settle for the manageable Jesus—one that I can put in my coat pocket or purse and pull out at appropriate moments of special need or surroundings.  I read the stories but they don't always sink in deeply.  I recall the words but they seem to fall like the morning dew while I slumber in the comfort of the indoors—protected and unaffected.  When I arrive, the moisture has evaporated and the grass is parched under my feet.  I am easily impressed because I have not seen anything yet.  I venture to think that God has so much to show me that I have not even considered possible.  I’m getting tired of settling for crumbs when there’s a banquet waiting for me to enjoy and a moment with Jesus longing to amaze me.  No more settling!

John 1:49

Nathanael can do nothing but reply, “Master, You are indeed the Son of God!  You are the King of all Israel as well!”  John 1:49 EFP
           
Nathanael is totally blown away by Jesus’ revelation. He is not prepared for this most unusual introduction.  I do not know what his expectations are after Phillip’s invitation, but they must not have been very high, after all, this latest in a long line of wannabe Messiahs is from Nazareth.  Instead his encounter with Jesus totally shifts his thinking.  Jesus knows what it would take to convince him.  In the big scheme of things, this really isn’t Jesus’ greatest miracle, but it is sufficient to elicit a three-fold confession from this newest convert.

First, he calls Jesus “Master.”  He declares himself to be a disciple of this Man of Nazareth.  He wants to learn, in spite of his previously nonchalant attitude he admits that he has much to learn from this Man.  Secondly, he calls Jesus the “Son of God.”  That is quite a declaration coming from the lips of one not easily impressed.  He ascribes divinity to Jesus.  He sees in this man more than a simple prophet with a message, but the very embodiment of God in human flesh.  Jesus is someone to be worshipped.  And finally, Nathanael declares Jesus to be the King of Israel—which includes himself.  He is pledging total and unreserved allegiance and loyalty to his King.  This is tantamount to declaring Jesus the promised Messiah who would rule the nation and deliver it from oppression.

Master, God, and King—that is quite a trifecta!  I am challenged daily to acknowledge the need I have to be taught; my need to be awed; and my need to be ruled by someone wiser, greater, and more worthy than myself.  I need a Nathanael experience!  How would my life be different if I sat down every day at the feet of my Master; if I lived every moment in the presence of my Creator; and experienced a sense of true surrender and loyalty to the King of the universe who longs to reign in my heart and soul?  I wonder….

John 1:48

A startled Nathanael queries back, “How is it that you know me?  We haven’t even met!”  Jesus responds to Nathanael’s question, “Well, before your friend Phillip invited you to come meet me; even as you stood under the fig tree, I had already seen you.”  John 1:48 EFP
         
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be one-upped by anyone.  Imagine Nathanael’s surprise as Jesus describes him to a tee before any introductions have even taken place.  He knows what he told Phillip, his friend.  But Phillip knows him already, so there was no need to mask his disdain for Nazarenes or his utter nonchalance regarding Phillip’s “discovery.”  But Jesus?  He had never seen the man, and certainly the man did not know him well enough to dare describe him accurately.

Perhaps trying to mask his surprise he asks, “How do you know me?” It is as if he asked, “We’ve never even met!”  In fact, “How dare you pretend to know me and even describe me as if you did?” would have been a reasonable response to the shock of the moment.  How typical a response to something we don’t understand.  Our minds cannot wrap around an inexplicable event and we begin to throw out objections before we even digest what we have just experienced.  Sometimes the appropriate response to the unexplainable is silent awe.  Everything cannot be proven in a beaker. 

But Jesus does not hold back.  He knows what it will take to draw Nathanael into the fold.  It will take more than it took to draw Andrew and Peter in.  It will take more than was required “to reel in” Phillip.  Nathanael requires a club to the head—that’s what it takes for some of us. He blows him away with something he could not explain away.  There was no way around this iron-clad miracle.  Jesus could have guessed his response to Phillip, since prejudice against Nazarenes among the people from Bethsaida was rampant.  He even might have guessed that Nathnael was just standing around when Phillip found him, since fishermen spend a lot of daytime hours loafing around.  But to tell him he not only saw him, but did so while he was still standing under a fig tree is not a slight of mind trick.  Nathanael is confronted with a decision.  He can throw out some more objections or denials.  Or he can run away from the moment.  Something amazing is about to happen.

