ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR B
Second Sunday [Jn 1:35-42]
14.01.2024
Jesus
Calls His First Disciples
1. Theme in brief
Seeking and finding the Lord
2.
Focus Statement
Christian vocation
involves hearing God’s call through human testimony, following Jesus, seeking
him, finding him and bringing others to him by sharing that experience with
them.
3. Explanation of
the text
John’s gospel gives us a different
and deeper understanding of what Christian vocation and discipleship is. As we find in today’s gospel text, it is a constant search for the Lord (1:38) until one finds him (1:41). The moment
of election (choice) and call of a person to discipleship comes
when a witnessing person points at Jesus as he ‘passes by’ or ‘walks by’ (1:36). ‘Walking by’ is a technical term used in the Bible to
indicate God’s powerful presence or closeness. As Jesus walks by, John
the Baptist (the one who witnesses to Christ) points at him before two of his disciples
(Andrew and another unnamed one) as “the Lamb of God” – a term that
refers to his mission to lay down his life like a sacrificial lamb that is sacrificed by the Jews in the Temple of Jerusalem (1:36).
Hence, today’s text indicates that vocation
comes through human testimony (to Christ) borne
by persons like John the Baptist. The disciples hear God’s own voice in the
words of John and leave him to follow Jesus (1:37). According to this text,
Jesus does not call his first disciples personally; it is John the Baptist who
introduces Jesus to them. But Jesus takes the initiative to turn back and ask them about their real motive (1:38). Yes, when
human beings search for the Lord, he comes to meet them half the way. Following Jesus – an essential aspect of vocation – involves a commitment to Jesus and a renunciation of all other worldly
ties (including the company of John the Baptist).
The disciples are called to follow
Jesus with right motive and definite purpose. Therefore Jesus asks all those who follow him (just as he asked the
first two disciples): “What are you looking for” or what do you seek (1:38)? This
implies that our Christian vocation is a response to our basic
search for self-fulfilment. It involves an
acceptance of the invitation given by the Rabbi
(Jesus the Teacher) to come and see where he stays, and remain with him (1:38-39).
The disciples ‘come’ to Jesus with faith and trust and ‘see’ (that is, experience) his love. Ultimately, the disciples find their
self-fulfilment by ‘remaining’ with him. Biblical
scholars say that the term “to stay”, “to remain” or “to abide” is found 63 times in John’s gospel. It refers to an intimate union or fellowship with Jesus; a deep, intimate, dynamic
and permanent friendship or relationship with him. The disciples are also in
search of finding his dwelling pace. Somewhere else
John makes it clear where Jesus remains or where a disciple could find him.
While speaking to the Greeks who want to meet him, he says: “Whoever serves me
must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant
be also (Jn 12:26). Later when he speaks about his departure from this world,
he says: “If I go …..I will come again….so that where I am, there you may be also”
(14:3).
Further, today’s text tells us about
the fruits or result of the first disciples’ personal communion
or fellowship with Jesus (that is, remaining with him): (1) It motivates them to bring others to Jesus. They become missionaries by sharing their experience
of remaining with and finding the Messiah. In today’s text this is exemplified
by Andrew’s bringing his brother Simon Peter to him (1:41). Thus, he leads his
brother to experience the same fellowship with Jesus. (2) It brings about a
deeper transformation in them. This is exemplified
by changing the name of Simon into Cephas (Peter or
Rock, 1:42).
4. Application to life
As Christ’s disciples, the very first
sentence spoken by Jesus according to John’s gospel, “What are you looking
for?” should always echo in our hearts as we walk our faith-journey. Life is a search. Ultimately, all humans search for happiness – some for temporary happiness, some for lasting.
All are looking for the moment when they will be relieved from all obstacles to happiness such as pain of loneliness, frustration,
despair, failure, emotional disorders, unsolved problems, suffering and other harsh
realities of life. Some seek to get temporary or momentary relief or escape from these harsh realities (or the physical and
emotional pain caused by these) in various ways such as by taking drugs or alcoholic
drinks, roaming or loitering about, gossiping, watching TV/ surfing internet/
talking in mobile phones in an addictive manner, attending parties after
parties, indulging in unhealthy friendships or relationships and sexual
pleasures.
But where is lasting happiness? A
Christian disciple seeks to gain access to the reservoir or the source
of true happiness, who is Jesus himself. He/she is a seeker of truth, peace, justice, salvation….. If he/she is
earnestly seeking peace and truth, then he/she is searching for God himself. It
is in and through Jesus that a disciple meets God, because for a disciple these
qualities are found in abundance in Jesus alone. Hence, a disciple’s basic search is to seek Jesus and find his/her
fulfilment by staying with him. In other
words, he/she believes that lasting happiness can be found by seeking Jesus, accepting his loving invitation to experience his life, staying
with him and finding him in all situations. All
those who follow Jesus are called to be engaged in an on-going and life-long
process of searching for and finding him, who always walks by us in our
faith-journey, and who takes initiative to meet us in all situations and events
of life. His presence can be found also in the persons we live with and meet,
especially the poor and the marginalized among us.
