2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Readings:

1. Isaiah 49.3, 5-6
   Psalm 40.2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10  Response:  “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
2. 1 Corinthians 1.1-3
3. John 1.29-34

Reflections on the Gospel Reading

The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time can be considered the culmination of the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany cycle with the revelation to John the Baptist that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”¹  The Evangelist John is the only Gospel writer who uses this title for Jesus.  It is impossible to reconstruct the actual words that the Baptist spoke to his disciples, but we can ask:  What was the Evangelist trying to say about Jesus when he put this title on the lips of the Baptist?  What did it mean to the Evangelist’s readers?  What immediately sprang into their minds when the Evangelist applied this image to Jesus?  What does it mean to us when we utter almost the same words during the Eucharistic celebration during the Gloria and just before communion?²

Meaning

Meaning depends on context.  In my junior year in college a student from Korea joined our class.  His English was rather good, but he was confused by expressions like “throw the floor open for discussion” or “political football.” “Throwing the floor open for discussion” raised bizarre images of tearing up the floorboards, and for him “football” was what we call soccer.  He had no experience of the unpredictable way an American football bounces.

Similarly, the key to understanding the meaning of the title “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” is the context in which it was used, the things familiar to John’s readers that gave force to the images in that phrase.  A difficulty comes from the fact that we are separated from the culture that gave meaning to those words not only by thousands of miles but also by thousands of years.

Scholars have identified at least five possible contexts for the words in question:  1) the paschal lamb; 2) the lambs sacrificed in the Temple; 3) the suffering servant in the Book of Isaiah; 4) the triumphant lamb in the Book of Revelation; and 5) the astrological lamb, Aries.³

The Paschal Lamb

If we look at the lamb symbolism in other parts of his Gospel there is reason to believe that John the Evangelist and his readers interpreted “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” against the imagery of the paschal lamb.

In chapter 19 of his Gospel John takes pains to show that Jesus was

condemned to death at noon on the day before Passover [John 19.14], and this was the very time when the priests began to slay the paschal lambs in the Temple.  While Jesus was on the cross, a sponge full of wine was raised up to him on hyssop (xix 29); and it was hyssop that was smeared with the blood of the paschal lamb to be applied to the doorposts of the Israelites (Exod  xii 22).  John xix 36 sees a fulfillment of the Scripture in the fact that none of Jesus' bones was broken, and this seems to refer to Exod xii 46 [the instructions for the Passover meal].  (Brown 1966, 62)

The difficulty with this reference is that nowhere else in either testament of the Bible is the Passover lamb ever referred to as “the lamb of God.”  Also, either a goat or a lamb could be slaughtered for the Passover meal.  (Exodus 12:5)  Nevertheless, Francis J. Moloney doesn’t hesitate to say: “the Passover link is undeniable.” (Moloney 1998, 59)

The Sacrificial Lamb

According to Exodus 29.38-46 a lamb was to be offered twice a day in the Temple.  Leviticus 4.32-35 refers to a female lamb without blemish sacrificed as a sin offering.  However, bulls and goats were more common as sin offerings.  (Brown 1966, p. 63)

Moloney thinks that “the broader ritual practice of Israel” is an even better context for the phrase “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  “Through the use of the lamb for the sacrificial rites of communion and for reconciliation after sin the people of Israel established and renewed their union with God and among themselves.” (Moloney 1998, 59)

The Suffering Servant in the Book of Isaiah

Another candidate for the background to the image of “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” would be “the Servant Songs” in chapters 42, 49, 50, 52, and 53 of the Book of Isaiah.  Passages such as the following might have led John the Evangelist to identify the Lamb of God whom John the Baptist hailed with Isaiah’s suffering servant:

Identification with a lamb or sheep:

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
        yet he did not open his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
        and a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
        so he did not open his mouth.  (Isaiah 53.7)

The chosen one on whom God’s spirit rests:

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
        my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
        he will bring forth justice to the nations.  (Isaiah 42.1)

The one who bears the sins of the world:

Surely he has borne our infirmities
        and carried our diseases;
     yet we accounted him stricken,
        struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
        crushed for our iniquities;
     upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
        and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
        we have all turned to our own way,
     and the Lord has laid on him
        the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53.4-6)

Brown thinks that these allusions support the contention that “the evangelist interpreted the Lamb of God against the background of the description of the Servant in Isaiah.”  (Brown 1966, 61)

Israelite Apocalyptic Literature and The Triumphant Lamb of the Book of Revelation

Most Israelite religious writings never made it into the Hebrew Bible or the Greek version of it (the Septuagint).  However, this literature clearly influenced the gospel writers and their audiences.  In books like The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and The Book of Enoch we find descriptions of “a conquering lamb who will destroy evil in the world.”  (Brown 1966, 59)

This imagery of the conquering lamb is picked up in the book of Revelation.  “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Rev 7.17)  “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” (Rev 17.14)

The Book of Revelation also contains several references to a sacrificial lamb.  For example,

Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered . . . .  (Revelation 5.6)

They sing a new song:
        You are worthy to take the scroll
                and to open its seals,
        for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
                saints from every tribe and language and people and nation . . . . (Revelation 5.9)

Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
        to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
        and honor and glory and blessing.  (Revelation 5.12)

