I don’t know about you, 

but when I hear the words “Behold the Lamb of God”,

I immediately think of the beginning of Part 2 of Handel’s Messiah, 

with the stately chorus 

(And no I won’t sing it) “Behold the Lamb of God” 

echoing the words of John the Baptist from today’s Gospel Reading.

John’s witness about Jesus starts a chain of testimony: 

like ripples in a pond when a rock is thrown in,

John’s testimony inspires others to follow and witness in turn about Jesus…the witnessing spreads almost automatically.

In the Gospel of John (the fourth Gospel),

You could almost call John the Baptist: John the Witness, 

As he doesn’t do much baptizing at all.

In this account,John’sonly role is to witness to Jesus, 

and to say “behold” , 

look, see this person, observe how remarkable he is.

The emphasis here is not on what John does, 

It is all about God!

The significance is on Jesus…

”don’t look at me, look at the Lamb of God”! (John is saying)

Now there are three themes that come into play here:

Finding, following and witnessing.

—

First, finding.

Andrew finds his brother after finding the Messiah.

When he finds his brother Simon he says:

“We have found the Messiah, the anointed”

And Andrew brings his brother to Jesus: who gives him a new name, 

Cephas translated as Peter.

A little later on in the story, Philip finds his friend Nathanael and invites him to come and see Jesus.

What’s interesting about the theme of finding here, is that it’s not just one and done

but it is meant to be ongoing!

Finding is not a singular event, but is something that happens over and over again.

“What are you looking for?,” Jesus asks Andrew.

But this question is also directed to us!

What are we looking for?

What are people looking for, in life?

Well for many, it’s Meaning and Purpose:

People want their lives to matter—to contribute to something larger than themselves, whether through faith, family, work, service, or legacy.

People look for Love and Belonging,

Close relationships—family, friendships, romantic partnerships, and community—are central to human well-being.

People look for Security and Stability,This includes physical safety, financial security, health, and predictability in daily life.

Others look for Happiness and Inner PeaceNot just pleasure, but emotional well-being: contentment, hope, joy, and a sense of peace.

Many look for Growth and Fulfillment

—learning, improving, expressing gifts, and becoming their best selves.

And these are all excellent things to look for.

But the big question is where do you find these things?

John the Witness would respond: “Behold the Lamb of God! 

Observe the one, who is the image of God, the light of all people.”

In him you can find meaning, love, stability, peace and fulfillment. 

You need not search any further, because in him you can find all you need.

You may look for 

Career success or

political movements 

Or Family roles 

Or retreat to constant busyness or distractions.

But these are ultimately empty compared to the eternal fulfillment 

you can find in the Messiah, the Annointed One of God.

Behold the Lamb of God…find him and you will find all your heart’s desires.

—

The next theme of this passage is “following”.

So after the disciples heard John’s testimony, 

they immediately left him and followed Jesus.

One might wonder: Why did they go along with him?

What was so compelling that they dropped everything and followed?

Well it seems that John’s testimony was enough: 

They respected John and were his disciples, 

and when he said that Jesus was not just a nice guy, 

but actually the Messiah, that people had been waiting for at least 500 years…

well this definitely was someone to follow if you were going to follow anybody!

One had to go and see for oneself!

Now the interesting thing here, 

is that this following is also not a one and done deal,

This isn’t just a singular occurrence.

No following Jesus was a lifelong commitment for Andrew and Peter,

They followed Jesus for 3 years of his ministry,

And then they followed him after his death and resurrection for many years, until their own death, by martyrdom.

We too, are invited, not just to follow Jesus for a tiny bit, 

or follow him once to confirmation class, but we’re invited to follow him our whole life, until our own death (just like the disciples).

Following Jesus our whole life, means

That we are to be God’s presence in the world,

Just like how Jesus was God’s presence as well.

We are called to take over Jesus’ ministry in his absence,

To be his body for the world.

Our following of Jesus means becoming little Christs.

Jesus invites us: I will abide in you and so you can abide in me, 

just as I abide in the Father!

We are able to remain and abide and live in Jesus’ love because 

of Jesus’ intimacy with the Father. 

This close relationship between Son and Father is one 

that is gifted to us as well.

When we follow, we abide in God’s love, 

And this following can change both our lives and the lives of those around us.

—

The final theme is “witnessing”.

“Come and see”, we hear time and time again.

Jesus says “come and see”

Philip says “come and see”.

Jesus’ invitation models 

what it means to be a witness, a disciple.

Being a witness is key to the identity of a Christian.

“At the heart of what it means to be a disciple [even today] 

is to be a witness and to give testimony.”

Disciples are to point to Christ like John and say “look, there he is”!

At this point in January, we’ve observed Christmas and the Nativity 

And now our job is to go and tell the news, spread the tidings,

We are invited into the activity of following Jesus,

And that includes witnessing!

Talking about how God so loves the world!

Talking about how Jesus is the light of all people.

Revealing that Jesus loves us, and how we love him in return.

Making known that the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world takes away any separation from God 

and makes it possible for all to be in the same kind of relationship 

with God that Jesus has with the Father.”

Just as Jesus is in relationship with the Father, 

so we can be in relationship with him.

No one has ever seen God, but we can see God in Jesus, 

God’s firstborn.

The One God is revealed in Jesus.

We are called by Jesus to find him, 

follow him and witness to him.

This is not a one-time deal but an ongoing relationship,

An abiding and remaining in God’s love that will shape us, 

sustain us, and challenge us.

As we are called every day anew to “behold the Lamb of God.”

*Hymn of the Day 696 “Jesus Calls Us; o’er the Tumult”

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Sources: 

Karoline Lewis: John. Fortress Press, 2014