We just heard words that are repeated in every celebration of the Mass. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John calls his cousin a lamb, but why?
Lambs are often associated with sacrifice. At the first Passover, the Jews sprinkled the blood of lambs on their doorposts to be protected from the angel of death. In the temple lambs were sacrificed twice each day in atonement for the sins of Israel. We know that Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross for the sake of our sins.
John the Baptist may have intended another meaning beside lamb. He could be saying, “Behold the servant of God.” A scholar named Joachim Jeremias noted that the original word for “lamb” in Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke) was “talyã’,” which meant not only “lamb” but also “slave” or “servant.” Thus, John is telling us that Jesus has come as God’s servant to carry out the mission of taking away the sin of the world. This provides a link with our first reading.
When we look at the condition of our world today, we could wonder, “Did Jesus fail in that mission?” In the line omitted from our first reading, the servant feels that he has fallen short, but God thinks otherwise. “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” By his death on the cross, Jesus has taken away the sin of the world. He has bridged the chasm that separated humanity from the fullness of God’s love.
The words, “Here am I, Lord. I come to do your will,” which we sung moments ago, sum up Christ’s life-long openness and obedience to his Father’s will. This would take Him ultimately to Gethsemane and the cross.
The mission to take away the sin of the world that had been entrusted to Jesus has been passed onto us by virtue of our baptism. By heeding John the Baptist’s call to repentance, which we heard weeks ago during Advent, we are carrying out that mission. When we become less tolerant of sin, the world comes one step closer to being freed of sin.
This week we are mindful of the glaring sin in our society ofboth racism and abortion. Our nation tolerated the sin of racism and prejudice for decades following the civil war but it took the prophetic voice of Martin Luther King, Jr. to stem the tide. Today, one could say that his dream has been realized that his children are being judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. But the dream that no fetus will be killed will not be realized until we better know who Jesus Christ is.
Twice John the Baptist asserts, “I did not know him.” How odd, since they were cousins. True, but they grew up miles apart and for all we know, maybe they never actually met until Jesus came to him to be baptized. Even if they had met in childhood, one could conclude that John didn’t know his cousin well and the baptism allowed him to see Jesus in a new light and thus proclaim to us, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
John had to learn the true identity of his cousin, and the true nature of his cousin’s mission. Neither was immediately evident to him. Sure, John knew from the beginning that his cousin was great, but there are many “great” people in the world. The exact nature of Jesus’ greatness was revealed to John over time, and in today’s Gospel we hear the decisive moment when it all came together for him: “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. . . . The one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’”
This event radically altered his assessment of Jesus. John was open-minded to the truth and when the truth was revealed to him by God, he accepted it without question or hesitation. How open are we to better knowing who Jesus is and what he is asking of us? That is a fitting question for us to ponder here and now.
Seeing things in a new light can make a difference. A boy and his father took a telescope to a field far away from the lights of the city. After he positioned the lens, his dad had him look down into the eye piece. What he saw filled him with awe. He could see the rings of Saturn, the red craters of Mars, the Sea of Tranquility on the moon. His dad pointed out Polaris, the stars of the Big Dipper, Orion and Andromeda. That night they could also see the lights of the International Space Station. So began one boy’s love of astronomy and fascination with the reaches of outer space. He never looked at the stars the same way again.
Today John the Baptist invites us to “behold” Jesus, the lamb of God, the Word of God made flesh, in a new light. Once we truly meet the Jesus of the Gospels, we will never see the world the same way again. After hearing his Gospel, peace, justice and forgiveness become possible in ways we hadn’t imagine before. After seeing the world through his eyes, our perspectives and attitudes are transformed in his light.
Keep in mind that Christ is forever in our midst, always seeking to befriend us. To behold his presence changes everything. In this New Year, may we continue to “behold” the Lamb of God, transforming our vision, our perspective,and our expectations for this life and the life to come.