In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Grace
and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord
and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen
The
Second Sunday after the Epiphany (2011)
The
Blessings of Following Jesus Rev.
John 1:35-42 (ESV)
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). [42] He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at
him and said, "So you are Simon the son of John?
I suspect many
of you watched the “Tucson Memorial” the other night where our president gave a
rather stirring speech honoring the victims of the terrible shooting tragedy
while hoping to offer consolation and healing to the community. For the most
part the effort was laudable; however, all that was offered by way of Holy Scripture
after the opening speaker was muted by that opening Native American appeal.
In a time when
families and friends of the victims should have been consoled with God’s
merciful truth of everlasting life, they were subjected instead to a pagan petition
honoring the “Seven Directions”
including “Father Sky” and “Mother Earth.” Not once during what has
been loosely called the opening prayer was the word God or the name of God uttered.
However, given the worldliness of our academics today could we have expected
anything less? More alarming, Christian parents need to be mindful of what is
being taught to their children lest they, too, fall into the soul-robbing
worldview of our American secular and pagan leaning culture; that there are
many paths to heaven; that Christ is not the only way.
Defending the
pagan opening, some have inferred that what was done was nothing more than what
the Apostle Paul would have done; mix in local customs and beliefs with
Christian doctrine. However, this inference denies the truth of what Paul
taught regarding pagan worship.
The opening of
the “Tucson Memorial” was yet another vivid reminder to all who are followers
of Jesus Christ that the forces of evil never sleep and they lurk at every
corner, seeking every opportunity to take your souls captive in the hope of
depriving you of the glories of heaven. We
cannot help but thank God for His blessed presence in our lives and say with
all humility, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
We cannot help
but thank God for His blessed presence in our lives! This is an interesting
statement!
Have you ever given
much thought as to how God became present in your lives? Have you thought about
how you came to believe that our Lord Jesus is your Savior and the Savior of
all mankind? Now, if I were a member of some works righteous congregation I
might ask, “Do you know when you were saved, when you accepted Jesus?”
expecting an answer to the day, hour, and minute of your life when you “gave”
yourself to Christ. However, as Lutherans, as beholders of God’s Holy Word, we
would answer that question with, “We were saved 2000 years ago when our Lord
Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary.” This is in fact the truth and furthermore,
it is the only answer we can give because there is no specific time in our
lives when we could ever take credit for our salvation. Truth is; I would say
that not one of us truly knows the day or hour God gave us the gift to believe
in His Son, Jesus Christ as our Savior. However, we do remember who was
instrumental in exposing us to the blessed truth of the Gospel from which came God’s
gift of faith. Our exposure to God’s saving Word was the direct result of someone
else; your parents, your spouse, your fiancées, your friends, someone other
than you led you to hear what you had never heard before; the saving Word of
the Gospel.
Of course, when
we become recipients of God’s gift of faith, we’re not really aware of what is
about to transpire or of the blessing we are about to receive. Then, from where
we do not know, the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appears and
He saves us, “not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his
own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he
poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being
justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal
life” (Titus 3:5-7 ESV). God’s action, God’s work alone turns our
hearts and gives us the gift of faith to believe in the vicarious sacrifice of
our Lord, Jesus Christ and through that gift we are saved. Not just saved, but
we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places; we are
holy and blameless before Him, we are adopted as His children, we have
redemption through His blood, by His grace we are forgiven our trespasses, the
very mystery of His will is made known to us, we are inheritors of heaven, and
we are sealed with the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead us all our days (Eph.
1:3-14).
Pausing for a
moment and giving thought to our path to salvation we might consider ourselves
unique, however, today’s Gospel Reading shows us that the process I just described
is a time honored implementation of God’s mercy in the lives of those whom He
chooses to give the gift of faith to believe in His one and only Son, Jesus
Christ. Thus, we see this very process played out in the lives of Andrew and
John.
After baptizing
Jesus, John remains at the
The very next
day John is once more with his disciples and Jesus draws near. John confesses
to them, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (v. 29)
Moreover, John bears witness that this Jesus is none other than the Son of God.
Then, the following day, John the Baptizer is standing with Andrew and John as
Jesus walks by and he declares once again, “Behold the Lamb of God” (v. 36).
John the Baptizer witnesses to Andrew and John that they were in the very presence
of the Son of God. Drawn by the presence of our Lord, the two are unable to
constrain themselves and they begin to follow Jesus. Knowing they are
following, Jesus stops and turns toward them and asks, “What are you seeking?” (v. 38)
Unbeknownst to
them, Andrew and John are drawn to Jesus by the teaching of John the Baptizer.