John 1:47

Jesus sees Nathanael walking in his direction.  He looks at him and says, “No doubt, here is a man of Israel without a trace of phoniness!”  John 1:47 EFP
        
Nathanael and Phillip have not even reached him when Jesus makes this assessment of Nathanael, “Here is an Israelite in which there is no deceit!”  He wants him to know that he knows him for his best quality—no guile, and not for his worst quality—prejudice.  It bears saying that this is a courtesy extended Nathanael that he was not at all willing at first to offer to Jesus, the man from the despised town of Nazareth.

This grace-imbued declaration by Jesus towards Nathanael is representative of the God Jesus came into the world to reveal, particularly to a nation overrun with a picture of God tainted with the colors and character of man.  This is the God whose entire experience with humanity has been one of disappointment and disillusionment, from a purely human perspective.  Yet in spite of our enmity as humans towards our Creator, THE LORD defends, protects, fights, and acts in ways outside his character to ensure the future of humanity.  Jesus is deity’s supreme act of self-sacrificing love and devotion.  This blind encounter between Nathanael and Jesus is in a very true sense God’s eternal effort to reach beyond the fog of sin and choosing to see the best in humanity to draw us back to him.

There is a second glimpse into the character of God that ought not to be lost in this God-initiated encounter.  God does not need great deeds or grand talents to be impressed—he longs for genuineness above all.  Being genuine is the opposite of being hypocritical.  A genuine heart has no guile; it is open and inviting.  Above all, a genuine heart is the door God uses to access our lives because it is not guarded by expectations or pretense.  “What you see is what you get” is a quality God longs for all us.  Not for His benefit, since He already knows everything about us, but for our benefit, since we often times only deceive ourselves in the attempt to mask our true selves under the cloak of acceptability.  I am reminded God wants and loves me—not the picture I try to project in order to impress myself.  That’s a waste of time for everyone involved.  I want God to say to me the words spoken of Nathanael when he speaks of me, “Here is a man that is as genuine as they come.”  I still have a way to go.

John 1:46

Nathanael is not impressed.  “What good thing can possibly come out of a town like Nazareth?” he retorts. Phillips is quick to respond, “Come see for yourself!” John 1:46 EFP
        
There are a couple of things that become immediately apparent about Nathanael based on his initial response to Phillip’s invitation.  First, Nathanael appears to be a pretty straightforward person.  He seemingly does not mind speaking his mind regardless of the consequences.  Let’s look beyond his deeply ingrained prejudice against the Nazarenes who he considers not quite up to his standards.  The fact is that he is not easily swayed or impressed even on the basis of a friend’s recommendation.

Make no mistake; Phillip’s invitation is divinely initiated.  The same Spirit of God within Jesus compels Phillip to go in search of Nathanael, not in spite of who he is, but because of who he is.  The very qualities that may have been unsavory or unpalatable to another are nothing but “diamonds in the rough” in the hands of the Master.  Nathanael is a guileless, genuine, and discerning Bethsaida Brother. As is the case with many of us, these innate qualities may be masked and mangled by the outer expressions taught us by a life of disappointments and disarray.  But Jesus sees beyond that façade even before he meets him in person.

I like Phillip’s unflinching response to Nathanael’s initial disdain and derision.  He overlooks his self-centered myopia and prejudice and invites him to check it out for himself.  In other words he says, “Don’t take my word for it—come see for yourself!”  This is what Nathanael still lacked that the four followers of Jesus (Andrew, Peter, Phillip, and a yet unnamed second disciple of John the Baptist that also spent the day with Jesus) had already experienced.  Personal.  One-to-one.  Individualized.  These are words that describe an encounter.  It cannot be second-hand.  It is not valid if it simply is the result of second-person information.  Even the very words of Scripture fall short of the personal experience with the Word spoken of in Scripture (read John 5:39).  Nathanael is in for the surprise of his life!  It is about to get very personal.

