The Lutheran Hour
-
"Looking For God? Look to the Lamb"
- Download MP3 Reflections
-
Text: John 1:29-42
-
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and he said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Jesus Christ, the Lamb Who was slain is risen. He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah! Amen!
What are you looking for today? What do you really want to see in your life, in this world?
Those questions often disturb, they confuse, they even unsettle people. And that’s true even among many Christians today. Looking at some statistics, one can see that often times Christians don’t practice what they preach, and they even don’t know the power and uniqueness of the message they hold to be true. Some go to church, they even support the church, and they participate in its activities. Yet, it doesn’t seem to find a place in their everyday lives. Clayton Sullivan, in his book titled, Called to Preach, Condemned to Survive, compares people’s sentiment toward religion today like a grandfather clock that has become a family heirloom. It is polished and it’s dusted regularly. It has a place of honor in the living room. Yet, no one notices if it is functioning. There is no expectation for that grandfather clock to tell time or to regulate their life. There is no concern as to whether it is working or not. But what is sure, however, is that no one wants to get rid of it. It has always been a part of the family.
It was like that for the people in our lesson today. John the Baptizer looks at Jesus and says, “He’s finally here. Look, the Lamb of God!” But many yawned at that proclamation. The people of Israel; they’d been anxiously waiting for a long time to see the Messiah promised to them by God. For hundreds of years, God had again and again, renewed His promise that a Savior would come. The people waited and then they lost interest. Why? They started looking for the wrong person. They were looking for the wrong man; a man in shining armor who would free them from the Roman Empire as Moses had freed them from slavery in Egypt. And now, the day had finally come. God’s last prophet before Jesus, John the Baptist, was proclaiming that there is no more waiting, no more wondering, and no more questioning as to whether or not God would really send them the promised Messiah. John says, “He is here! Look and see!” But John says something very strange to their ears. He doesn’t say, “Here is the Messiah Who will save us from Rome,” but rather, “Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”
Many in that day, they went to synagogue, they went through the religious rituals, they listened to their teachers, and tried to obey the rules and regulations put upon them by the Priests and the Pharisees. But, religion and the application of religion to real life…it just became ceremony and ritual that had lost meaning for their lives.
John’s call to the people of Israel echoes into our lives. It is as if he is saying, “Stop and take another look at your life.” Take a look at what the Bible says you really need. And look at Jesus anew. What does He mean to you on His terms alone? Is He simply Someone you call upon when you’re in trouble or have a difficult problem to solve? Is He merely your momentary Knight in shining armor who will charge into your life to help you overcome a sickness, a difficult situation, depression, or a life-and-death situation; or is He the Lamb of God Who has come to take away your sins and the sins of the world?
Why is He called a Lamb? When you hear that, what image comes to your mind? Do you see a cute little lamb held in a child’s arms or a shepherd carrying a little lamb as he leads a flock to pasture? Maybe you see a little lamb looking into the manger on a printed Christmas card.
When John the Baptist spoke these words, he had a totally different picture in his mind. Remember, John was the son of a priest which meant, he knew the priests had to often sacrifice a lamb for the sins of God’s people. He also had a clear picture of the Passover Feast, which the Jews celebrated, helping them to remember how, in Egypt, God saved the Israelites by the blood of the lamb smeared on the doorpost of the house causing the angel of death to pass over them.
I am sure his remembrance of his early teaching of the Old Testament would have reminded him of the prophet Isaiah who foretold the coming of Jesus in these words, “He was oppressed. He was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like sheep before its shearers is silent, he opened not his mouth…yet he bore the sin of many, and he makes intercession for the transgressors.”
The Lamb, the Lamb, Jesus is the Lamb. It became one of the most precious titles for Jesus Christ. In one word it sums up the love, the sacrifice, the suffering, and the triumph of Jesus.
