Jn. 1: 29-34
Have you spoken to anyone about Jesus in a convincing manner? The gospel of the day presents to us the most convincing and meaningful witness about Jesus Christ. We see many witnesses in the New Testament about Jesus. However, this witness gives us a profound understanding on Jesus. The author of the witness is the John the Baptist himself. “Seek you fill find.” The experience of John teaches us that all those who seek him with a sincere heart will be blessed with this experience of encountering Jesus in our life journey. John humbly agrees that he could not recognize the Messiah in Jesus nevertheless; God revealed this truth to John through His Spirit.
The witness that John shares with us invites us to mediate on the nature of Jesus. John was enlightened about the pre-existence of Christ. He existed before all. John wanted people to understand that he may be looking elder to Jesus but He is the only begotten Son of eternal God, who exists with Him from eternity. Jesus, who is going to receive baptism from him, is not an ordinary human person but the Second Person of the Godhead himself.
Then John shares about the present existence of Jesus and reveals His mission by addressing Jesus as the Lamb of God. Now, John tries to make people understand that Jesus has come to redeem them by being a sacrificial lamb on the cross. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is the greatest proclamation of John that God identified himself with the sinful humanity and incarnated as one among us to carry the burdens of our sinful humanity.
Lastly, John speaks about the future mission of Jesus as one who is going to baptize all of us with the Holy Spirit. By dyeing on the cross, he would grant us the grace to experience the fullness of the Spirit that Adam and Eve had in the beginning. It is the merit of Jesus’ baptism on the cross that enabled the disciples and all of us to receive the anointing of the Spirit. As we continue our spiritual journey let us proclaim Jesus like John with a conviction that he is not merely a divine being but God who exists from eternity, who redeemed us with his precious baptism on the cross and who would baptize with his Holy Spirit. Let us proclaim Jesus like John the Baptist.