2nd Sunday after Epiphany

And so we are told that John was standing with two of his disciples as Jesus walked by them. We learn later that one of those disciples was Andrew, the brother of Peter. But we are not told who the other disciple was. Personally I think it was the disciple who never claimed anything for himself, except that he was the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” To be a student, or disciple, of Jesus Christ is not a chore to be accomplished. It is a relationship of love that grows in knowledge and deepens in love over time. And there is nothing more important for student-disciples to learn from this teacher than how to love.

At this point in our story Andrew and this other student are not disciples of Jesus, but students of John the Baptist. Even after His Resurrection and Ascension, there remained disciples of John who considered him to be more important than Jesus. They couldn't make the same transition from John to Jesus. They loved the home they had made for themselves out of John's words, John's truth. And even after John's death, they were never able to leave that home.

What had they, and Andrew and this other student, learned from John? They had learned that John was like the Old Testament prophet Isaiah who cried in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. They had learned that the people of Israel needed to repent, to change their hearts and their lives. They had learned that someone mightier and more worthy than John was coming. And while John poured water for repentance of sin, he would pour out fire and spirit in a blazing judgment of sin.

And so Andrew, the other disciple and presumably all the other students hanging on John's words, hear him say, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world?" So why do only two of John's students follow Jesus? Perhaps it's because John the teacher's answers have only raised more questions. The Greek word translated, "take away," does have that meaning. But it can also mean, "To take up." In some Jewish apocalyptic writings, the Lamb of God is a triumphant figure who crushes the enemies of Israel who have oppressed her under his hooves. But in the Old Testament, the Passover lamb was the animal sacrificed to God, and whose blood was spread on the doors of the oppressed Israelites in Egypt. That was how the spirit of death knew to pass by the Israelites as it claimed the firstborn of Egypt.

So which is it? Is this Jesus the one to take away the sin of the world, to take it on himself, or both? Is he the avenger, the sacrifice, or both? John doesn't answer those questions. The only one who can answer is walking away, maybe to never return. So what are John's students to do? Should they stay with John, from whom they have learned much, and with whom they have found rest and comfort in their familiar relationship? Or do they take their teacher's last lesson to heart, follow after Jesus and start to relearn what it means to be a child of Israel and a child of God?

Is it really all that surprising that only two of John's disciple-students had the courage to follow Jesus and ask Him what He meant? Discipleship isn't easy. Being a student isn't easy. It means having to ask a lot of questions about a lot of unfamiliar knowledge, assuming you can even formulate the questions in your mind. If your teacher is particularly irritating, it means suddenly having to answer his or her questions. "What are you looking for?" Jesus turns and asks Andrew and this other former student of John's. They respond as truthfully as they can. They have left the familiar teachings of their previous teacher. So from their insecurity they ask Jesus, "Teacher, where are you staying tonight, for it is nearly 4 o'clock and we don't know where to go." To which their new teacher smiles and answers, "Come and you will see."

Christian disciplship is more than getting a few answers right on a test. Being a student of Jesus Christ is so much more than collecting proof texts from the Bible. It is a lifelong journey and process of asking questions, receiving answers and asking the questions that flow from those answers. There is joy and wonder in the answers we receive. There is joy and wonder in the questions those answers inspire us to ask. But the greatest joy and wonder of Christian learning is that it is not something we do alone. Come and see, Jesus promises us, and you will see where I am staying. And along the way I will be as close to you as the taste of bread and wine on your tongue, the breath you breathe, and those friends through whom the uncomfortable questions are asked and the comforting answers come.

What will happen to my job? Have I made the right decisions about my life in the past? How will I live with my loved one no longer here in body? How much longer do I have in this world? What will our church look like, and not just the building but the people as well? And where is Jesus staying in all of this? We all, lifelong disciples and students of Jesus Christ, follow and ask Him. And He answers: Come and together, you will see.