by Bailley Leppert
Scripture:
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
Reflection:
The gospel for this week is quite simple in terms of what is happening, but its meaning is monumental. In it, we see John declare Jesus as the “lamb of God” in front of two disciples that choose to follow Him, literally. When He notices, He invites them to his home. Andrew, one of these disciples, declares Jesus the Messiah to his brother, Simon, and brings him to Jesus as well. Jesus then accepts them and gives them a place among his disciples.
Although this may not seem like much, this gospel is telling me that Jesus is asking for us to follow Him just like Andrew and Simon. I believe the simplicity of this gospel is intentional and reinforces that Jesus does not often ask much of us. What he does ask is for us to trust in Him and His word. Of course, we do not always follow through. We are imperfect and sometimes we allow life to get in the way of our relationship with Jesus. With Lent quickly approaching, this gospel is there to remind us that as long as we stay committed to following Him, the rest will be forgiven. Remember that Lent is the perfect time to strengthen those ties.
