A Johannine Study (John 1:35-41)

³⁵ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).

There are many reasons why people separate from their loved ones despite not wanting to do so. For some, it is practical. The need to work might beckon us to another region or country. Opting for the school of their choice, students are, oftentimes, willing to relocate themselves. Sometimes, separation happens because of changing interpersonal dynamics. A simple change in lifestyle could have dramatic effects on a person’s social life. A baby requires so much attention and care that those who were formerly close must now take a backseat. What did it take for John’s disciples to leave him?

All he had to do was point. One could imagine John the Baptist saying, “Look there! Behold, the Lamb of God!That’s the guy that I’ve been talking about all this time!” His whole life was dedicated to making much of Jesus. Thus, Andrew and his companion were eagerly awaiting the day when the Lamb of God would show up. That is why all John had to do was point.

This narrative marks a dramatic shift in discipleship. When they followed John, they were following a man whose message was about someone else. When they began to follow Jesus, they were following God whose message was about God. This is exceedingly paradigmatic!

Then, a strange conversation occurs. Jesus asks them what they are seeking. They respond by calling Jesus “Rabbi.” By doing so they are accepting Jesus as their teacher. But it almost seems presumptuous for them to ask immediately after, “where are you staying,” without getting formal approval from him; disciples during that time were expected to live and eat with their teachers. There is, however, no indication that Jesus was offended. In fact, he willingly allowed them to enter into his company.

Both Jesus and the disciples knew that discipleship happens through integration. Relationships are formed when people become involved with each other. I could read one hundred books on women, but still end up having no clue who my wife really is. To know her is to be with her. Real discipleship requires a certain amount of intimacy. God disciples us in this way.

First, he invites us into his presence first through the Gospel. Jesus Christ died for our sins, so that we can be united with God without interference from our sinfulness. Then God uses people like Andrew and his companion as first-hand witnesses, whose testimony of being discipled by Jesus is handed down from generation to generation, primarily through the Bible. God also uses Christ-like people, who are shaped by the gospel, to disciple us into a relationship with God. As a result, we can echo with Jesus’ disciples, “We have found the Messiah!”

Who is your rabbi, friend? Who is discipling you? Who are you discipling? In light of the individualistic worldview of many North Americans, these are appropriate questions to ask ourselves. I pray that we would not alienate ourselves from the grace we receive through others, and the grace we could give to others. This is our calling as Christians, for Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20).

A Johannine Study (John 1:32-34)

³² And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

In 21st century North America, infant baptisms have become an fairly commonplace institutional practice. In some cases, the religious implications of such an event are lost in clichéd ceremonialism. For example, it would not be surprising if a non-Christian showed up invited to a baptism and missed the very meaning of it. Baptism, in some circles, has become nothing more than a ritual, a rite of passage. Then there are the divisive controversies concerning baptism. There are hosts of Christians that are embroiled in the debate between infant baptism and believer’s baptism. Churches and denominations have split over this contentious issue. Needless to say, the ordinance of baptism has strayed from its intended purpose.

To truly appreciate baptism, one must look to the baptism of Jesus. In one sense, John’s account of Jesus’ baptism is not unique. All three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22) record this event; all three Gospels mention the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus; all three Gospels state that God calls Jesus his beloved Son; all three Gospels are clear about how God was pleased with Jesus.

John’s gospel corroborates the fact that the Spirit descended on Jesus. But what was the purpose of this event? It is made clear through a prophet in Isaiah 42:1, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold,my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” Jesus’ baptism is a means to an end, and that end is an end to the unjust. Someone could intuit from this that God would send a mighty king who would rain destruction on the nations with armies and weaponry. Counterintuitively, however, Jesus would secure the victory by going to the cross to die. The resultant justice, spoken of in Isaiah, is the justification that we received through Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 4:25).

