[Propertalk] Ideas - Epiphany 2, John 1:29-42 - Part 4

[Joe Parrish]

One thing you have to admire about Jesus' apostles. They get who the finger points to. They drop John like a hot potato and go to see what Jesus is about. The four o'clock mention suggests these men likely stayed the night with Jesus, and that time motivates Andrew to become the pointer as he finds his brother Simon and tells him about (points him to) Jesus. Both Andrew and Simon become Jesus' followers.

http://thehardestquestion.org/yeara/epiphany2gospel/

Jennifer Johnson, 2011
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Jesus' invitation to "come" (a location changing verb connected to the theme of staying, remaining, and abiding) and "see" (an insight changing verb connected to the theme of seeing, light, and revealing) is precisely the invitation to which the rest of John's Gospel is the response.
And, in my humble opinion, these two questions and the invitation are still at the heart of our being Jesus' followers today.

  a.. What am I looking for when I come to church?
  b.. Where is what I am looking for staying? Where might I find what I am looking for?
  c.. Come - leave where you are
  d.. See - open yourself to new insights, new ways of being in the world.
http://www.holytextures.com/2011/01/john-1-29-42-year-a-epiphany-2-january-14-january-20-sermon.html

David Ewart
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The stronger association would be the "paschal lamb," the sacrifice mandated by Torah at passover.  The fourth gospel likes passover themes.  Later in the fourth gospel, Jesus will be condemned to death at noon on the day before passover, the precise time when passover lambs were slain in the Temple.  (Ray Brown says that the hyssop Jesus was offered on the cross (19:29) is also the hyssop that was smeared with the blood of the paschal lamb which was then applied to the doorposts of the Israelites (Ex 12:22).)

http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2011/01/lectionary-blogging-john-1-29-42.html

John Petty, 2011
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...our Christian understanding of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Note that "sin" is singular. As Brown suggests, the plural "sins" refers to sinful acts, while the singular refers to a sinful condition. 

http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/john1x29.htm

Brian Stoffregen
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The Mandaeans, some of whom have come to Australia as asylum seekers from Iraq (and have doubtless also gone elsewhere), have traditions which include a higher regard for John than for Jesus. 

http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/MtEpiphany2.htm

William Loader
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This story has a tone of deep friendship between John and his disciples and then between Jesus and his first disciples. It needs to be told in that spirit.

http://gotell.org/pdf/commentary/John/Jn01_29-42_commentary.pdf

Thomas E. Boomershine
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In vv. 35-42, two of John's disciples begin to follow Jesus. First, they are curious about Jesus when John tells them who he is. They follow him, recognizing that he is an authority ("Teacher", v. 38). Jesus invites them to "Come and see" (v. 39), to investigate what he teaches. "Staying" and "remained" are technical terms in this gospel: the two begin to understand the way of life Jesus offers and expects. V. 40 tells us that one of the two is "Andrew"; the other is unnamed. 

http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/apr02m.shtml?

Chris Haslam
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Verse 29: "'the Lamb of God'": Meaning the Lamb provided by God. See also Exodus 12:3-5 (the sacrificial lamb in Egypt); Jeremiah 11:19 ("I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter"); Isaiah 42:1-9; 52:13-53:12 (both are Servant Songs). John the Baptist probably thinks of Isaiah 53:4, 7. By the time John wrote his gospel, the death of Jesus was seen as being like that of the Passover lamb: see John 19:36. 1 Corinthians 5:7 shows that the interpretation of Jesus' death as that of the Passover lamb is early. [NJBC] In Revelation, "the Lamb" is both a sacrifice ("a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered", Revelation 5:6) and the leader of God's people, the Messiah ("the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd", Revelation 7:17). 

http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/apr02l.shtml?

Chris Haslam
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When the disciples respond to Jesus' query with their own question, they are not asking Jesus for the location of his tent, or the address of the guest house at which he is visiting; they want to know about the enduring, permanent, eternal, undying dwelling place of this Lamb of God. Where are you staying? Where can we find you? Where shall we go to be with you, to receive what you have to offer? Where can we be in the very presence of God?

Jesus' question is one the preacher might ask of the congregation: What are you seeking? 

http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=1/20/2008&tab=4

Audrey West, 2008
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