What’s more, this is John the Baptizer’s calling, to point others to Christ, to
prepare the way, to be the forerunner of Christ. Just as your parents, your
spouse, your fiancée, your friend or whom ever brought you to Christ, John the
Baptizer was doing no more than what God had called on him to do. God’s plan
for our salvation is truly a miraculous thing.
Knowing Andrew
and John were too timid to address Him; our Lord Jesus speaks first, opening
His arms to receive them. He opens the door to their hearts by asking them what
they were seeking, not whom they were seeking, but what they were seeking. This
is a masterful question by our Lord, because it bids them to look searchingly
at their innermost longings and desires. Although John the Baptist had affirmed
their hopes, these two disciples were still seeking
what had been promised; a Messiah who would save His people. Sadly, many today
are seeking what they should not, and others are not seeking what they should. This
then begs the question, “What are you seeking?”
Our young people among us typically seek an education
that will prepare them for life as an adult. They may be looking for a good job
or possibly they would like to further their education by attending an
academically challenging university. Hopefully, not one where pagan prayer is
acceptable! Fact is, they should further their education and they should do it
with all earnestness. However, I remind you, all that you may learn and all
that you might earn are valueless without Christ. Therefore, as you grow into
adulthood, go on to college, and begin a job in the workplace remember always to
trust in the Lord Jesus, holding firm to the gift of faith given you at your
baptism and you will secure a truly blessed future. Do not neglect to honor your
father and your mother, for in so doing God promises, “that it may go well with you and
that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Eph. 6:1–3ESV).
You fathers and
mothers, God has been generous and given you children. What are you seeking for
them? Is your only concern to give them food, drink, clothing, shelter, a good
education, and a good inheritance? Are your plans for your children only for
the outer man, or do they include their souls? Are you planting godly values in
their hearts? Are you pointing them to Jesus as did John the Baptist for these
two disciples? Are you saying to them, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the
sin of the world?” You father’s are you living up to your
responsibility as the priest of your household, ensuring that your family
remains firm in God’s Word and worship, bringing your children up in the
training and instruction of the Lord? If so, then you are a good and faithful
servant, not planning only for this life, but planning for eternity as well?
Truth is we all
need to answer this question by Jesus. In so doing we can cast out all our self-seeking,
all our seeking-of ease, all worldly ambitions in churchly things, and all
unworthy aims so we can rise to the height of our calling both as believers and
as called servants of the Lord. Furthermore, let us help to confront others
with this same question so they, too, may find in Jesus what He came to bring.
For there is a hidden promise in this question of our Lord’s “What
are you seeking?” and that promise is eternal life, the greatest
treasure anyone could ever want. Moreover, our Lord longs to direct our seeking
in such a way that we find that treasure, for He, “desires all people to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4 ESV).
Surprised by our
Lord’s question, Andrew and John simply respond, “Rabbi, where are you staying?”
(v. 38) however, this response was enough for Jesus. From this point
forevermore, Jesus took control. He knew what they were seeking and He offers
them true and everlasting hospitality when He says to them, “Come
and you will see” (v. 39). Andrew and John needed no more coaxing because
they had been thoroughly conditioned for this hour by their pastor, John the
Baptizer, and they happily went with Jesus as His guests.
As guests of our
Lord, the souls of these two men, as never before, came face-to-face with God
and they were forever changed. Being guest of Jesus, meeting Him face-to-face,
is the only eternally worthwhile thing in the world. When Christianity means no
more than a mental acceptance, when it means no more than conformity to certain
rituals, it is worthless. However, when the needy, sin-filled soul meets Jesus,
face to face and reaches out, clasping Him with a faith that believes He is the
Savior of the world, the very Lamb of God who was slain for sinners, that He
alone is the One whose blood which was shed on Calvary’s cross as an atonement
for the sins of the world, then this is a Christianity that is priceless. Moreover,
when our restless and confused souls learn to lean on Him who is willing and
able to help us in everyway—then this becomes a vital Christianity. Nothing can
take its place.
Our Lord Jesus invites
us to come and as true believers of Him, therefore we are His guest everyday,
yet none more so than when we are at worship. Every time a soul is added to the
Church through the waters of Baptism, Jesus makes them His eternal guest. Every
time we come forward to the altar to partake of the Lord’s Supper, we become
guests at the never-ending banquet of God, partaking of His Sons, body and
blood. Furthermore, as invited guests, Jesus assures us that we are in union;
in communion with Him. He says to us, “I am the vine; you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart
from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 ESV).
Two disciples seeking
an earthly Messiah became life long followers of the heavenly Son of God
because of one encounter. They were invited Guests
of the Lord who received from Him more than they had ever expected. Guests
of Jesus! How comforting! How encouraging for our every problem in life! We
ought always to pray: Come, Lord, Jesus,
Be our Guest so we might revel in His blessings all our days as followers
of Him. Amen.
May the peace of God, which passes all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.