Epiphany 2a John 1:29-42a, Behold, the Lamb of God

Isaiah 49:1-7 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

In 1944 during World War II, Capt. Sidney LaPook, a dentist was serving as the outfit's medic in the 3rd Army 20th Corps. He and his unit had advanced behind enemy lines and found themselves under attack in the tiny French village of Batilly. During a shelling attack, LaPook pulled an injured soldier out of the line of fire, and got nicked by some of the shrapnel himself. But what made people remember Sidney that was not that He helped an injured soldier; as a medic that was expected of him. Sidney was remembered for saving the life of an unusual victim of shrapnel.

Later, in an interview he told a reporter, "You do what ya gotta do. And this was a wound that had to be closed up. And so, I closed it up," When asked, “Did you hesitate?” He replied, "Not at all, not at all."  But what is so unusual is that LaPook's second patient was one of the local cows. When asked “At any point in this process, did you think "What in the world am I doing?"” he said   “No. I felt this is what I should be doing.”  LaPook had the skill, he had the training.  If it had been a local citizen or even an enemy soldier, he would've done that. So why not a cow?

Sidney did not know it at the time, but in a farming community, saving a cow is something people remember. And in the middle of a war, simple acts of kindness are hard to forget.  “Our kids were getting blown apart here and there, the Germans were getting blown apart, everybody was.” he said. And here I had an opportunity to do something I thought was good."

Last year the LaPook family returned to Batilly and tracked down some of the few survivors to see if they might still remember what he did. Boy did they remember!  Paulette Denat was a teacher in 1944 and Her daughter Janine was a teenager. They were both eager to talk about what happened that day.  "I always trusted the Americans," Paulette said, "because they saved the cow." In fact the whole town came out to echo their sentiments. Because of the kindness of one American dentist way back in 1944, Americans have been honored ever since in that town.

During another war over a hundred years earlier, a soldier had an artery of his arm lacerated severely by the fragment of a shell and was fast bleeding to death. A private physician who had been traveling through that area had been caught up in the battle.  When he saw the wounded soldier, he did not ask what side he was on but went to work binding up the artery of the soldier and saved his life.

As the physician was leaving, the soldier called out, “Doctor, what is your name?” “My name is not important,” said the doctor. “But, Doctor, I want to tell my wife and children who saved me.”  To that the doctor replied, “I have only bound up your wounds using the skills that God has given me. Please understand that it is Jesus Christ who really saves you.”

So it was when John the Baptist came proclaiming repentance and baptism. The Baptist was in a war as well; a war that has Satan pitted against mankind and all of God’s creation.  John had a loyal following; he could have become a great religious leader.  Why if he had compromised his doctrine, he would have been released from prison and who knows how famous he could have been.

But John took no credit for his work. In fact, John himself said that Jesus must become greater and he must become smaller. (John 3:30)Like the first doctor John used the skills that God had given him. He did not do his work based on what He might gain, but he did it because it was the right thing to do.

For example John rightly said that He baptized with water while Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit. John understood that while he may have applied the water and said the words, the real work of salvation was being done by God. It is Christ who saves and not any acts performed by men. So it is with baptism today.  The water connected to the word is the means that God uses to send the Holy Spirit upon the hearts of His children. Baptism is an outward sign done by man of an inward act done by God upon our hearts. John knew that he was only a means God used to reveal the Savior to the world.  God used the visible means of a dove to reveal the Messiah to John.  

From that point forward, John began pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. John did not timidly say, “Look, I think that’s the Lamb of God.” He did not whisper, “There goes the Lamb of God.” And he certainly did not remain quiet whenever Jesus passed by. No!  John loudly and boldly proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

“John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”” John 1:32-34 (ESV) 

But take notice that nothing happens. No one runs to Jesus the first day John points to the One who would defeat sin, death and the devil. The first day that John reveals the One who would become the greatest war hero all of time, no one takes any action.  The first day that John the Baptist becomes John the evangelist, no one pays any attention. But John is not discouraged. John has chosen His words carefully.  He does not call Jesus the Messiah or the Savior of the world.  “He says words that are meant for his listeners to digest, to mull over in their minds. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” He proclaims something profound and oftentimes it takes a while for such incredible words to sink in.

John understood that Jesus had begun His work of binding up broken spirits and saving lives for eternity.  The Baptist understood that Jesus was carrying the sins of the world upon his shoulders. He realized that just as the scapegoat in the book of Deuteronomy carried the sins of all the Israelites as they wandered in the desert so too would Jesus. He understood that Christ’s work would take Him to the cross where He would be sacrificed for the salvation of all who would believe in Him.

John had a burning desire to reveal this to everyone. So the next day, as John was standing with two of his disciples, He once again proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God.” This time the disciples follow Jesus. He asks what they’re looking for and they tell him they want to know where he’s staying.

 They want to spend some time with Him to see for themselves if what John has told them is really true.  “Come and see.” Jesus says. So the two go with Jesus, are moved by what He says, and go off to tell Andrew’s brother, Simon…that they have found the Messiah! 

Finally, Andrew brings Simon to Jesus. From God to John to Andrew to Simon.  Later in this gospel Philip meets Jesus who follows him.  Then Philip tells Nathanael and Nathanael comes to see Jesus. That is how evangelism works. We invite, God ignites. Disciples make disciples by inviting them to come and see.

Right before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave us that very command. In John 3:15 Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”  And in the last chapter of Matthew, Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV) 

That was a problem for Christ's disciples. Jesus had to work hard to make them understand that His gospel was for every one, that the Gospel is a stream of living water that is to flow out to all nations of the earth. They wanted to confine it to the Jews, and He had to convince them that it was for every living being. We have that same problem. We are reluctant to go out into the world. Oh sure, we come to worship and that is good, but how many of you have invited someone to come and see Jesus for themselves? How many of you have tried once and given up?  How many of you have invited strangers or even those you consider enemies to come and receive eternal life?

Jesus would not send disciples out to preach the gospel to every creature unless He wanted every creature to be saved. He would tell them to preach it to people without sending the Holy Spirit along to open up people’s hearts. Do you believe that God is mocking men by offering them his gospel like a carrot on a string and then jerks it away from them as they approach Him?  Man might do that, but God never does.

And therein lies the problem.  As Christians, we are also God’s soldiers in the battle for the souls of those who are still fighting against God. Those people need to be told that the war is over.  Jesus Christ has won the victory. He is the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world. But because we are still sinful, we sometimes do or say things that cause people to see all Christians as a bunch of hypocrites.

Therefore let us not hold fast to those sins, which the Lamb of God came to take away. Rather let us live our lives doing what we know is the right thing to do and as evangelists giving all glory and honor to the Lamb who has died and now lives. And may our acts of kindness and our words of witness bring people to behold Jesus Christ. In the name of and for the sake of Jesus, Amen.