John 1:29-34

Read:
John 1:29-34
 
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, 'Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is he of whom I said, "After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me." 31I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.' 32And John testified, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." 34And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.'


Think:

Today I started at my new position as a deacon and it came up during the Bible study that in the Gospel of Luke (and even more the Gospel of Mark in particular) that there is this Messianic secret.  That after Jesus performs miracles, in this case it is the raising of Jairus' daughter, he doesn't want the crowd, the disciples or the person upon whom the miracle was worked to tell anyone.  But in this evening's Gospel reading John is shouting it out and declaring that Jesus is the Lamb of God.  That he saw the spirit descend upon him like a dove.  Then he says something which I find strange-  "I myself did not know him." Excuse me, John, you did know Jesus - you knew him I assume very well because,  well, he was your cousin and  I doubt that Mary and Elisabeth didn't see each other for 30 years after Mary went to help Elisabeth in her old age give birth to you.  Regardless John is proclaiming that he didn't know Jesus, maybe it is just that he didn't know Jesus in this Divine way.  Maybe he that is how we need to come to know Jesus- first as a man, then as the Son of God, and once we know him as the Son of God we need to change how we speak about him.  Once we know about who he is it no longer becomes a big deal that he can turn water into wine, that he can heal the blind, that he can cast out demons or bring children back from the dead- not that those aren't great acts and good ways for people to come to know of Jesus, to hear about Jesus, but like when Bart Simpson was asked about if he knew the multiplication tables and his response was that he knew "of" them, knowing of Jesus isn't quite enough.  We need to know Jesus in order to understand what John is proclaiming.  It is not the acts but the nature of the acts- the restoration of wholeness which is important, it is not who performs the acts but the acts themselves which are important.  God wishes to restore each and everyone of us to wholeness and how we can achieve that wholeness is through knowing Jesus - not just knowing of Jesus as this man who lived 2000 years ago and told some stories, preached some sermons, had some followers, was rumored to do some miracles, and was crucified by the Romans for claiming to be royalty.  While this might be how you come to know of Jesus, to truly know Jesus is a present tense relationship and it is not removed by time or distance.  John first knew the man, he did know know the Son of God. John knew the Son of God after baptism.  So to do we know Jesus after baptism... it is only in knowing Jesus that we can truly follow him, our faith has nothing to do with miracles and everything to do with relationships. I will be made whole in the promises of Christ, not in the miracles of Christ.

Pray:

Jesus you have searched me out and know me.  Help me to know you as well. Help me to remember that I don't have to work miracles to teach people about you, but to teach people about your miracles in order that they might come to know you.  Give me the wisdom to discern what to proclaim in my daily life and work, today and all the days of my life.  Keeping our relationship primary so that I might be made whole through your promise of resurrection.  Amen

Contemplation :

15 minutes Centering Prayer