John 1:45

No sooner does Phillip accept Jesus’ invitation, he goes out in search of his friend Nathanael to whom he says, “We have met the Promised One from the writings of Moses and of the prophets—his name is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John 1:45 EFP
     
If Andrew’s response to his time spent with Jesus was refreshing, Phillip’s reaction to his sudden encounter and call by Jesus is truly amazing!  There does not seem to be any significant length of time between his calling and the decision to go in search of his friend Nathanael.  His passionate words of conviction are surprising since we have no record of any basis on which he makes his confession other than the calling itself.

On the other hand what is it about that brief encounter that compels Jesus to call Phillip that in turn lights a fire of faith in the soul of this seemingly clueless fisherman?  There must have been some life-changing power and supernatural enablement to the personal call of Jesus to “Follow me”!  I am led to believe that those two words convince Phillip that Jesus is the Promised One—the Messiah of whom both Moses and the prophets had written centuries before.  Perhaps he had previously heard of Jesus of Nazareth from John and Andrew, the disciples of John the Baptist.  Possibly he picked up the information about Jesus’ father Joseph from Jesus himself after the invitation to follow.  Either way it is an amazing leap of faith.  The information about Jesus may have been germane, but the calling from Jesus was transformational.

The call to follow Jesus is still transformational.  A call to preach has impact on my lifestyle.  Theology can expand my mind.  Service can allow me to impact lives.  Cloistering can elicit discipline and devotion in me.  But all those things are not what I am called to follow.  I am called to follow a person—not any system or discipline.  My call is to know the singular and unmatched Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, the Promised Messiah, and the Son of Man (Joseph).  When that calling in internalized, only then is my life truly transformed. Only then have I passed from darkness into the Light.

John 1:44

Phillip, it so happens, is from the Galilean town of Bethsaida, as are Peter and Andrew. John 1:44 EFP
     
This sort of explains why Jesus returns to Galilee after his encounter with Andrew and Peter near Bethabara (verse 28), where John is often found baptizing the masses of penitent people. Is it possible that now Andrew and Peter are instrumental in connecting Jesus with one of their hometown buddies in Bethsaida? 

Or is it possible that Jesus is the initiator and he is the one that leads Andrew and Peter to their hometown in search of Phillip?  Is it Jesus that saw Phillip before the brothers got a chance to introduce them to each other?  What common denominator existed between these three Bethsaidans?  These are undoubtedly tough and rugged men, raised in this seedy settlement on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee.  People in Bethsaida are either fishermen or involved in the fish business.  Beyond that we do not know any reason why Jesus would focus on these men from this otherwise unremarkable town.

But isn’t that the point?  It could have been any town.  It just as well might have been Bethany.  Even Jerusalem would have been a more logical choice.  But the Spirit of God is leading the Lamb of God in a very peculiar way in search of those he would endeavor to empower for a very special task.  The pattern of Jesus going to the most surprising places in search of disciples is beginning to reveal a disconcerting trend—but only if considered from the human perspective, and not through the eyes of the One sent in the power of the Spirit of God.  This is to be a work of God from start to end—working through very common and coarse men of little means.  In the end it is the One calling them and not their inherent talents and training that makes all the difference.  It is grace at work, “so that no one should boast.” (Ephesians 2:9)

John 1:43

The following day Jesus decided to travel back to his homeland in Galilee.  While he was there he bumped into a man names Philip.  To him he simply said, “Follow me.” John 1:43 EFP
     
The scene changes suddenly.  We find ourselves in Galilee in the blink of an eye.  Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, choose to travel with Jesus back to Galilee.  We do not know yet the reason they choose to return to his land of birth.  On the other hand, if nothing else were to take place, this event would have justified his visit.