This baptism was a means, but it is also a sign. First, it is a sign of the Trinity. To be Christian, means that you believe in a trinitarian God. Second, it is a sign that God is with us. When God’s Spirit descended on Jesus, it was a visible demonstration that God will also bless others with his Spirit, in accordance with the Old Testament prophecies (Isa. 32:15; 44:3; Ezek. 36:25–27; Joel 2:28–32). John Calvin explains, “he received the Spirit not only for himself, but for his people; and on that account his descent was visible, that we may know that there dwells in him an abundance of all gifts of which we are empty and destitute”. The baptism of Jesus was not necessary for God. He always had the Spirit. But the early Christians needed to see this unity to understand what it meant for the Spirit to be on them. In truth, the baptism of Jesus was more necessary for those Christians, and for us as well.

There is yet one more encouraging observation we can make about the discourse. John’s gospel differs from the Synoptics by adding to the phrase: “[The Spirit] remained on him.” In other words, the Spirit did not leave him. God does not abandon the man who is called the “Son of God” (John 1:34) which can also be translated as “the chosen one of God”. But Paul tells us that we have been chosen by God as well, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:4). That means that when God’s Spirit dwells in us, he will not leave us. He remains on us, much like how he remained on Jesus. In this hope, we are saved forever.

A Johannine Study (John 1:29-31)

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

In the first two chapters of The Gospel According to Luke, an interesting contradistinction occurs. It begins with the foretelling of John the Baptist’s birth. Then, the narrative follows with the foretelling of Jesus’ birth. Next, there is an account of their mothers meeting each other in the town of Judah. After Mary’s song of praise, John the Baptist is born, followed by the birth of Jesus. Luke is making it a point to juxtapose John with Jesus. By doing so, he shows us how both people have extraordinary beginnings, but he also makes it abundantly clear that only one will reign over a kingdom that has no end (Luke 1:33).

This contrast between biblical characters also occurs in The Gospel According to John. In this narrative, however, the superior greatness of Jesus is made known without tarrying. From the mouth of John the Baptist is the proclamation: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” The question is: Who was this Jesus that John proclaimed about?

When John calls Jesus the Lamb, he is making a theological statement that harkens back to the words of Isaiah 53. More specifically, he is likely referring to verse seven: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” To the typical Jew at the time, the image of a lamb would have evoked thoughts about the Passover. This was a Jewish event commemorating the day when the wrath of God passed over the Israelites, as described in Exodus 12. In this story, God told Moses and Aaron to instruct the Israelites to slaughter an unblemished lamb. With the blood of the lamb, they were then told to stain the doorposts of their houses. That night, God killed every firstborn in Egypt, but he spared the lives of those who resided behind bloodstained doorposts. The lamb of the passover became a focal point in the traditions that followed. More importantly, Isaiah foretold of a greater lamb that would do more than save a people from one night of God’s wrath. This greater lamb would save people from their sins.

John goes a bit further by identifying Jesus as “Lamb of God.” So, not only is Jesus this prophesied lamb who will save people from their sins, he is also “of God.” In other words, Jesus is God’s own. This is reminiscent of the story of Abraham and Isaac. In Genesis 12, God made a promise to Abraham. Despite his wife’s barrenness, God would provide Abraham with a child named Isaac. Isaac was Abraham’s own son, whom he loved. But the plot takes a dramatic turn in Genesis 22 when God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son. Obediently, Abraham does what he is told; and as he is about to slaughter his son, an angel stops him saying, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” Like Isaac, Jesus is God’s own Son, whom he loved. But unlike this story, God the Father does not withhold his Son from being sacrificed. Instead, Jesus willingly gave up his life; not for one man, but for many.

This Jesus is the ultimate sacrificial lamb. Compared to Isaac, he is the greater and truer sacrifice because only he is worthy enough to appease wrath of God. Compared to the passover lamb, he is the greater and truer lamb because only he can truly take on the sins of the world. John’s proclamation was about Jesus. And for those of us who are indebted to Jesus for our salvation, that is our proclamation too.