Rev. Nick Cheek
Isaiah 49: 1-7 and John 1: 29-42
Intro: Our reading this morning comes from the Gospel of John. As with all four Gospels, each writer tends to paint their own portrait of Jesus. John’s Gospel is focused on identity. John is the gospel that gives us the “I am” statements. “I am the bread of life,” “I am the Gate,” “I am the vine…” John’s goal is that by the time you finish reading the last page of his gospel, you understand a little more about who Jesus is. This morning’s scripture takes place shortly after Jesus’ baptism when Jesus is in his early 30’s. Not much is known about Jesus as of yet. He hasn’t performed any miracles or even started his ministry. So every encounter people have with Jesus is another glimpse at his character and purpose.
It’s an interesting scene. John the Baptist standing on a dirt road in the middle of town with two of his disciples. We only know the name of one of them, Andrew. They’re standing there, and all of a sudden, Jesus walks on by. John sees him, points at Jesus, and says, “That’s him… that’s the guy I’ve been talking about… the one I baptized yesterday in the Jordan… Look, there he is.. Behold…the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The disciples look at Jesus, and then something fairly humorous happens. They simply turn from John and start walking after Jesus. It’s funny… because these men have been John’s disciples for a while now. They’ve listened to him, learned from him, followed him into the wilderness. One moment they’re standing with John, the next they’re walking down the road behind someone else, leaving John in the dust. The humor is human… because we recognize ourselves in the disciples. We, too, are people who move quickly toward what we think is the bigger and better thing. I feel a little bad for John, but… that was the plan from the beginning. John knew it. His job was to prepare his disciples to follow after Jesus. To prepare the way for the Lord. And so, Andrew and this other disciple start following Jesus down the road. For how long, we don’t know. It could have been a few seconds, a few minutes… or longer. Eventually, Jesus, aware of their presence behind him, turns around, looks them straight in the eyes, and asks… “What are you looking for?”
It’s an interesting way for John’s Gospel to begin Jesus’ ministry. John doesn’t open with a miracle, or a sermon, or a teaching, or even a doctrine about what we must believe about Jesus or God… he opens with a question. James K. A. Smith, writing from a Reformed perspective, translates Jesus’ question simply as, “What do you want?” Smith argues that the question has to do less with theology and more with our human nature. We aren’t just “brains on a stick,” he says – We are lovers, creatures whose lives are oriented by what we prize, what we fear, what we crave, who we trust, what we expect…. What we need and hope for. [Pause] And so… what were the disciples looking for as they turned to follow after Jesus? Did they know who this Jesus was… and the road they were about to embark on together?
In our story, the disciples first use the word “Rabbi” to refer to Jesus. This tells the reader that they were at least looking for a teacher. They at least believed Jesus was similar to John, someone they could learn from… a mentor who could teach them about God, the scriptures, about life… and how to live and operate in this world. But later in the story, they refer to him as something else… something greater. Andrew finds his brother Simon and tells him, “I’ve found the Messiah.” Isn’t it telling… church… that even though Andrew clearly hears John call Jesus the Lamb of God… he prefers to use the title, Messiah, instead?
There is a scriptural reason Andrew uses the title Messiah. The background of this passage is Israel’s long and painful hope for deliverance. For generations, the Messiah had been imagined in royal and triumphant terms: a king who would crush enemies, restore sovereignty, and make righteousness visible through power. Andrew was a Jew shaped by those stories and those promises. He had grown up hearing about a rescuer…someone anointed by God to step into history, overturn injustice, and finally set things right. So when Andrew says, “We have found the Messiah,” he believes he is being faithful to what he has been taught to hope for.