In Werden, Germany there is a Catholic church that has a carved figure of a lamb near the top of the church’s tower. When the church was being built, a workman fell from a high scaffold. His co-workers rushed down, expecting to find him dead. But, to their surprise and joy, he was alive and only slightly injured. How did he survive? A flock of sheep was passing beneath the tower just at that time and he landed on top of a lamb. The lamb broke his fall and was crushed to death, but the man was saved. To commemorate this miracle someone carved a lamb on the tower at the exact height from which that workman fell. (Our Daily Bread – April 22, 1997)
John introduced Jesus then and he introduces Jesus to you now as the Lamb of God Who was crushed and died to save us from our fall into sin. John was to step back and let Jesus take center stage at this moment in time.
Listen to what he continues to say. “This is the man who comes after me, yet a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.” Then he says, “I myself did not even know Him.” How’s that again? What did John mean there? John and Jesus were relatives, surely they knew each other. What John was saying is that he knew Jesus as a person and as a relative. It was not, however, until God revealed Him as His Son on the day of His baptism, when the Dove, the Spirit of God, landed on Jesus, then John recognized Jesus for Who He really was, the Son of God, the Lamb.
Even John, by the power of the Holy Spirit had to make an amazing discovery. He realized that this Jesus is not merely a Friend, a Relative; this is the One whom Jeremiah, Isaiah, and other prophets foretold as the promised Messiah. Now, John realized that his only function in life was to point people to Jesus the Messiah, the Christ. He was to draw back the curtain and let Jesus occupy center stage. He was to stand below the stage and point to Jesus Christ saying, “Look! See! This is the One. This is the Messiah. This is the One we have been waiting for. This is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.”
So, that’s what I want to ask you today. Whom do you see? What do you see? What are you really looking for today? Still in the shadows of New Year’s resolutions, political changes, personal challenges; today is the best day for you to sing that Christmas song, “What Child is This?” In the hope of what that Child was here to do.
Baby Jesus, okay, but more; the Lamb, the Messiah, the Son of God, “This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.” Like the shepherds of that Christmas Morn, like the Wise Men of Epiphany, like John here in this text; seeing Jesus the Lamb, moved them all to shout out to whoever would listen, “Look, this is the One we have been waiting for! This is God’s Son, the Lamb of God for you!”
Is that what you see today, because if you do, it will make all the difference in your life. Can you say this? “This Jesus is the One for whom I’ve been waiting. He is the Lamb of God Who takes away my sins. He takes away your sins, and even the sins of the whole world.”
What happens if we follow Him? The invitation is here, right here, right now for you. Look and see. Trust and follow Him. “He is the Lamb of God. He is in the lead. He’s God on the move. He’s salvation in action for you. If you’ve got other questions about Jesus, the Bible is going to fill in those blanks in the days to come talking about Jesus Who alone, by His death and resurrection, obtains for you the forgiveness of your sins and the privilege for you to have eternal life with Him in heaven.”
Today’s the day for John the Baptizer says, “Look, the Lamb.” What a day it was for John. He proclaimed Christ; but it was a day of loss for him too. Some of his disciples, because of John’s words, would leave him and follow Jesus alone. I imagine that at first those disciples of John probably followed Jesus at a distance, perhaps too shy and a little fearful to approach Him directly. But, it is Jesus Who turns and speaks to them. He meets them half way. He makes things easier for them to come and meet Him. Then, like now, Jesus hasn’t changed. He’s the inviter. He’s not the standoffish Savior. He’s the “seeker of sinners,” people like you and me, so that we all might have His grace!
If you are looking at Him today from a distance, if you’re wondering if He is really the One that you want to follow, or you might have some fears about what it means to follow Jesus, I’m going to boldly just say it, “He’s right here, right now, for you.” The God of the Bible doesn’t just meet us halfway; in fact He comes all the way to save us. Saint Augustine said, “We could not even have begun to seek God unless God had already found us.” When even our hearts are searching for Jesus, know this, He does not keep a distance from you and me. He is waiting there to meet us.
What I love about this event in the Bible is not just John’s proclamation or Jesus’ availability; it’s the next question that Jesus asks of all the seekers. He says this, ready, “What are you looking for?” That question, “What are you looking for?” is still fundamental. What are you hoping to find, what are you seeking to find, what are you studying to uncover? Do you want more laws, better policies, self-help direction, a little more notoriety, position, and power? What?
