Seeing really is believing

A sermon preached at All Hallows by Bernie Hegarty on 20 January 2008
(Second Sunday after the Epiphany)

• Audio (listen to this sermon online)

Readings:

Isaiah 49:1—7, Psalm 40:1—11, 1 Corinthians 1:1—9, John 1:29—42

May the love of our Lord Jesus Christ guide the words that leave my lips!

The themes of today’s sermon are revelation,identity and redemption — great themes for someone who identifies as a committed Christian, scary themes for someone who for a long time believed she was bound for hell, big themes for someone who still identifies as a country girl from Northerrn Ireland. And last, but not least, deeply healing themes for someone who knows redemption. Revelation, identity and redemption can be loaded terms for us today, but as this morning’s passage shows us, they are at the very heart of our Christian experience. Revelation and Redemption are the rocks of our Christian identity.

The passage this morning makes a really strong statement about identity. And whilst it is clear and perhaps even bold in its assertion on the identity of Jesus, I believe, if we look closely, the text also reveals to us clues about our own personal identity in relationship with Christ

John the Baptist has no doubt about the identity of Jesus.

He knew what he had in Jesus when Jesus stood before him waiting to be baptised (as we heard last week), he knew what he had in Jesus when he saw the Spirit descend and remain in Jesus and he knew what he had in Jesus each time he bore witness to the identity of Jesus
John the Baptist is very clear that Jesus is not just another religious ‘wannabe’ who has come on the scene. John the Baptist, the prophet who turned ‘religious Jerusalem’ on its head and rattled Herod’s household with his preaching makes a bold and compelling assertion when he declares to all who will listen, then and now:

‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’

This is an amazing statement and if we define sin as anything that keeps us away from God and from all that God intends us to be, then what John is saying is:

‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away all that separates us from God’,

‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away all that stops us from being all that God intends us to be.’

Striking Imagery! Lamb of God! No other Gospel writer uses such a phrase to describe Jesus. And scholars cannot agree on the meaning of Lamb of God, some believe it is a reference to the end of time when a conquering lamb will destroy all evil as found in the Apocrypha and the Book of Revelation. Others link it to the Passover lamb, whilst yet others link it to the image of the suffering servant found in Isaiah.

Whatever the meaning, it haunted the writer of the Book of Revelation because he uses it 29 times and it strikes such a deep cord that still resonates today because it has become for us in the 21st Century one of the most precious images of Christ. This one phrase ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ sums up the love, the sacrifice, the suffering and the triumph of Christ.

Not only is it powerful imagery for us today, but it was obviously powerful imagery 2,000 years ago because when John uses it in front of two of his disciples they are off like a shot to follow Jesus.

How does John the Baptist know the identity of Jesus — through revelation! — John tells us he knows because God has revealed it to him

I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it remained on him. I 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.’ And I myself have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.

John saw what was revealed to him, and he believed what he saw, in the way you believe when revelation comes through the eye of the mind and the soul. Now we don’t know if anyone else saw what John saw but John saw it in a way that enabled him to describe it to his disciples with such conviction that they too saw and believed enough to follow Jesus.

If we believe that Jesus is whom John says he is, then the identity of Jesus is very much part of discovering who we are as he reveals himself to us. Remember he is the Lamb of God who takes away all that separate us from God (if we allow him, that is!)

Let now go on look at how Jesus’ identity impacted on those he encountered in this passage.

Let us first look at John. John has no hesitation in telling us who he is in relation to Jesus

‘This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he was before me … I came baptizing with water, for this reason, that he might be revealed.’

‘And I myself have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’

He tells us he is the herald, he came to point to someone else, He was sent to prepare people for and point them to the Messiah. John’s identity is grounded in who he is in relation to Jesus Christ and the clear purpose that God had for his life in bearing witness to his revelation.

And what about Andrew, who is he in relation to Jesus? We don’t know that much about Andrew, but this much we do know — the moment he heard John say that Jesus was the Lamb of God he was off like a shot. We also know that he saw Jesus first as a teacher (Rabbi) and later, after spending an evening with Jesus, he saw Jesus as the Messiah because that is how he introduces his brother Simon to Jesus. The only information we have about him is from John’s Gospel and the three occasions where he is mentioned are to do with him bringing someone to Jesus. He found purpose perhaps even mission in relationship with Christ.

