Thursday, June 6, 2013

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?

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