Look!
When I was in middle school, another student loved to torment me with cruel nicknames. The one that hurt the most? "Tubby." He'd say it with a sneer, point at my overweight belly, and laugh. Our names and nicknames are how others view us and our identity. But as bad as these nicknames were, I'm grateful no one ever threatened me with death.
John 1:29-34
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I told you about: 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.' I didn't know him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him. I didn't know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."
In this passage, Jesus is identified with two competing images. The first is the Lamb of God. In context, everyone knew priests killed lambs at the Temple to cover the people's sins. On Passover, every community killed a lamb and smeared its blood on the doorframe so the angel of death would 'pass over' their house. But John says Jesus goes beyond these expectations. Somehow, he will not only cover but remove the sins of the world. The light will fall to the darkness on our behalf. In this gospel, when we first see Jesus taking action, John the Baptist signifies he is marked for slaughter. The second image is that Jesus is the Son of God, on whom the Spirit of God rests. These names identify Jesus as the Messiah, or Israel's deliverer. But they go beyond this to identify Jesus as God (John 1 is an excellent text to develop our understanding of the Trinity). The more we look at Jesus, the more amazed we are. He is the Eternal Word become flesh. The Son of God headed for death. The ignored Messiah. The light who shines in the darkness. The Giver of grace and truth. Do you see Jesus?
Reflection Questions
What's the significance that John's first public words about Jesus point to his death?
Which descriptions of Jesus do you find most glorious? Which ones confuse you?
After five days in John 1, how would you complete this sentence: "When I look at Jesus, I see ____________."
One Thing to Try
John's job was to testify about what he'd seen. Tell your friend one new thing you see when you look at Jesus.