The last of the three people who encounter Jesus in this passage is Simon. Jesus takes one look at Simon and says:

‘You are Simon Son of John. You are to be called Peter. Peter means Rock.’

At this point Andrew must have been a bit taken aback by Jesus’ action. Obviously Jesus knows Simon’s name but he didn’t really know Simon like he knew Simon — unpredictable, hot tempered, emotional, impulsive, unstable, and loud. How could Jesus give him a name meaning Rock?

But in the you are bit of the sentence — it is as if Jesus is saying to Peter, I know you, I know what people say about you. I know that you are boastful, I know you put your foot in it, I know that you are weak and I know that you are quick to believe and quick to doubt.

And in the you are to be bit — it is as if Jesus could see then, the Peter who would later preach so powerfully, that three thousand were converted in a day. You are to be…! It was as if Jesus saw then the Peter who was later to stand face to face with the authorities and say ‘We obey God rather than man’. It was as if Jesus knew the Peter whose loyalty would be unwavering and who had already become the rock upon which the Church was built. It was as if Jesus knew the Peter that was yet to become.

It is in the you are to be that Christ reveals who we are to ourselves and to others, sometimes even before we see it ourselves.

The wonderful thing about this particular part of the passage, the naming of Peter is that it tells us how Jesus looks at us. He does not only see what we are; he also sees what we can become. He sees our possibilities. Jesus looked at Peter and saw in him not only a Galilean fisherman but one who had it in him to become the rock on which His Church would be built. Jesus sees all our possibilities and he says ‘Give your life to me and I will make you what God has given you to be.’ One thing is certain, the identity of all the three people we encountered today is deeply rooted in their relationship with Jesus.

There is a strong message in today’s passage that transcends time and place. We too can discover ourselves in relation to Jesus. We too can become who we really are in Christ not just individually but as a community. Because I deeply believe this, I’m really looking forward to next week when we have the unique opportunity as a church community of discovering our God given gifts with each other.

Finally I would like to end with a story I love about Michelangelo:

One day Michelangelo was chipping away with his chisel at a huge, shapeless piece of rock when someone came along and asked him what he was doing. He replied ‘I am releasing the angel imprisoned in this marble.’

As I reflect back over my life I see that Jesus has been chipping away at the things in me that keep me imprisoned. And I thank God that Jesus persisted with me though the years, because, unlike Andrew, Peter, John and the other apostles, I didn’t drop everything and follow. I thank God that Jesus persisted during those years where I really didn’t want to know and I feel such gratitude to Jesus to be standing here before you saying:

‘See the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’

Copyright © 2008 Bernie Hegarty

Audio

This sermon was recorded. If you wish, you can listen to the sermon online. Just click on the appropriate link below:

*Notes on the audio formats

• MP4 format
  MP4 format is a multimedia container format standard. Audio MP4 files can combine high compression with very high quality. Many media players can play MP4 files, including RealPlayer, QuickTime, iTunes, and recent versions of Windows Media Player (you may need to download a codec from www.free-codecs.com/download/3ivx.htm).
• Windows Media Player format
  Windows Media Player is installed as part of Windows. If you have an earlier version, you can download version 9 (for Windows 98SE, Millennium and 2000) or version 10 or later (for Windows XP and Vista) from www.microsoft.com/downloads/Browse.aspx?categoryid=4. These are quite large downloads [~ 10 MB or larger], so if you have a dial-up connection you may prefer to ask Phil for a copy of the installation program on CD.
• RealAudio format
  This requires RealPlayer (or the older RealOne Player) to be installed. A free version of RealPlayer can be downloaded from http://uk.real.com/player/ (choose the free player on the left of the page) — but again it’s a large download [~ 13 MB], so if you have a dial-up connection you may prefer to ask Phil for a copy of the installation program on CD.
  
  Alternatively, you can install Real Alternative, which will allow you to play RealMedia files without having to install RealPlayer/RealOne Player. Real Alternative is free, and works well with all major browsers; it is also a much smaller download (5.7 MB). Get it from http://www.free-codecs.com/Real_Alternative_download.htm.

This page was last updated on Friday, 25 April 2008

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