John 1: 35-42 Reflection | Two Disciples of John

 

John 1: 35-42| The next day again, John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (“which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying; and stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah.” He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “So you are Simon, the son of John? You shall be called Cephas”.

Reflection| today’s Gospel teaches us mainly three things. First, the Gospel you have received should share with others. There is no room for selfishness in the kingdom of God. Jesus' kingdom grows by sharing the good news with others. In the same chapter of John’s Gospel verses, we hear John the Baptist says, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven and remain on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that is this is the Son of God” (John 1:32-33). And the next verse, what we read today, John the Baptist announces to his disciples by pointing to Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” And the two disciples followed Jesus. This is repeated in the lives of those two disciples as well, after being with Jesus, they came and witnessed to Simon about Jesus. So, the first point we receive from this Gospel passage is, we should pass the Good News that we have received from God. We must witness Jesus and proclaim him as the Son of God to the world. 

The second point we receive from this Gospel is, we hear Jesus speaks for the first time in John’s Gospel here. He asks the disciples “What do you seek?” “What are you searching for?” This is a personal question Jesus asks every time. What are we seeking in life? What will make us truly happy and fulfilled? Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “The desire for God is written in the human heart because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for” (CCC 27). I quote St. Augustine: “You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” The disciples of John the Baptist was searching for the Messiah; by seeing his works, they thought he would be the one. Later, they found the true one and followed him, and the answer from these two disciples to Jesus was, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Jesus said to them, “come and see.” They went and stayed with Jesus and experienced the true Messiah. Here, the Greek word for “Stayed” is “meno” and the same word John used to show the communion with the Heavenly Father and Jesus (John 14:10; 15:10). Here, by using this word, John explains, these two disciples had the right understanding of the relationship with the divinity of Jesus. They had spiritual communion with Jesus. By abiding with Jesus, they find fulfillment and happiness. 

Finally, in this Gospel, we find a growth of discipleship. In the beginning, we read, Andrew and the other disciples were the disciples of John the Baptist. Though many heard what John the Baptist spoke about Jesus, none were ready to follow Jesus except these two. They stepped out of their comfort zone to follow Jesus. When they followed Jesus, he was just another master; they asked him, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” They did not know that it is their Messiah; later, when they stayed with Jesus, they started to experience him and came to know him as Messiah. And it didn’t stop there, the final stage of the discipleship, that is to become the Apostle, they preached the Gospel to others, “We have found the Messiah.” That is the real Christian discipleship. 

First, let us recollect these three points; first, we need to share with others the Good News we have received from Jesus. Second, we must search for God should always remain with him; there lies our happiness. Third, the maturity of being a Christian disciple grows and gradually and bears fruit when we witness the Gospel to the others. That is, proclaiming to the world that “we have found the Messiah.”