Subject: Daily Gospel Reading - Thursday, January 3, 2013
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| Weekday Gospel Reflection |
| January 3 |
| 29 The next day, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ 31 I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to Israel.” 32 John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. 33 I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” |
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John 1:29-34 - World English Bible |
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John's gospel shifted from the identity of the Baptist and his mission to the question of the Messiah. Who was he? In this passage, he pointed to the One greater than himself; the Christ was the sacrificial Lamb of God who received the Spirit. In other words, the evangelist John defined the role of God's Son in terms of the Suffering Servant from Second Isaiah and through the dynamic movement of the Spirit. The Christ would suffer and, through that suffering, would pour out the Spirit onto his followers.
Greatness in the eyes of God is not a matter of wealth, power or possessions. It is a matter of service and a willingness to follow the Spirit. Both are not accomplished in large bursts of emotion, but in the small, everyday acts of faith we perform for God and others. How do you recognize the Christ in your daily activities? |
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