All those questions might have been in their minds too; just like in ours. So, it’s time to ask again. Jesus is looking in your eyes, your heart, your mind; He’s asking, “What are you looking for? What, Whom do you seek?”Are you looking for security, enough money, a good position, cars, homes, material things which we think will ease the worry and stress that seem to plague our everyday existence? Or, perhaps are you searching for power, prominence, and prestige so that we get a little recognition in life? That will allow us to leave a legacy. Many of us are searching for peace that will allow us and our children to live without fear.
Now when you think about those things, they are not necessarily bad goals, but they are limited by time. They’re limited by this world. Stop and think, as you search your souls, what are you looking for? What are the deep needs of your life? I believe we would all have to say it is how we live at peace with ourselves and with God today and in eternity.
When Jesus asked this question of these men, their response was, “Rabbi (which means teacher), where are you staying?” By calling him Rabbi, they were saying, “We want you to be our teacher.” By asking Him where he was saying, they were saying, “We want you to have your say with us as you stay with us. We want to get to know you”That’s a resolution for this New Year that will last, it will bless, and it will never lose its power or influence in your life because it is connected to the Lamb Who was slain for you! Make this resolution. Listen in with me on the Lutheran Hour, let’s live with Him, to listen to Him through His Word, let’s share together with Him our problems, our doubts and fears, and know Him together as our Friend, our Savior, the Lamb! You can not only let Him into your house, He can come into your heart, your mind, your soul with a life-giving, life-changing Word!
To the disciples, then and to us today, Jesus responds with an invitation, “Come and see.” Jesus doesn’t offer words to try to explain Who He is and why He is here. He simply offers them to come, to get to know Him, to follow Him, to listen to Him, to trust in Him, to find your ultimate answers to things that only He alone can bring. After spending the day with Jesus, these men are transformed and they become His disciples. That same invitation is waiting for you here today.
Andrew, in the text, is one of those disciples. He is mentioned here by name and he totally understood the invitation of Jesus. It touched him so deeply and affected his whole life immediately. Andrew had learned from his teacher, John the Baptist, to be willing to follow rather than to lead, to be willing to lead people to the Leader rather than to take credit and fame for himself. Knowing from his relationship with John that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, Andrew went quickly to find his brother Peter. He used the same simple invitation that Jesus had used on him. He simply invites, “Come and see. Come and see.” Not pushy, not demanding, not filled with scare tactics, but simply, “Come and see Who this One is. You are going to be surprised, you’re going to be amazed, you’re even going to be blessed.”
If you can really see this Jesus today, see the Lamb, living, dying, and rising again for you so that you can live abundantly in His grace now and forever. That will change your life. Jesus can fill you with joy even in struggle, with hope even amidst uncertainty, with power when you feel nothing but weak. And, someday, you will see with your eyes what you already are by faith in Him. Look, see the Lamb, and see your life by faith in Him.
I heard it told that a person came upon Michelangelo chipping away with his chisel at a huge shapeless piece of rock. The person asked what he was doing. Michelangelo answered, “I am releasing the angel that is imprisoned in the marble.” In the same way Jesus knows who you were created to be. He knows what sin has done to encase you in death and destruction and He has come as the Lamb, the One Who can release us from the burden of unwanted weight that we carry around. He alone can chisel away our sin, smooth our rough places, and release us as His new person in Jesus Christ.
Don’t just muse about it today, cry out aloud with John the Baptist, “Look and see- the Messiah -the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, He’s here. He’s here for you. He’s here for me!” Amen.
Action in Ministry for January 15, 2017
Guest: Linda CoxANNOUNCER: You’re listening to The Lutheran Hour and this is Action In Ministry. Pastor Seltz, your message today makes me think am I looking to this Lamb and letting Him do through me all that He has prepared for me to do.
