“Come and See” A Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Hilary J. Barrett for Epiphany 2A Preached at Pleasantville UCC, January 15, 2017 John 1:29-42 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.”
They were desperate. Their faces were worn with weariness and pain. Worn with fear for the child of their heart; the love of their life. They say parents are only as happy as their least happy child. Well if that was the case, they were dying inside. Their firstborn child had gotten caught up in something dark; something dangerous, and they were terrified. What once seemed to be just a few wrong choices – just a few bad relationships; just a few questionable decisions – had now become something much bigger. He was lost in it; lost in the darkness. And there was absolutely no knowing whether he would find his way out. They were looking for a miracle; or at least looking for strength enough to face another day. She was waiting. She hated waiting but that was all she could do right now. She knew enough to know something was wrong. There was something suspicious in the test results. But for now, it was just the hurry-up-and-wait; the not knowing; the powerlessness. She hated that part. And her fears were getting the best of her. Ever since the doctor called, everything had taken on a different light. Literally – things actually looked different to her. She didn’t think she’d ever noticed it before – how beautiful the light was in winter. Was it the angle? Was it the way it shone through the clouds? What if this was the last Christmas? Was this the last Christmas? What if – all the time that her family was getting on her nerves – this turned out to be the last Christmas? There was no telling how this would turn out. But she knew – that if she gave herself over to the fear – she’d unravel.
-1Barrett
They came to the desert. They heard he was out there. They came to be baptized; to have their sins washed away. They heard he was filled with the Spirit. They heard he was a healer. They came down to the Jordan because that’s where he was. They came there because they heard that people were being healed there. That couple was there – the ones who were so terrified for their son. And the woman was there too. The one who knew – that something was wrong. The one who knew she needed healing. There were people there who’d been through terrible things. There were people there who’d seen terrible things. And there were people there who’d done terrible things. There were people there who’d been hurt so badly they hardly believed in anything anymore. And people so broken they no longer had any hope for themselves. But they were there. That was the thing. They were there, because their hope wasn’t dead. They were there because they were thinking: maybe this guy is for real. And when Jesus walked by they heard someone say, “Look! Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” So they followed him. But when Jesus realized that he was being followed, he turned around and said to them: “What are you looking for?” Jesus was always doing that. He was always asking people questions. He asked those first disciples: “What are you looking for?” And he asked Mary at the tomb: “Woman, why do you weep?” He asked the storm-tossed disciples: “Why are you afraid?” He asked the woman caught in adultery: “Woman, where are your accusers?” That’s how he was. He noticed things. He noticed people around him. He noticed the ones who came to him for healing. And he said, “What do you want me to do for you?” He was always doing things like that. He was always asking questions. Questions that forced people to get to the heart of things; questions that made them think; made them get clear. “What are you looking for?” Those are the first words of Jesus recorded in John’s gospel. It’s almost like he’s trying to show people how important it is to be clear about what you are looking for. I suppose – that if we’re not clear what we’re looking for – we might end up looking for the wrong thing. We might end up chasing blue ribbons and brass rings. We might end up searching for fame and fortune. We might end up trying to -2Barrett
win a popularity contest; trying to be the most beautiful; the most handsome; the smartest… you fill in the blank. We’ve got to know what we’re looking for, because – whether we want to face it or not – what we’re looking for is what’s driving our life. “What are you looking for?” Jesus asks. What would you say? How would you respond? Would you want to know the meaning of life? Would you want to know how to square a good God with the bad things that happen in this world? Would you want to know what your future holds? The thing is those two disciples didn’t ask those questions. When Jesus asked them “What do you want?” they answered: “We want to know where you are staying.” We want to follow where you lead. We want to be wherever you are – even if the journey is costly and involves suffering. We want you, Jesus. We want to be with you. It’s not a bad answer. We want you. There was a couple so terrified for the well-being of their son, that they swept aside all other concerns about what people might say or think and they went out into the desert to be with the Lord. There was a woman who was waiting. Wondering if this was the last winter; wondering why it took so much fear to get her to wake up and see what a gift this all really was. There were people, so brokenhearted by the cruelty of the world – or worse, by their own cruelty – that they just gathered and wept and waited together for a word of hope. “What are you looking for?” Jesus wants to know. We are looking for you, Lord – even if we don’t even know it yet. We are looking for you. Amen.