The Gospel Reading is John 1:29-42.
On Sundays, the scripture lessons we hear are from a three year cycle we call the lectionary. The gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke headline their own year in the cycle. However, like every good rock show, sometimes an opening band needs to sneak in and play a longer set when we least expect it. And that’s how the gospel according to John operates in the lectionary. John pops up on different Sundays, sometimes showing up for an entire season and sometimes showing up for only one day. This is the year we focus on Matthew but our reading today is from the very first chapter of John when Jesus tells two followers of John the Baptist to “Come and see.”
The event that triggers today’s story is the proclamation the Baptist shares. Jesus walks by and the Baptist says, “that’s the guy.” Andrew and an unnamed follower of the Baptist take these words seriously. They follow Jesus, trying to see what he is up to. When Jesus notices he’s being followed, he turns and asks them a “what” question; asking them to name the thing or idea they are looking for. The two respond with a “where” question but the question is really a “who.” They want to know who Jesus is. And Jesus, reading between the lines, invites them both to come and see.
“Come and see” is more than just an invitation to get to know Jesus because spending time with Jesus causes things to happen. After spending one day with Jesus, Andrew knows. I don’t think Andrew understands everything about Jesus and I don’t think he knows that Jesus’ journey will lead to the Cross. But after just one day, Andrew has to share Jesus. He finds his brother Simon (aka Peter) and invites him to “come and see” too. Jesus’ invitation is more than an invitation to meet Jesus. Jesus’ invitation is an invitation to share Jesus to the people we know and love. Jesus is not only our Messiah. He is a Messiah who calls us to share him with whoever we know because spending even a few moments with Jesus changes everything.
Each week, I write a reflection on one of our scripture readings for the week. This is from Christ Lutheran Church’s Worship Bulletin for 1/15/2017.