SELTZ: It really is a humbling thing to think about the fact that the Lamb of God calls us to follow Him but also to be used by Him in His work for other people.
ANNOUNCER: We have a booklet we’d love for you to have. It’s titled Your Place in God’s Plan and here to talk with us about that is Linda Cox, who is our Lead Response Center representative. She’s the person who has the privilege of connecting with many of you each week when you call us or send us emails.
SELTZ: I know she does a great job too and, Linda, thanks for being with us today.
COX: Glad to be here.
SELTZ: All right, listen. You help put these kinds of resources in people’s hands every day. This booklet hits so many areas. It’s about seeing how God can and does use each one of us. How does this message fit with what you hear from the folks who are calling you in response to The Lutheran Hour?
COX: People call us with their prayers, and their concerns, and struggles in life, and they have questions and they’re wanting answers. They want to know what does God want me to accomplish in my life.
SELTZ: They’re asking big questions.
COX: Am I following God’s plan? Why would God allow something to happen in their life? This booklet answers a lot of those questions.
SELTZ: Oh, that’s great!
ANNOUNCER: This booklet even tells how God, at one time, used a worm to accomplish His greater purposes…
SELTZ: Now wait a minute. How does that happen? All right.
ANNOUNCER: Linda, tell us that story.
COX: The story of Jonah, briefly, is that God had a plan. Jonah didn’t like the plan. He didn’t want God to show mercy to the people of Nineveh. God taught Jonah a lesson. Jonah was in need of shade. He had a plant grow up next to him to give him shade and protection that God provided. Jonah was enjoying that and then He sent a worm. The worm ate through the plant. The plant died. Jonah was in need of God’s mercy and help. It was showing Jonah that he needed God’s mercy just as much as the Ninevites needed it.
SELTZ: Absolutely! He uses that worm also to get him going too.
ANNOUNCER: Yeah.
SELTZ: Don’t just sit here under the shade plant because people need to hear about this good news. I think that’s amazing when you think about that God can use something so seemingly insignificant as a worm to accomplish His plan to get Jonah going, to get Nineveh saved, wow! So I guess here’s the question: can God use us too? Is that what this booklet is talking about, Linda?
COX: Yes, He can use us all in our daily lives. We don’t have to be something powerful. We don’t have to be a well-known personality. He can use us daily; at work, at our offices, and our neighborhoods, with our neighbors. He just wants us to share the Good News of Christ with others.
SELTZ: You always go back, even when you are struggling with God’s plan, you always go back, like you said, to the ultimate plan. You know that God wants you to be His son or daughter by grace through faith in Jesus, and then, of course, how to then share that with others. That’s the challenge of living this life this side of heaven. Again, the name of this booklet is Your Place in God’s Plan. Again, Linda, how has this resource helped; maybe helped you or helped others? Have you seen any of these things in action?
COX: Well, it helps us to know that our life does have purpose and that we are a part of God’s plan. He has…He can use our life and this book encourages us to see all the different ways that He can use our life; that we have gifts, that we have talents, we have abilities, we have resources, and He wants us to use those. It doesn’t have to be something really huge. It can be something little. Something every day. Every day we’re called to be a representative of Christ and stay close to Him. This book helps you to realize that.
SELTZ: Yeah.
COX: Stay in God’s Word.
SELTZ: We’re part of that plan. In fact, we say here all the time, Mark, be yourself in Christ for others. What a powerful way to live. Linda, thank you for visiting with us here today to talk about this little booklet that’s packed with encouragement for all of you. Again, for all of who we are in Jesus Christ and what we can be in His Name. Thanks for being with us today.
COX: Thank you for having me.
SELTZ: That is our Action In Ministry segment today to bless, to empower, and to strengthen your life in Christ for others.
ANNOUNCER: For your free copy of the booklet, ,Your Place in God’s Plan, go to lutheranhour.org and click on Action In Ministry. Or call 1-855-john316. That’s 1-855-564-6316. Our email address is info@lhm.org.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for January 15, 2017
Topic: Can the Reformation Message of the Gospel Matter Even Today?ANNOUNCER: Now Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions. I’m Mark Eischer. We’re going to be hearing a lot about Martin Luther in the year 2017. Does the Reformation message still matter today?
