Behold the Lamb (Reflections on Epiphany 2, Year A 2023)

 

"Lamb of God" van Eyck from Ghent altarpiece 15th Cent.

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” (John 1: 35-36) 

Have you seen those “He Gets Us” spots that have been running on commercial TV lately? They’re a collection of very graphic images in black and white photography of scenes from modern life. They’re snapshots of quotidian angst, poverty, injustice, alienation, etcetera—you know: the kind of stuff we all spiritually mud-wrestle with. The accompanying narrations and captions point out that Jesus Christ had to deal with the same crap. The images infer a modern and relevant context to the life of Jesus, humanizing him, and making him relatable.[i] 

Personally, I think this is a pretty good way to point folks in the direction of Jesus. The “He Gets Us” campaign presents the Lord as one who has lived in poverty and struggled with finances, a refugee, someone who had to deal with criticism, someone who knew loneliness, and someone who believed in inclusivity and reconciliation. All of that stuff really is biblical. Of course, there are always going to be some who get their Fruit of the Looms bunched up if you make Jesus too human and not God enough.[ii] For my money, however, I think anyway we can point people to Jesus is worth a try. Let’s face it, my dears, this world is pretty messed up right now and we could all use a little Jesus. 

The gospel lesson for the Epiphany 2, Year A (John 1:29-42) presents us with good ol’ John the Baptist pointing his disciples—in this case Andrew and a player to be named later—to Jesus, “a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I always think it’s cool that John knows when his time has come to step aside and let Jesus take the spotlight. Up to this time, John’s been the big man on campus, but he has the spiritual maturity and good sense to recognize that his whole job was to be the advance man for the guy he’s going to call “The Lamb of God.” 

One of the wonky little details that appeal to me is verse 36. In the New Revised Standard Version of the New Testament, this verse renders the rather prosaic phrase, “as he watched Jesus walk by.” The term “watched,” however, packs a harder punch in the ancient Greek. The Greek New testament uses the term emblepsas[iii], which means John “fixed his eyes” on Jesus. He didn’t just happen to notice a pedestrian savior in the neighborhood. He really looked at the guy, really took him in, and saw what he was about. 

And what did John see? He’d already seen the Holy Spirit alight on Jesus at Jesus’ baptism. What he told his disciples to observe (or “Behold!” as the old King James Bible puts it) was the “Lamb of God.” This lamb image has a couple of meanings. It can relate Jesus to the “lamb led to the slaughter” referenced in Isaiah 53:7, in which case John was seeing a servant who was prepared to go all in for the people, even if that servanthood meant giving up his own life. Most likely, it also referred to the Passover lamb.[iv] This is a really loaded image, but it boils down to seeing Jesus as the avenue by which we come to God. 

If you remember the story of the Exodus, the Passover lamb had a bunch of functions. The blood of the lamb on the door post marked the people as belonging to God, just as our baptism into Christ marks us. The meat of the lamb consumed before the great journey nourished the people for the ordeal they were about to have, just as the words of Jesus nourish and sustain us for the journey through the messier parts of our human life. The sign of the lamb protected the people, just as we lean on God for safety through this insane world. Finally, the blood of the lamb saved the people from bondage, just as faith in Christ and adherence to his love, forgiveness, and compassion has the power to rescue us from depression, despair, anger, addiction, bitterness, and so many of the things which trap us in slavery to sin. 

Just as John was willing to see Jesus, step back, and let his followers walk a new path, I’m ready to see the American church look at Jesus, step back, and start on a new journey. Personally, I can’t see the old emphasis on individual salvation making any real difference to 21^st century listeners. I can’t believe the God who created the magnificence of the universe is so petty as to inflict eternal torment on anyone just because they can’t pass a catechetical exam. Similarly, as I look at Jesus in the scriptures, I can’t see him being about that. 

No. The Jesus who forgave sinners, who healed the sick, who fed the hungry, who challenged injustice, who crossed racial boundaries, and taught generosity, faith, and humility is the Jesus we need to rediscover and look to now. If eternal life is really eternal, we’re living part of it now. The best way for Christians to do that is to look to Jesus and, in his heartbreaking humanity, discover the holiness of God. I agree with those folks who started the TV campaign. Yup. He gets us. I just hope we learn to get him. 

May the peace of God that passes our understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Thanks for reading this week. Let me know what you think.

---

[i] You can check out all the spots (They’re only 30 – 60 seconds long) on the “He Gets Us” website: https://hegetsus.com/en

[ii] You can read Natasha Crain’s more fundamentalist critique of “He Gets Us” at: https://natashacrain.com/7-problems-with-the-he-gets-us-campaign/

[iii] Embleyas for you ancient Greek lovers out there.

[iv] This is the most logical interpretation, given how the Fourth Gospel juxtaposes the Crucifixion with the day the Passover lambs were slaughtered.