Staying
John 1:29-42

January 20, 2002

Jesus never stays put. In John's Gospel we hear about him in magnificent language: "In the beginning was the Word....He was in the world...but the world did not know him." We didn't know him and we couldn't see him, and with age our eyesight has not become better.

As in the other three Gospels the adult story begins with John the Baptist and his baptizing in the River Jordan. The Pharisees, religious power-mongers in Palestine back then, cross-examine John regarding his origins, methods, and purpose. John declares that he is simply preparing the way for someone much greater than him, but "I myself did not know him."

At least in this Gospel, John did not know Jesus, yet he was able to pick him out of the crowd, "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John could see Jesus and would make sure that his students also knew how to see him.

A Presbyterian minister went for a tour throughout Scotland one summer and walked into one of those phenomenal Church of Scotland cathedrals. That day he was the only one in the church as he heard his feet echo down the main aisle. At the front of the sanctuary was a magnificently decorated high pulpit, up to which led an elaborate spiral staircase. From the bottom he could see on the preacher's lectern a little brass plaque. He knew what it had to say.

Some churches have similar plaques on their pulpits for the eyes of the preacher only: the request from John , "Sir, we would see Jesus." That's what we are required to do in the pulpit: to enable the listeners to be able to see, to feel the presence of the elusive Jesus. A daunting and terrible task for a mere human to attempt.

Our Presbyterian looked over his shoulder to make certain he was alone and then started to climb up the spiral staircase to the pulpit. What an inspiration he could carry home to his church, to be able to see in his mind's eye those goading words looking out over this magnificent room.

As he got closer, he could make out that the brass plaque began with "Remember..." Oh well, this is different, he thought to himself. In front of the pulpit, his eyes cast down on the full wording, "Remember Joan Church."

How do you see Jesus? Can you ever catch up with someone who never stays put? By his image shining through people we encounter, people we remember, we still see Jesus.

John the Baptist may not have known Jesus, but he does know how to recognize him and he keeps pushing his own students on to him. This is the Man, he tells a couple of disciples, and they take off to timidly trail Jesus.

Jesus could feel the uncomfortable presence of these two nerds behind him, so he turned and confronted them with his first words in the Gospel, "What are you looking for?"

No great words of judgment, no "repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!" The tone of voice must have been intimidating to the two disciples, but the ball is thrown into their park, What are you looking for? What matters to you?

The response is first-century Nerd all the way: "Where are you staying?" They never say exactly what they are looking for. Perhaps their question is code-language for "Where do you stand on the issues? Are you liberal or conservative or NDP?"

Nevertheless, when Jesus invited them to "come and see" they came and saw where he was staying and evidently stayed talking for the rest of the day. One of them returning home is now named, Andrew, and he sought out his brother Simon and on very little evidence, but a lot of certainty, told Simon, "We have found the Messiah!" Andrew brings Simon to Jesus, who immediately renames him Cephas or Peter - the Rock.

Are we likewise looking for the Messiah, the Christ, the man Jesus? Not every person would put the question exactly that way, especially if one does not really know who Jesus is, if one has never seen Jesus.

People do want to know where Jesus is staying, what is he doing, what are his characteristics we can count on. It would be preferable if Jesus would stay unchanged and understandable. A lot of people doubt that Jesus was God, but it always is part of the question about Jesus - the encounter with the human being who is God.

Jesus does not stay anywhere for long. He is a sojourner, a wandering charismatic who passes along our road long enough for us to see him, to feel him and experience his presence, but not long enough for us to analyze him down to the last fingernail. Most people have realized that the Gospels do not give us enough about the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth to figure him out the way we try to analyze Churchill, Roosevelt, or Hitler. We may remain curious, skeptical, unconvinced, but if Jesus has passed through we cannot remain untouched.

Jesus did settle upon one way for us to understand him, to see him and know him: through that most fragile of media, the human being. Andrew and his cohort sat with Jesus all day and we have heard not a word about what was said. Yet Andrew came back and staked his life's commitment with his brother Simon that this was the Messiah and no matter where he goes, we should be with him. And Simon, on the force of his brother's experience, did the same. Jesus knew such a person could not stay as he had been. He needed a new name.

Sir, we would see Jesus. The way to see is to remember other people who have been with Jesus. Jesus has always been the carrier of a contagious healing and an unsettling change.

What about that second disciple of John the Baptist who went trembling in the wake of Jesus? We never heard his name. No one remembered him. When you see Jesus, it does not count to keep that sight and experience to yourself. Jesus isn't staying; he is on the move, but we are encouraged and made richer hearing where he has been and what he has done, and joining him on the move, staying only a while in any one place.

Preached by Robert Kitchen
Knox-Metropolitan United Church
Regina, Saskatchewan