It’s almost as if he travels to Galilee for no other reason than to “bump into” Phillip.  Upon the pre-ordained encounter he looks at this man who, as far as we know, he had never met before and invites him to become a disciple with the words, “Follow me.”  That’s it!  No angelic fanfare.  No divine lights shining down from the heavens.  Not even an introduction, “Hello, Phillip.  I am the Messiah,” followed by the “Follow me.”  But a picture is beginning to develop as to the different ways that God uses to elicit a response to his call to ministry.

For Andrew it takes a day’s experience.  For Simon it requires a brother’s testimony and personal invitation to meet the Messiah.  For Phillip it is sudden impact followed by an immediate response.  And Jesus is just beginning the process of recruiting the individuals who are to become a most unlikely crew of social cast-offs and that in time would be transformed into the “spiritual special forces” Jesus would use to set the world on fire with the everlasting Gospel.  The means and methods might be as varied as the souls being sought, but the message is the same—“Follow me.”  Two words are at the core of God’s desire for all of humanity.  We all follow something or someone, but there is only one Way, Truth, and Light that leads to Eternal Life for all who believe.  God is calling me today and every day, “Follow me!”  What we do with the invitation is up to me.

John 1:42

Andrew does more than that; he brings his brother to Jesus.  Jesus takes a look at him and says, “You may call yourself Simon son of John, but from now on you will be called Cephas, which is Peter in the Aramaic dialect.” John 1:42 EFP
  
Andrew is so impacted by his one-day experience with Jesus that he runs home and not only tells his brother all about this man he had met, but probably spoke incessantly about the Messiah as he was leading Simon to meet Jesus in person.  He must have done an excellent job of convincing his brother of the extraordinary nature of this teacher that his otherwise intransigent sibling accompanies him without a word significant enough to be part of this biblical narrative.  This, you will discover, is very usual for Simon Peter.

What follows is more than a bit curious and awesome.  To begin with, Jesus calls Peter by the name “Simon” which means “one who listens and obeys.”  That was the name he went by.  This was either an inspired moment meant to confirm Andrew’s assessment of Jesus’ role as Messiah, or a clue that Jesus has talked to Andrew about his brother during the day, and had taken the time to remember that detail when he sees him as Andrew is leading him towards Jesus.  Either way, it’s important to note that Jesus knows his chosen ones by name (that’s all of us—good and bad).  He also knows everything about us.  Proof of this is the fact that Jesus makes it a point to assign to Simon a name in Aramaic (Cephas), which means “rock or stone” just like Peter, which is his name in Greek  The word “rock” describes Simon as he is at that moment—stubborn, headstrong, rugged, and virulent, and not the “one who obeys.”  Yet Jesus already sees in him the “rock” solid, determined, and devoted disciple that would lead Jesus’ fledging church in its infancy.

Jesus, and by definition God Almighty, chooses to see me at my best when I am at my worst.  He knows me at my darkest moments and chooses to appreciate me for what I can be in his power and grace.  He knows not only the names by which I am known—failure, foolish, fickle, feeble, and faithless, but by the new name he has prepared for me—victorious, wise, steadfast, strong, and faithful!  That is good news to me in any language!

John 1:41

The first thing Andrew does when his day with Jesus is over is to find Peter his brother and inform him, "Guess what? We met the Messiah!"  John 1:41 EFP

This must have been an amazing day for Andrew (and for the other yet-to-be-revealed disciple of John).  Beyond finding out where Jesus lives, we don’t really know what they do or where they go.  All we know is that they “spent the day with him.” (Verse 39)  Now four o’clock in the afternoon has come and gone and evening looms on the Palestine horizon.  How would I have reacted to spending the day with Jesus in Palestine—walking and talking and seeing what he did?  In my busy life today, is it even possible to spend the day with Jesus?  What would that look like in my world?

