'LORD THAT I MAY SEE.'

A SHORT COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY

Gospel

John 1:35-42

'We have found the Messiah'

1.      As John stood with two of his disciples,

2.      Jesus passed,

3.      and John stared hard at him

4.      and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’

5.      Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus.

6.      Jesus turned round,

7.      saw them following

8.      and said, ‘What do you want?’

9.      They answered, ‘Rabbi,’ – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live?’

10. ‘Come and see’ he replied;

11. so they went and saw where he lived,

12. and stayed with him the rest of that day.

13. It was about the tenth hour.

 

14. One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.

15. Early next morning, Andrew met his brother

16. and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ – which means the Christ –

17. and he took Simon to Jesus.

18. Jesus looked hard at him

19. and said, ‘You are Simon son of John;

20. you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.

 

John gives witness about Jesus. He is the Lamb of God. He is the one who by shedding his Blood on the wood of the Cross will save humanity from destruction – just as the blood of a lamb saved the Israelites from slavery and death at the hands of the angel in Egypt.

Hearing John’s witness, they follow Jesus. Jesus asks them, ‘what are you looking for?’ they want to meet him and so ask ‘where do you live?’  Jesus invites them to his house, ‘Come and See.’ They spend that day with him and it changes their life. Andrew next day, early in the morning finds his brother Simon and tells him that he has found the Messiah.

Each of us must meet Jesus. Bur ‘how do I meet Jesus?’ you may ask.

We can only do it by faith and faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Will the Holy Spirit not give it to those who sincerely ask for it?

We must sit in silence and without necessarily any feelings of his presence believe that he is there with us. ‘Where can I flee from your Spirit?’ Psalm 139. Believing wholeheartedly in his Word and promise, we allow Jesus to work the same miracle in us that he did in Andrew.

It is not what we do, but what he does in us that is crucial. We must believe. Jesus is real and he is present to us. We must believe and act on this truth. Then miracles happen in our souls.