2nd SUNDAY of Ordinary Time, year’B’
" The next day as John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past and John the Baptist looked towards him and said, ’Behold, the lamb of God.’
The two disciples heard these words and followed Jesus. John the Baptist shows Jesus to his disciples : ’ Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.’ John will never ever forget this event and he shares it with us. It was around four o’clock in the evening, he tells us. He remembers this first encounter of love that really touched his life. So Jesus asks them : ’ Who are you looking for?’ These men are seeking God. They had sought with John the Baptist what the real way to join God was. The prophet John the Baptist indicated where the Messiah could be found. Up until then they had followed John the Baptist, from now on they are seeking God, and find Him in Jesus, the Saviour of the world. If the gaze of John the Baptist fell upon Jesus. Jesus’s gaze falls upon the two disciples. Looking, hearing,following, turning around, seeking, dwelling, coming, accompanying, staying, finding, bringing, calling, here we have a very good résumé of what was going on at this beginning of this history that we are part of through faith. The Church was marked by this history, she takes up the very phrase of John the Baptist : ’This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.’ From now on everything we are can shine God since he has come down into our human flesh which from now on can bear God’s mystery.’
“Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ’What do you want?’ They answered ’Rabbi’ - which means Teacher- ’where do you live?’ He replied ’Come and see.’ ; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.”
Here we see a question opening up into a dialogue. It opens up to an encounter, a possibility. This signs the risk a person takes for his future by opening up to what he might become. The person accepts to be orientat towards the encounter of another person and this, for a long period of time. It is the attitude of the people who are going to become disciples of Jesus. It is
the question that people who want to live togetehr, close to each other, ask. It is the question of the one who takes risks in faith. The greatness of John the Baptist is to let his gaze fall on Jesus and to name Him as Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.The prophet’s gaze is penetrating, it truely goes right down into the Heart of Jesus and his two disciples aren’t mistaken. Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. The two disciples, hearing these words, follow Jesus. ’ This is the Lamb of God’. The word of a person who commits himself, declaring the meaning of what he sees appearing puts at risk the relationship he has with others, the disciples, those close to them, so as to get them going towards thsi reality that he declares desirable for The only Son, the one who dwells in the bosm of the Father, this is the one who will make God known, the Apostle John will say, who on this day will follow Jesus.
“One of these two, who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said ,was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. The first thing Andrew did was to to find his brother and say to him, ’ We have found the Messiah –which means the Christ- and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ’You are Simon, son of John ; you are to be called Cephas’ which means Rock.”
Something else will be built from what has been received. It is the word of Andrew(along with the other disciple) who authorises him to propose a transmission to his brother. It is the word that comforts those who take a risk trying out new things in life, the word that comforts parents in their work of education vis-à-vis their children. It is the word of the proclamation of faith in Chrsitian communities. It is the Word of our true Rest. Peter is brought to Jesus by his brother Andrew, the first one to be called. Jesus let his gaze fall upon him and says to him ’You are Simon, son of John, you shall be called Cephas, which means Peter.’ Jesus gives him a new name and also a new mission. The two disciples who had heard John the Baptist saw the love of God co-habit with human misery. It is the great mystery of human mercy that Jesus came to annnounce. Our desire is to remain in God for it is the finality of our life, we know that happineess is to remain in God and He in us. Our Holy God became so close to us, He is the Inner God who shines forth in the heart of mankind.