In Andrew’s case, the Bible says that “the first thing” he does when the day is done is go find his brother Peter in order to tell him, “We found the Messiah!”  Let’s summarize: First, he (and his yet unknown friend) leave the familiar banks of the Jordan River to find out more about Jesus.  Second, Andrew and his friend talk to Jesus—they ask him a question, “Where do you live?”  Third, they respond to Jesus’ call to accompany him.  Fourth, they stay with him for the day.  They soak it in—the sights and sounds of a full day with Jesus.  Then, after that, at the end of the day with Jesus, “the first thing” Andrew did as a result of his experience, is to go find his brother and share his startling message.

I do not sense any sense of obligation in Andrew contacting his brother.  It seems to be the only thing he could have done after reaching the conclusion that he had “found the Messiah.”  Something profound happens during that day; something he hears or sees or feels, that sears a conviction into his soul about this man he had met but a few hours before.  What is it?  We don’t know exactly, beyond the fact that Andrew spends the day with Jesus.  I want to know how that works.  I want to know what that means today.  I want to know him better, but I find myself often limited by life!  How ironic—I am too busy to experience the Life because life gets in the way.  To be continued….

John 1:40

A man named Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, is one of the two men who hear what John the Baptizer says about Jesus.  He ends up being one of the two men that follow Jesus around all day.  John 1:40 EFP

The plot thickens!  Unless you are already familiar with the story, you are not expecting the name Andrew to pop up at this juncture.  After all, even the verse has to clarify who Andrew is, not on the basis of some previous act or future notoriety, but for no other reason than the fact that he is Simon Peter’s brother.  Peter’s brother.  That’s his claim to fame at this early stage of the Gospel story.

Andrew would never truly match his brother’s impact on the movement that was being launched.  He is not credited with any watershed sermons as is Peter.  He would not provide memorable quotes as did his sibling.  But he is the first of the twelve disciples to be mentioned in John’s Gospel narrative.  Peter may have ultimately been the disciple with the greatest name recognition and unparalleled renown, but it is Andrew who had the sense to follow Jesus first.

Somebody got the Gospel wheels churning—Andrew.  Somebody saw the promise in this unknown teacher who had come to be baptized by John, who up to then had been his mentor and spiritual leader—Andrew!  It just goes to prove that God is not always looking for the marquee names to initiate his purposes.  God just needs an opening into a willing heart to plant the seeds of the amazing.  Yes, Andrew was known at this point as nothing more than the brother of Peter and “one of the two” who followed Jesus for a day.  But the world would never be the same again because of his decision to follow Jesus first.  A choice like that can make all the difference.  I choose to follow the Lamb….

John 1:39

Jesus replies “Come and check it out.”  So the two men follow Jesus and they get to see where he lives.  In fact, they spend the whole day with him—past four o’clock in the afternoon. John 1:39 EFP

Isn’t that like God?  We give him a crazy question to his question that requested an answer, and rather than being bothered by the weak attempt to feign our incompetence, he spends the whole day with us!  That’s pretty much what happens in this passage.  The two prodigal disciples of John the Baptist ask a silly question, “Where do you live?” and Jesus calls their bluff and takes them to the place he calls home.  But then he invites them to stick around and take in the day with him.

Before they even realize it the day is almost gone.  I’m pretty sure they had the day of their lives.  It’s like when I spend a day with my sweetie doing whatever she does when she invites me spend some time with her.  It doesn’t even matter what she does or if we even talk much, just spending time with her makes the clock irrelevant.  The most inane activity becomes a pleasure when I am with my sweetie pie!  The point being that time spent with Jesus should be something like that.

I don’t know what your time with Jesus is like.  I know that there are times that my religious activities are not all that.  Spiritual disciplines seem like…well, discipline—like exercise.  I’m not sure my time with Jesus should seem like a chore to be completed so I can get on with my day.  I had to come to grips with the fact that there was something wrong with my understanding of “Jesus time.”  I now have and seek moments when I get lost in “Jesus time.”  I wish I could have more of it more often, but interruptions often invade my sacred times.  But it leaves me longing for more. 

