January 15, 2023 Sermon
Sermon title: "The Lamb of God"
Scripture : John 1:29-42
(Other lectionary choices include Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 40:1-11, and I Corinthians 1:1-9.)
John 1:29-42
The Lamb of God
29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' 31I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." 32And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."
The First Disciples of Jesus
35The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" 37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. 40One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). 42He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).
"The Lamb of God" is the title of this sermon, and that title for Jesus is one of the things he has been called for a long time. It is, of course, not the ONLY thing he has been called, but it is one that the Roman Catholic Church has used in the Mass for centuries.
In the Middle Ages, composers would write music for what's called the Ordinary of the Mass. The parts of the Mass are - pardon me for showing off! - Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Benedictus, and - finally - Agnus Dei, which means Lamb of God. "Agnus" means lamb and "Dei" means of God. By the way, the woman's name Agnes comes from the Latin word for lamb, Agnus. The Agnus Dei of the Mass usually said, "Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us."
What was John getting at when he called Jesus the Lamb of God?
For John the Gospel writer, Jesus really is the sacrificial lamb that takes away the sins of the world. And according to the account in John, Jesus is being crucified on the same day that all the sacrificial lambs were being killed in the Temple. That's not so obvious in the other three Gospels, but it certainly is in the Gospel of John. Keep in mind that Jesus was arrested and killed during Passover. For John it is no ACCIDENT that the very moment the lambs are killed, so is Jesus. Also for the author of John, God was bringing a new people out of slavery, the slavery to sin. In the book of Exodus, Moses leads the Israelites out of slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt - but now God was doing an even better thing, saving not ONE people, the Israelites, but EVERYBODY. {{READ John 1:12-13 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.}} This is called the Prologue to the Gospel of John. Quoting the British scholar N. T. Wright in his commentary "John for Everyone", "Everybody who receives the Word, who believes in his name, can become a newborn child of God. Everybody - not just those with a particular pedigree or certificate of achievement." What Jesus is doing is letting in the outsiders, "people on the edges, outside the boundaries." These people "get the point and find themselves forgiven, healed, brought in by God's transforming love." That is what John the Baptist meant when he called Jesus "God's lamb, taking away the world's sin." And did you notice? The WORLD'S sin, not only the sin of Israel, but the WORLD'S sin. How did John the Baptist know this?
John knows this because of something that happened at Jesus's baptism. If you heard last week's sermon, you heard about the voice from Heaven that said "This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." John's Gospel is indicating that John the Baptist HEARD that voice! John's Gospel doesn't mention Jesus's baptism, maybe because he assumes everybody had heard about it. Also keep in mind that John's Gospel was written AFTER the other three, perhaps around the end of the first century. So there was a bigger community of believers by then, and that community would have definitely heard most of the stories about Jesus, including what happened at his baptism.
In the second part of today's Scripture reading, there's the idea that Andrew and Simon Peter were looking for the Messiah. But it also turns out that the Messiah was looking for them! That's a point the Gospel of John continues to make: "You didn't choose me, but I chose YOU", says Jesus elsewhere. And that's a good point. You may think you've been looking for a closer walk with God, but GOD has actually been looking for a closer walk with YOU! That's pretty amazing, isn't it? A God who actually SEARCHES for people! In John's gospel, Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd." What does a good shepherd do but SEARCH for his sheep?
Something else here: Jesus seems to give people new names. Why? Possibly, as the Apostle Paul says in one of his letters, when one is in Christ, one is a new creation! Maybe you know some Roman Catholics who have a baptismal name. If so, the church may be following Jesus's practice in the Gospel of John in giving people new names. Actually, that happens in Robin Hood, doesn't it? When John Little runs into Robin and his merry band, Robin changes his name from John Little to Little John. Did the author of Robin Hood get his idea from the Gospel according to John? I wouldn't be surprised!
And I just had another thought......L.A. has the reputation where people come to create a new reality for themselves, and that new reality can sometimes involve getting a new name! True, some of these folks may be hiding out from the law, but what about others who desperately want a new beginning? Changing one's name can be a way of repenting, of starting anew. You are aware of the power of positive thinking, aren't you? As Bank of America ads used to say, if you can think it, you can dream it. And what about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's speech, "I have a Dream"? His birthday is today, and we'll celebrate it tomorrow - but he was on to something with that speech. Before you can be "Born Again", which is an idea also from John's Gospel, you have to think about it, don't you? You have to dream a little bit first.
I hope I didn't wander too far off the beaten path today, but the Scripture lesson for today made me do it! First it talked about the Lamb of God, and then it talked about the first disciples Jesus picked. And some of those he chose he gave new names. How about us? Should we have new names? You decide! Amen.
Pastor Skip
