Gospel Notes by Michael Whelan SM
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! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “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 have testified that this is the Son of God (John 1:29-34 – NRSV).
General introduction
For similar texts, see Matthew 3:13–17, Mark:1.9–11 and Luke 3:21–22.
In John’s account, there are four “days” distinguished at the beginning of the Gospel. Hence the repeated use of the expression, “the next day”. Today’s text concerns “Day Two”:
“Day One (Vv. 19–28): The Baptist points away from himself to another whom those who have been sent from Jerusalem do not know.
“Day Two (Vv. 29–34): The Baptist witnesses to Jesus as the Lamb of God and Son of God.
“Day Three (Vv. 35–42): Some disciples of the Baptist “follow” Jesus, and Simon is told that he will become Cephas.
“Day Four (Vv. 43–51): This final day of general preparation, which is simultaneously the first of the three days from Exodus 19, has a different character. Jesus takes the initiative in calling a disciple and revealing himself. He calls Philip and reveals himself to Nathanael and the other disciples” (Francis J Moloney, The Gospel of John, Collegeville, MINN: The Liturgical Press, 1998, 51).
Exodus 19 gives us the background to these “days” and their import in John’s Gospel:
After the people’s confession of their preparedness to do all that Yhwh commanded (cf. Exod 19:7–9), Yhwh tells Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow … and prepare for the third day, because on the third day (lxx: tę̄ tritę̄ hēmerą) Yhwh will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people” (19:10–11). Moses obediently tells the people, “Prepare for the third day” (v. 15). The description of the gift of the Law then begins: “On the morning of the third day (lxx: tę̄ tritę̄ hēmerą) there was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud (mt: kābēd) on the mountain.” The glory of God is revealed “on the third day.” This biblical account was the basis for the Jewish liturgical celebration of Pentecost, described in the targums, rabbinic literature, and especially in the Mekilta on Exodus (see Note). In the ancient celebration of Pentecost, commemorating the gift of the Law on Sinai, the three days of Exodus 19 remain but they are prefaced by four days of more remote preparation. These four extra days of preparation for the revelation of God and the gift of the Law culminate in the fourth day, which is both the final day of remote preparation and the first of the three days that come to the celebration from the biblical account of Exodus 19. On the third day the doxa of God is revealed. (On the link between Sinai, the Hebrew kābōd, and the Johannine use of doxa, see Moloney, Belief in the Word 57–59). This time-scheme shapes the order of the events reported in John 1:19–2:12 (Francis J Moloney, op cit, 50).
Specific notes
He saw Jesus: The idea of seeing – and, indeed, not seeing – is central to John’s Gospel. Different Greek words are used – blepei, Tetheamai, eidon etc – but, the idea of “recognition-that-brings-about-knowledge-that-transforms” seems to be present throughout. The experience of “recognition” is confirmed by the use of the verbs “know” and “reveal”. The metaphors of “light” and “darkness” fill out the picture. All of which points to “believing”. The verb pisteuō, in various forms, appears more than 100 times in John’s Gospel. It is always as a verb. The Gospel’s description of John the Baptist’s role is revealing: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:6-9). John “sees”, is transformed by his “seeing” and bears witness. This becomes a pattern for discipleship in John’s Gospel.
The lamb of God: “The title ‘Lamb of God’ combines several biblical allusions. First, the lamb is central in the Passover liturgy, which celebrates the exodus, God’s mighty act to save the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exod 12:1–13). New Testament writers depict Jesus as the new Passover Lamb, whose sacrificial death brings about deliverance from sin and reconciliation with God (John 19:14, 36; 1 Cor 5:7; 1 Pet 1:19; Rev 5:9). Second, the title ‘Lamb’ resonates with the temple’s sacrificial system in which lambs, as well as other animals and items of value, were offered to God in worship as sacrifices. Thus ‘Lamb’ alludes to the animal sacrifices by which the people’s sins were ceremonially purged and reconciliation with God was attained (Lev 1:1–13). Jesus, however, is not just one more liturgical sacrifice: he is the Lamb, who definitively lifts off the whole mass of sin and evil that presses upon the whole human race, and he brings about complete reconciliation with God. Third, the book of Isaiah describes a Suffering Servant of the Lord, who goes to his death to obtain forgiveness for others’ sins as ‘a lamb led to slaughter’ (Isa 53:7). Since Jesus talks about his death with reference to the Suffering Servant (John 3:14–15; 8:28; 12:32; see Isa 52:13), we can see in the title ‘Lamb’ an allusion to the Suffering Servant” (F Martin & W M Wright, W. M., The Gospel of John (P. S. Williamson & M. Healy, Eds, Baker Academic, 2015, 45-46).
Reflection – Seeing
In today’s Gospel – John 1:29-34 – we are told that John the Baptist “saw Jesus” and he “saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove”. Before he “saw” he “did not know”. Finally, the Baptist declares: “And I myself have seen . . . .”. Surely everyone present “saw” Jesus? So, what might the Gospel be saying here when it speaks of the Baptist’s “seeing”?
Consider the difference: Parents look on their child, a stranger looks on the same child. Their “seeing” is quite different. Or, suppose you are in a foreign land amongst strangers and you see someone from home. Amongst all those strangers, you see something the strangers do not – cannot? – see. And in common parlance, we speak of “awakening” and “enlightenment” and “coming to see things differently”.
Implicit in this kind of “seeing” is “recognition”, an “other-than-rational knowing”, “closeness”, “encounter”, “engagement”, and so on. There is something real and deep here – even more real and more deep than ordinary experiences normally manifest. For a moment we are self-forgetful. It is a (fleeting?) experience of transcendence. Unity ascends over division. Communion rather than individuality floods our awareness.
Is it fair to say that, in such experiences of “seeing”, we get a hint of what it means to be really human, being rather than seeming to be? Is this not suggestive of some deeper faculty of knowing? Maybe this is in fact an experience of love – what we all long for?
In the Christian Tradition, the great spiritual guides use expressions like, “the eye of the heart” (St Augustine), “the ear of the heart” (St Benedict) and “the eye of the soul” (Richard Rolle). St Thomas Aquinas stopped writing his Summa Theologica, saying: “All that I have written seems to me nothing but straw . . . compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me” (Josef Pieper, The Silence of St Thomas, translated by John Murray SJ and Daniel O’Connor, Chicago, ILL: Henry Regnery Co, 1965, 41).
In John’s Gospel, “seeing” is closely linked with “believing”. The Greek verb pisteuō – “believe” – in various forms, appears more than 100 times in John’s Gospel. It is always as a verb. “Seeing”, “believing” and “witnessing” together are constitutive elements of discipleship. All are embodied in John the Baptist. Listen again to those beautifully haunting words of the Prologue to John’s Gospel: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:6-9).
John’s “seeing” Jesus is critical to his being human – this human being. Through his encounter with Jesus, he comes to full flowering as a human being, one created out of love to play a unique role in the work of God. Transformed by “seeing” Jesus, John becomes an authentic “witness”. Maybe this is the essential pattern of becoming a disciple?