Similar to us, Andrew and the other disciples lived in deeply challenging times. They had seen war. They had witnessed prejudice, injustice, and hatred between people. They knew what it was like to see the poor and hungry suffer while those in power protected themselves and the rich got richer. They knew what it was like to witness refugees and immigrants struggling to feel at home, and accepted. Their salvation history was marked by terror and trauma… generations living under prideful, corrupt, and violent leaders. Families forced to flee for their lives. They were looking for a rescuer. Someone to bring hope into a hopeless time. Someone to rush in and fix what was broken. Haven’t we all looked at the state of the world and prayed, Please God… just sweep in and fix us… Give is a Messiah give us a LION? That is what the prophecies seemed to promise. And if we are to think of our own history as a people… and those we seek to follow… human nature has, unfortunately, valued lions over lambs. If we’re honest… Lamb of God doesn’t sound very powerful, does it? It sounds vulnerable. Exposed. Weak. People don’t really want a lamb… Lambs don’t fix economies. Lambs don’t overthrow empires. Lambs don’t intimidate enemies. Lions do. Lambs don’t change anything… they don’t move anyone to action… they have no charisma. We’d rather have a strong, confident, my-way-or-the-highway, bombastic, power-hungry, unapologetic, get-it-done lion… because, quite frankly, Lambs get eaten.
What are we looking for church? Are we looking for a lion or a lamb?
John is clear in our passage… he says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Biblical scholar Raymond E. Brown points out that the image of the Lamb stands deliberately over and against popular messianic expectations of forceful deliverance. Under Roman occupation, many longed for a Messiah who would defeat enemies through power recognizable to the world. Brown suggests that John’s insistence on Lamb language is not accidental… it is meant to subvert those expectations. Jesus is revealed as God’s decisive agent, but not in the form many hoped for.
Brown goes on to note that John’s Gospel consistently redefines victory itself. Jesus does not reign from a throne imposed by violence; he reigns from the cross. This means that God does not lead the way we lead… and God does not fight the way we fight. Instead… God exposes our violence by refusing to imitate it. In addition, the Lamb does not deny that evil is in the world… but the Lamb defeats evil without becoming a part of it.
This past week, the monks made their way through Charlotte. Thousands paused their routines, lined the streets, and came out to simply be in their presence. When reporters asked people why they came or what they were looking for, their answers were simple and yet profound to our human needs in this season. I’d like to share some quotes from onlookers.
“There’s something traumatic and heart-wrenching happening in our country every day…I looked into their eyes, and I saw peace.”
“You have opened a light within me that makes me want to be a kinder, more peaceful person.”
“Their trip has a lot of people thinking and restoring hope back in our country…”
“Peace begins within and must be lived, not just spoken.”
“We’re just walking for peace, step by step.”
“Choosing peace is the only path to happiness… it brings us all together.”
“I plan to carry this experience with me wherever my own journey takes me.”
When Jesus turns to the disciples and asks, “What are you looking for?”, he is also asking them to examine and understand the journey they are about to commit to. What these disciples didn’t yet realize fully… was that this particular rescuer—this Messiah—wasn’t going to win over the world with an iron fist. His plan was, and still is, to win over the world through love and sacrifice. This Lamb of God was not anointed to be an earthly king, nor was he destined for a throne with a golden crown. He was anointed to be on a cross and to wear a crown of thorns.
That’s the Messiah John is pointing to. This Lamb of God is not like the other leaders of this world. His strength isn’t found in pride; it’s found in humility. This Lamb of God, this rescuer, would rather be out in the streets with the poor… walking for peace… than sitting in luxury. He would rather serve than be served. This Lamb of God teaches us to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies. He eats with sinners, accepts the unacceptable, loves the unlovable. This Lamb of God saves the oppressed, heals the broken-hearted, and sets the captives free. He is strong like a lion, yes… but he doesn’t devour; rather, his way is one of healing and restoration for all people. This Lamb of God is the Prince of Peace… that’s this Messiah and our Christ.
Friends… What is more powerful? What takes more courage, demands more love, or requires more sacrifice than to give up your life for the world? That’s the Lamb of God John leads us to… this morning, and that’s the Lamb of God we are invited to follow today and always.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.