Right from the days of Jesus till
today, some follow Jesus with right motives and some with wrong. In
John’s gospel we read that there were some people who were seeking Jesus with wrong motives such as getting material bread from him
always (6:26); to crown him as a worldly king (6:15); to kill him (7:1); and in
the garden of Kidron valley to arrest him (19:4). There were also genuine seekers such as the first disciples in today’s
gospel, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the blind man, Mary Magdalene, etc. Now
also Jesus asks us to question our real motive to follow him. He asks us to
examine whether we follow him or want to be called Christians or remain members
of the Church only to seek things that do not last (that which perish) such as material
benefits, security, social identity, status, power, position, name, fame, prestige,
money, reward, keeping up our business and political contacts, or to ‘stay’
(‘remain’) with him; that is, to enter into a lasting and deeper friendship
or communion with him and through
him with the Father. Are we
genuine or fake seekers?
‘Remaining’ or ‘abiding’ in Jesus refers to an intimate relationship
with Jesus and letting oneself be touched by his life. Intimacy with Jesus
gives us an intense desire to live a life qualitatively different from ordinary
life. It motivates us to improve the quality of our service and contribution to human society. This
intimacy makes us want to be more and more like Jesus, and less and less like
us. When we are intimate with him he points at our weaknesses and faults and prompts
us to admit them. Because of this intimacy, we are less likely to justify our sins, weaknesses, failures and defects of
character. Our deeper friendship with him can influence our thinking pattern and behaviour and motivate us to
begin God’s way of thinking, his thoughts. It can reveal to us the gap that exists between what we are and what we could be
or should be. Naturally, some sort of inner transformation will take place because
of this abiding, as it is expressed in this text by changing the name of Simon
into Cephas (Peter).
As the renowned spiritual author Henry
Nouwen says, “It is in intimacy with God that we develop a greater intimacy with
people.” Failure
to have a deep bond with Jesus is the beginning of a breakdown in our Christian commitment. If this base is
missing, we may succumb to the temptation to use religious practices for
personal/ social/ business benefits. Then religion will be used to erect
monuments and charitable institutions for personal glory and name. When we are not
rooted in Jesus, our services to human society will be purely ‘social’ and
‘humanitarian.’ They will not be done with the intention of sharing our experience of abiding with Jesus, who motivates
us to find him in the least of his brothers and sisters – just as Andrew shared
his experience of staying with Jesus with Simon Peter and brought him to him.
Then our mission work or service will not be a response to our experience of God’s
love with the socially marginalized. That is why, before sending the disciples
on a mission, Jesus wanted them to abide with him and become his intimate friends.
Another important aspect of mission work is bearing witness to Christ or pointing
out the presence of Christ in our midst like John the Baptist. In fact, all of
us had so many John the Baptists in our life like our parents, teachers and
spiritual guides who introduced Christ to us. Now we are called to become John
the Baptists to lead others to Christ.
Jesus’ question to the first disciples, “What are you seeking?” should
motivate us to examine the purpose of our life. Becoming a disciple of Christ means a change to a
different way of life with a different purpose; that is God-assigned purpose. What
is our most precious possession in life: a fancy apartment, latest mobile
phone, most comfortable motor vehicle or what?” As Christian disciples, or as persons of faith, we
believe that God has a plan for each one of us. Only when we fulfil God’s purpose
freely and willingly, life becomes for us meaningful and purpose-driven. Once we
question deeply the purpose of our life then we begin “living” life
rather than just existing.
Each one of us must
ask: “As a Christian disciple what am I here for? Am I here to be sad and
unhappy all the time; to make impression on somebody; or to grumble, complain,
blame, criticize, exploit people all the time and build my own empire?” Jesus challenges
us at this stage of our life: “As my disciple, for what do you want to live and die?” As his
disciples, today’s gospel says that our life’s purpose is to seek Jesus until we find him and to be where he
is. Where is he? He is
found in our union with him in prayer and worship; he is found by serving the
type of people he served (namely, the poor, the outcasts, the hungry and the
suffering). Finally, he is found at the bosom of the Father (Jn 1:18) and has
gone before us to prepare a place for us so that we shall be where he is (Jn
14:2-3). Is this our ultimate goal? If we are seeking only material wealth,
power, name and fame, all these things will perish one day. If we are seeking
Jesus he has promised to make us happy for ever by taking us where he now is.
5.
Response to God's Word
What are we seeking in our life? What lights
a fire in our belly? What is the purpose and aim of our life? What is our
motive for following Jesus? Are we really searching for something that lasts?
Where can we find real and lasting happiness and personal fulfilment? What
gives meaning to our life? Do we consider that the basic purpose of Christian vocation
is to abide in Jesus or to grow in personal intimacy with him? Do our
activities and services flow from our experience of remaining with Jesus? What
am I here for? What are the values we profess and want them
realized in our life?
6.
A prayer
Jesus our Master, as your disciples, we want to
follow you as seekers of your values. We have accepted your loving invitation
to remain with you and want to enter into a deeper relationship with you from
the time of our baptism. Fill us with your Spirit so that all our actions may
flow from our union with you. Grant that we may find lasting happiness and
personal fulfilment by staying with you and finding you in all situations and
people, especially among the poor. Purify our minds and attitudes so that we
may follow you with right motives and live with total commitment to your values. Amen.
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