John 1:38

After a while, Jesus noticed the two men following him, so he asked, “What’s up? They answered, “Teacher” (the Jewish word is ‘Rabbi’), “where do you live?”  John 1:38 EFP

We don’t really know how long these two men followed Jesus or what distance they kept from him as they shadowed the Master.  I sense Jesus knows they are there and he may have walked quite a while just to see how determined they were to shadow him.  But after leading John’s disciples around for a while he finally turns to acknowledge his new found companions.  Maybe it’s just me, but I kind of expected some great pronouncement from The Word of God, the promised Messiah, The Light of the World—something like “I am the Way, follow me and you will never wander again.”  In any case I did not expect his first question to these seekers to be the one he asked.

“What do you want?” is how the NIV translates the text.  Others interpret the words as “What do you seek?” (NAS), “What are you looking for?” (BBE), or “What are you after?” (MSG).  In any case it does not seem like a particularly welcoming question.  Even a “May I help you?” would have seemed more inviting.  I don’t know what Jesus is expecting as an appropriate answer to his question.  I sense the question they ask in response to his question seems more like something contrived for lack of something coherent to say.  Perhaps they were waiting for a profound theological question and they had already prepared a response.  Who knows?  The fact is he asks, “What’s up? And they answer, “Where are you staying?” which doesn’t even seem to be an answer to his question!

I guess it doesn’t really matter what Jesus asks, he is just trying to start a conversation.  That’s pretty awesome.  He just wants to know what’s on my mind.  Anything will suffice.   Do I have a headache? Did I have a tough day at work?  Am I failing miserably in my walk with God? That’s fair game—he wants me to let him know (he already knows, just like he already knew why the young men were following him). Any answer will lead to a response from the One whose mission is to seek and save the lost—of which I am at the front of the line!  Do you get a sense Jesus just wants to talk—sometimes he has to cut to the chase to get past the formalities.  Just open up—ask anything.  You will be surprised with the answer.

John 1:37

When John’s two disciples heard him speak these words, they followed Jesus instead of him.  John 1:37 EFP

Wow, what a turn of events!  One second these two yet unnamed disciples of the desert preacher are participating in his fruitful ministry, the next they are following the Lamb.  Would John have spoken the immortal words, "Behold the Lamb of God..." had he known the result would be a loss of two of his disciples?  Would he have risked his ministry’s stability for the ministry of another?  My guess is that the answer would be “Yes” every time.

In John’s case, after all, this is the reason he was born.  This is his sole mission.  This is his singular focus.  There is no alternative—his personal fulfillment is totally lost in the ultimate success of the One greater than him.  His lips are created to utter the words, “Behold the Lamb!”  He lives to point people to the Lamb of God.  If doing that costs him everything he has and even his life, so be it.

The correlation is not lost on me.  If, and this is a big “if”, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, then it would follow that I will find any opportunity to share that fact.   The implications of believing Jesus “is the Christ, the Son of the living God,” are earth-shaking and life-changing.  If I am silent, perhaps it is because I have yet to totally process what those statements mean to me personally, and to the people around me.  The verse today tells me that “if I say it, they will follow--Him.”  Perhaps I need to phrase it in such a way that is coherent, clear, and couched in a life that draws people to the Lamb.  People are longing for someone worthy of their trust, loyalty, and devotion.  Why not point them to the Lamb?

John 1:36

When John sees Jesus walking by, he says, "Look everyone, the Lamb of God!”  John 1:36 EFP

This is an interesting declaration in the context of the larger passage.  It’s not a new one, since John made such a statement previously (verse 29) the day after the emissaries from Jerusalem concluded their interrogation and returned with the information to their absentee bosses.  On that day the declaration includes quite a bit more information than what he says this particular day.

