“Glad News of Our Deliverance”

“Glad News of Our Deliverance”

Second Sunday after the Epiphany, January 15, 2023

Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 40:1-11, John 1:29-42

First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint, Idaho

Pastor Andy Kennaly

          This week I heard a description that makes a distinction between preaching and teaching. Preaching is like John the Baptizer, or Isaiah, or even the Psalmist who tells “glad news of deliverance in the great congregation.” Preachers do two things: one, they announce. They announce, like John points out Jesus and announces, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He doesn’t necessarily say how Jesus does this, but he announces the truth that Jesus does this.

If Jesus does this for you, then that’s pretty easy, you just let Jesus do it, you acknowledge this and receive it. But if Jesus does this with you, that’s more complicated. It’s less a simple ascent to an idea as it is an active engagement. Jesus takes away the sin of the world by pointing out sin so we can do something about it. That pointing out in order to rise above is the prophetic role. That’s another thing we read this morning, the second thing a preacher does, especially a prophetic preacher like John; that is, denouncing. John denounces the religious establishment and political elites.

Preaching declares the truth through announcing and denouncing, to call people to a higher truth and point out deficiencies. This pointing out is in the context of love, of a desire for healing. John’s ministry of baptism has such a desire, and it is fulfilled as Jesus is revealed by the Spirit as God’s chosen one.

We pick up now, “the next day when John saw Jesus coming toward him.” Did you notice how much motion is involved in this passage? Jesus comes towards him, Jesus walks. John is standing with his disciples as Jesus walks by. And there’s also lots of language about seeing, watching, looking.

These dynamic elements point us toward another distinction between preachers and teachers. Rather than preach by announcing or denouncing, teachers teach by showing, they embody something, and in doing so they hope to draw out that quality from those they’re trying to teach. Like a French teacher speaking French in the classroom, immersion has the intent of helping students learn in ways that are experiential rather than theory.

Two of John’s disciples heard that preacher announce Jesus is the Lamb of God. At first they are standing there, with John, as Jesus walks by, but then after hearing this they start to follow Jesus. Jesus turns around and “saw them following.” This is another seeing taking place.

Jesus is only about 400 years after the Greek philosopher, Plato, who equates seeing with knowledge. Sight, especially looking up into the sky and the heavens above, rather than down at Earthly matter and everything that has physicality; sight is viewed as a high virtue, equated with knowledge.

Here we have two of John’s disciples following Jesus. This dynamic movement includes Jesus turning, and in that turning he sees them following him, and he asks, “What are you looking for?” That’s a loaded question at a philosophical level. They are looking, which means they seek knowledge. They don’t call him a preacher, and they’re not looking to Jesus for any declarations, announcing or denouncing. They call him Rabbi, which means, teacher. “Rabbi, where are you staying?” He said to them, “come and see.” They came and they saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. They stayed with him.

Notice the pattern. Jesus draws near. They notice. Jesus calls out. They reply. Jesus invites. They follow. This is the pattern of call. This is a call story. Jesus is calling disciples, and they follow him and stay with him to learn from him as he doesn’t so much announce the truth, but embodies the truth and draws out in their lives the very things he embodies.

This is when it gets good, but also this is the part where Christian history has self-inflicted misery on the entire planet for far too long. The Roman Empire and every empire since have viewed Jesus as an escape mechanism. Empirical Christianity, that version of Christian faith that cozy’s up to Empire, have also bought in to Plato’s philosophy and declared matter and physicality as bad, lesser virtues. Jesus is seen as the ticket out of worldly deficiencies, and the Church has put the divinity of Christ ahead of Jesus’ humanity. Jesus Christ is seen as a personal savior to take away your sin (as an individual) and help you get to God to spend eternity in heaven.

Thankfully, when these two followers of John are invited to “come and see” where Jesus is staying, one of them, Andrew, has a brother named Simon. Andrew finds Simon and tells him, “We have found the Messiah” and they bring Simon to Jesus. We still have sight involved, we still have sight equated with knowing. Plato seems to have the day as Jesus “looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas.’ (which is translated Peter)” which also means rock.

This is more than knowing, this is beyond the scope of philosophy. This has to do with phenomenology, the phenomenon of existence and what that life is really identified as in living, in being. Jesus moves beyond mere visual sight and defines what life is like. The Living Christ, God in our midst, doesn’t tell these disciples they got it made and their way to heaven is bought and paid for. This is not an escape plan, has nothing to do with pearly gates, even though Christian jokes always have Peter holding the keys to heaven as he stands at the pearly gates.

Unlike popular religion that is used to dimmish matter, or belittle the Earth, or question the dignity of physicality and the existence of created beings, Jesus doesn’t belittle Simon, but transforms him. Just like a good teacher, rather than imparting from on high lessons that seem so important, this teacher draws out what is already there. This teacher recognizes the true identity, purpose, and dignity that sees deeper than eyes can probe. Jesus sees the heart, and in the heart is Christ, God’s divine presence, already there, and once recognized, is invited to give life the shape and structure of love.

So today we’ve heard a preacher both announce and denounce through proclamation. We’ve encountered a teacher who comes, invites, and demonstrates what is true, and draws out what is already there but has been forgotten or covered up but is now not only restored, but transformed, and commissioned. We have noted call narratives in the lives of those ancient, biblical characters, both in the Hebrew Scriptures as Isaiah and the Psalmist find deliverance into their true self through God who forms them, and in John’s Gospel as Jesus gathers disciples to come, see, and learn from a teacher who embodies Love’s lessons and draws out the goodness of all that God creates.

As we come alongside and join the biblical narrative, we are encouraged in one of the biggest lessons: the need to learn humility. To realize that whatever identity we think we have cannot fully define us: only God defines us. We live in the image and likeness of God. Humility trusts God’s gifts and God’s faithfulness which hold us forever. Love embraced as gift through a humble heart changes the world. Thanks be to God! Amen.