SELTZ: Mark, I can answer that one, yes!
ANNOUNCER: I would say that too, but it is a bit more challenging, wouldn’t you say, to get that message out.
SELTZ: Well, yes and no. It is true that times have changed. This is a different world than the one that was in Luther’s day 500 years ago. But, for all the technology, all the so-called wisdom, we really haven’t changed all that much.
ANNOUNCER: In what way?
SELTZ: In Luther’s day, people had devised a plan to get right with God. They were constantly beaten down with the reality that they were sinners; they needed to make amends, if you will, with the righteous judge of heaven and earth. So, there was a system to pay for your sins with indulgences, penances. Now, we are not as religiously guilty today, but we are still guilty and even many who aren’t religious feel that just as in Luther’s day.
ANNOUNCER: Really? How is that?
SELTZ: With all the psychosis and problems, many today feel just as guilty as in Luther’s day, thinking that they can do works of righteousness to overcome the big problems of the world, the big problems in their life. Their pride makes them think that they are ultimately in control. That might sound modern, but that’s the oldest sin of all.
ANNOUNCER: But at the same time they don’t feel that they have to get right with God.
SELTZ: I agree with that, but that is merely a particular blindness of today. There were other times in history where people felt exactly the same way we do today. Nonetheless, we still have these things that overwhelm us, we feel judgments that are waiting for us, and we live oftentimes in the terror of our own mistakes.
ANNOUNCER: We just don’t pay for it the way people of Luther’s time tried to do it.
SELTZ: That’s right. For instance, there are people today who actually feel more righteous than others because of the car they drive, the light bulbs they use, or the taxes they pay, and so much of that is the same about assuaging guilt. But here’s the point; just as true, even that kind of guilt cannot so easily be dismissed. Even worse, that kind of guilt can also be used to manipulate us, not for our good but for our ill.ANNOUNCER: Even as we, sometimes, yearn for leaders to solve all our problems.
SELTZ: Yes, that’s another troubling similarity with the ancients. There are false messiahs then just like today. The Reformation message, then, was like a lightning bolt that hit the culture. It undermined all that public works righteousness stuff and said that the way to deal with real sin and guilt was to look to God in heaven Who had every right to judge, but instead came to save people by forgiving them as a gift of His grace in Jesus alone.ANNOUNCER: And that message shocked the world.
SELTZ: And it changed the world too! Suddenly, life was no longer lived to just overcome guilt. God did that! Now it could be lived in His grace, to give Him glory, to serve others in His Name joyfully and to let God not only transform their lives, but even their communities as well.
ANNOUNCER: That understanding of what it means to get “right with God” by grace, through faith in Jesus alone, that is a whole new way to look at life.
SELTZ: Exactly. It has led to many wonderful freedoms; but as sinful people, we’ve also taken it for granted. People have a hard time thinking about their powerlessness in dealing with sin and guilt as well as the wonderful potential when their lives are in Christ alone by grace. It seems we always find a way to get back into the same predicaments as in Luther’s day.
ANNOUNCER: So, that message would not only seem to be just as relevant as in the day of Luther, but perhaps even more so today.
SELTZ: I couldn’t have said that any better. All this talk about being “saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus,” is really talking about what it means to ultimately be free. In Galatians 5 it says, “It is for freedom that you have been set free, do not let yourselves again be burdened with a yoke of slavery.”
ANNOUNCER: As we’re talking about this freedom, it’s a real freedom that can’t be bought, it can’t be earned, and it can only be received by grace, and lived in grace, in joy, which makes it sound relevant to today.
SELTZ: It is. But again, it challenges our self-righteousness, our over-estimation of our self-sufficiency, and of course, it exposes our need for life on God’s terms. It’s just as needed today, just as powerful as ever, and just as available.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Seltz. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“The Only Son from Heaven” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
“The People That in Darkness Sat” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)