Why the replay?  How much time has elapsed since the first encounter, which apparently was the day Jesus was baptized by John (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)?  It can be safely assumed that more than 40 days have elapsed, since Jesus is taken from his baptism to the desert to be tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1)  This follow-up event takes place at the same river, the same setting, and the same key individuals.  So why is a repetition necessary 40 days later?  Although the first statement is made on a day that provides its own special moment, apparently things returned to normalcy when the day ended.  John goes back to doing what he does.  His followers keep supporting his efforts.  The populace keeps coming out into the desert; some to hear, some to find fault, others to confess and be baptized by the prophet.

But this time something is different.  No additional words are necessary.  John simply points out what he had stated previously, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”  Those that had heard the prior statement by the Baptizer simply fill in the blanks.  I am curious how many different reactions are elicited by John’s statement on this particular day.  Do the words fall on deaf ears to some?  Does John’s declaration evoke curiosity but no follow through on others?  Do some long to act upon the Spirit’s tug on their heart strings, but are paralyzed by fear and uncertainty?  It must have moved someone to act!  I wonder what camp I would have belonged to that day.  I wonder what camp I am in today. 

John 1:35

The following day John is at the river again with two of his followers.  John 1:35 EFP

This seems to be one of those “throw-away” verses that appear to do nothing more than to introduce some future significant event.  It does not have any apparent value or significance apart from what happens after the introductory words.  This passage seems to answer four simple questions: When? Who? Where? And with whom?  The answers in short: The next day.  John the Baptizer.  At the Jordan. With two of his disciples.   Nice information, but little more.

But there is a word thrown in the midst of this passage that carries special significance for me.  It’s the word “again.”  It says to me that this may have been an ordinary day for most, but the people involved were planning for something special to happen.  It is the “following day” again!  It is John doing what he does every day—again!  He is at the River Jordan, again.  His disciples are with him…again.  Why again?  Because they go back and do what they do because they believe something special is going to happen…any day.  They do not know when.  They may not have known how it would take place.  John has already said he doesn’t really know who.  But they kept coming back—same channel; same time; same setting.

But every day is filled with an expectation.  There is anticipation.  There is a sense of an impending extraordinary event, or maybe every day is extraordinary on its own merits.  But to them, in a very special sense, every time they come to their special place, they see promise—a promise of coming of The Promised One.  How many times does this day repeat itself?  Who knows?  But unlike Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” where he has to find meaning in every day before he can escape from the banality of his life on perpetual repeat mode, at the Jordan River every day has meaning because the individuals described in this verse expect every day to be the day the promise is fulfilled and the Promised One was revealed.  There is a lesson in there for me to keep in mind every day of my life; every time I pray; every time I engage in the seemingly mundane things of my existence—expect the amazing.  Anticipate every day will be the day when God does something extraordinary with and through me.  Every day is worth living because of Him—His doing, His being, His coming. Today is a “wow wrapped in the now!”

John 1:34

“I saw all this with my own eyes and on that basis I testify that this Man is the Son of God!”  John 1:34 EFP

The words above are attributed to John the Baptist, but they could just as easily been uttered by John the Apostle.  The statement is a declaration from the witness stand—unwavering and certain of what they are both testifying.  What they say is based on what they saw.  The basis of their testimony is not second-hand hearsay, but personal and experiential.  Their conclusion is unequivocal and irrevocable.  John unites his voice to the evangelist—in unison they declare, “I testify that this Man is the Son of God!” 

It sort of makes my often muffled and understated whispers of faith fall into irrelevancy.  I am a product of the age in which I live.  I avoid all-encompassing statements that risk offending people of other religious or non-religious persuasions.  I have been fed a steady stream of political correctness and moral relativity to the point that I askew positions that cast me into a mold that is too narrow or confining. Neither John is concerned with such matters.  They know what they saw and experienced—it changed their lives.

