Be an Andrew

First United Methodist Church, Shelbyville, Tenn., January 15, 2023

John 1:29–42 (CEB)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is really greater than me because he existed before me.’ Even I didn’t recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it rested on him. Even I didn’t recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and testified that this one is God’s Son.”
The next day John was standing again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus walking along he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus.
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, “What are you looking for?”
They said, “Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?”
He replied, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.
One of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Christ). He led him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

The Gospel of John, the apostle, starts out with the story of a different John, John the Baptist. Some people, and some Bible translations, have taken to calling him “John the Baptizer” so that it doesn’t sound like we’re attaching him to any individual denomination or movement. The word “baptist” originally just meant “one who baptizes,” and it was used that way 400 years before it became the name of a religious movement.

John begins preaching and baptizing people, and — just prior to today’s Lectionary passage — he’s called to account for it by the priests and the Levites. They think he must be…