John 1: 29-34

The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I’ve been talking about, ‘the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.’ I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God.”

John clinched his witness with this: “I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him. I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ That’s exactly what I saw happen, and I’m telling you, there’s no question about it: This is the Son of God.”

Gospel Reflection

This Sunday’s Gospel is the encounter between John the Baptist and Jesus. When John sees Jesus, he exclaims: “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It is He of whom I said: ‘After me will come a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me’.” John then confesses that he had not recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God. Jesus and John had known one another from birth; they were cousins. Yet until this moment, John had not realized that Jesus was “The Christ.” John then gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit descend and rest on someone; it is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I have seen for myself and I have testified, ‘This is God’s chosen One.’”

Ask yourself: do you truly believe that Jesus is “The Lamb of God?” I suspect that many of us “grew up” with the Gospel and we were taught about Jesus and his life from our childhood. Yet today ask yourself: Do I truly believe and confess that Jesus is “The Lamb of God?” Many of us know about Jesus, however do we listen daily for His word in our life? Are Jesus and his teachings integral in your life? Or do you simply give “lip service” to your faith? Today I invite you to take time to search your heart and mind. You may be surprised at what you find there. I pray that you will find faith and peace within you!