What is my equivalent experience as a “believer”?  I can’t roll back time or rewind history, but what I lack in visual and tactile evidence I can experience in abundance through a personal experiential encounter with God.  Such an encounter requires something that I have become less open to experiencing—a mystical and non-quantitative experience with a Being that is not seen.  It is a faith experience, which too many times is equated with superstition and old-world thinking.  But both Johns are inviting me into an experience that is foreign to my natural sense and scientific bent.  It is a jump into the unknown; it is scary; it is unsettling.  I am in a life’s journey which will force me to make a decision to accept or deny the confession stated in this verse.  There is no option—I must choose.  The choice looms on my daily horizon calling me to declare, “I testify that this Man—Jesus, is the Son of God!”

John 1:33

"I would have failed to recognize Him," John continues, "except for the fact that the One who called me to baptize Him with water actually told me, 'The Man on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain-- He is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit."  John 1:33 EFP

Can you imagine how different the story of Jesus would have been without John the Baptist?  What if the time had come for Jesus to begin his ministry and John had not been around to introduce him?  What if Jesus had come to be baptized by the voice crying in the wilderness and John failed to recognize him?

According to John he could have missed his cue, totally!  Can you imagine?  The only reason he recognized the man and the moment was because the one who called him, i.e. God, has clued him in beforehand or whispered a critical clue at the right moment.  In other words he not only called him to his special mission, he provided the information and insight needed to be ready and to accomplish the mission at the right moment.

I have been wondering about my mission in life?  What is it--really?  Who called me to my mission?  How do I know it’s my mission?  How will I look back at my life and assess whether I was faithful to the mission God designed for me from before I was born?  I realize God can make something special even out of my less-than-ideal choices (Romans 8:28), but wouldn’t it be sad if I “missed it” simply because I missed the clues God had tried to give me along the way?  I wonder if there is a special joy, for God and for me, when His will and mine will join as one.  I want to be as certain as John of God’s leading in my life.  I sense it will take a much higher level of commitment than that which I have presently.  I don’t want to miss God’s “moment” for me.

John 1:32

John, the Baptizer freely testifies to all, " I witnessed the Spirit of God in the form of a dove descending on him when I baptized him.  This Spirit stayed with him from that day forward."  John 1:32 EFP 

 

John is big on witnesses.  In this first chapter of his Gospel, he makes the claim that John the Baptizer witnessed or testified to the Light (verse 7), to Jesus’ unique and exalted status (verse 15), and to the Holy Spirit descending on him (verse 32).  The “witnessing” theme appears 18 times in his Gospel; “testify” and its derivatives appear another 12 times.  It is important for John for his readers to know that this in not simple hearsay, but eyewitness evidence to the truth he is sharing with them.  He wants us to believe, not only in what he is sharing, but in the One of whom he testifies.

I often wonder if the people who lived in John’s day did not have a distinct advantage over us who live separated by 2000 years from the events narrated in the pages of the Gospels.  They got to see Jesus; they walked with him; they literally witnessed his miracles!  We are provided but an incomplete written record of his ministry and life of sacrifice.  Is it fair to expect us to believe, and to witness to something we have not seen with our eyes and touched with our hands?  How can I be a witness to what I have not seen?

Then I think of all those who saw, heard, and literally ate the words and miracles of Jesus, yet they did not believe.  In fact, his closest acquaintances not only failed to recognize him for who he was, but in fact rejected him and tried to kill him! (Luke 4)  We, on the other hand, have the evidence of two millennia to inform us of the difference Jesus has made in the world.  And in spite of the human evidence to the contrary, we read of changed lives and acts of self-sacrificing love by those who follow the Loving One.  Ultimately it is the personal and intimate testimony of my changed life that has the most potential to be most powerful.  What evidence do I have to share about the work of God in me?  I obviously cannot witness to what I did not see in Jesus’ day, but I can witness to what I have experienced.  I carry on the ministry of both Johns—proclaiming the coming of the Messiah and ushering in the Kingdom of Heaven.