C. H. Dodd thinks that this imagery is the key to understanding the meaning of “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He sees the lamb as the bell-weather or leader of the flock. It serves as “a symbol of the Messiah as leader of the flock of God, i.e. as ‘King of Israel’.” (Dodd 1968, 236)    He observes:  “to make an end of sin is a function of the Jewish Messiah, quite apart from any thought of a redemptive death.” (Dodd 1968, 237)  He also thinks that the phrase “in the sense of ‘God’s Messiah who makes an end of sin’ is entirely intelligible on the basis of primitive Christian messianic belief with its Jewish background.” (Dodd 1968, 238)

Dodd concludes:  “the expression [the lamb of God], in its first intention, is probably a messianic title, virtually equivalent to [the king of Israel], taken over by the evangelist from a tradition which also underlies the Apocalypse of John.” (Dodd 1968, 238)  This interpretation is born out in the text of John’s Gospel in the verses immediately following this Sunday’s reading.  Andrew tells his brother Simon:  “We have found the Messiah.” (John 1:41) Later, Nathanael exclaims to Jesus:   “Rabbi, you are the Son of god!  You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49)

Brown is less sure that this apocalyptic figure is key to the thinking of John the Evangelist.  However, he points out that the “picture of the apocalyptic, destroying lamb fits in very well with what we know of John the Baptist’s eschatological preaching” from the other three Gospels. (Brown 1966, 59) He concludes:  “Thus we suggest that John the Baptist hailed Jesus as the lamb of Jewish apocalyptic expectation who was to be raised up by God to destroy evil in the world . . . .” (Brown 1966, 60)  This might also account for the seeming difficulty that John the Baptist had in recognizing Jesus as the coming one.  Jesus’ message of forgiveness did not fit into this picture.

The Astrological Lamb, Aries

Did you ever wonder why the horoscopes in the daily paper begin with Aries, the Ram, (March 21 to April 19) rather than Capricorn (December 22 to January 19)?  It is a vestige of star gazing lore that predates the Christian era by many centuries.  Ancient peoples who lived around the Mediterranean Sea and in the Fertile Crescent of West Asia considered the stars and constellations to be heavenly creatures.  For them the male Lamb or Ram was the first of God’s creatures, the beginning of God’s creation, and stood at the head of the signs of the Zodiac.  They believed that when the cycle of creation was complete this world with all its imperfections would be destroyed and creation would begin anew starting with the celestial Ram.

It is interesting to note that the Israelite year originally began in March/April, and the male Passover Lamb was eaten at the beginning of the fifteenth day of the first month.  (The current practice of observing Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish year, in September/October is a later development.)

John the Baptist might well have been influenced by this kind of thinking in his expectation of “the coming one.”  For him “the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world” might have been the first of God’s creatures who would purge all the ills of the current world and lead the way to the new creation.  Most likely, the historical John the Baptist was expecting the “coming one” to be a celestial being (the heavenly Ram, Elijah, or the apocalyptic Lamb) who would destroy evil and inaugurate a new age.

It is also interesting that Aries, the Ram, is depicted with his head turned backward at an impossible angle looking back toward the constellation Taurus, the Bull.  “Only a being with a broken neck could have its head turned directly backward as the celestial Aries does; and yet it remains standing in spite of the broken neck.  Clearly, Aries was an obvious choice to be perceived in terms of the Messiah-Jesus group’s story according to which God’s Lamb was slaughtered yet continues to stand (as in Rev. 5).” (Malina and Rohrbaugh 1998, 50.)

Summary

From all of this it is clear that “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” has to be understood against the complex literary and cultural background of the late first century Mediterranean world.  The key to understanding John the Evangelist’s meaning is that the Lamb of God is a heavenly figure who comes from God.  The Lamb of God imagery parallels the Word of God imagery in the prologue and the Son of Man imagery at the end of chapter one.

In the first chapter of his Gospel, John the Evangelist takes great pains to emphasize that Jesus’ true origin is from God.  He is, indeed, the Messiah and the Son of God in the messianic sense, but for the Evangelist these titles are insufficient. The Evangelist begins chapter one with the Word who was with God and was God, who became flesh, and who was also the light of the world.  The word was a familiar figure from wisdom literature.  In the middle of the chapter he introduces “the Lamb of God,” another heavenly figure familiar from astrological lore.  At the very last verse of the chapter he introduces Jesus as “the Son of Man,” still another heavenly figure (familiar in apocalyptic circles) who comes from God on the clouds of heaven.

As I watched in the night visions,
        I saw one like a human being [literally “son of man”]
                coming with the clouds of heaven.
            and he came to the Ancient One
                and was presented before him.
        To him was given dominion
                and glory and kingship,
            that all peoples nations and languages
                should serve him.
        His dominion is an everlasting dominion
                that shall not pass away,
            and his kingship is one
                that shall never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

Throughout John’s Gospel the question arises:  Who is Jesus?  The Evangelist is always critiquing the various confessions that are true but inadequate.  See, for example, the Samaritan Woman (John 4.4-42, Third Sunday of Lent A) or the confession of Martha before the raising of Lazarus (John 11.20-27, Fifth Sunday of Lent A).

Moloney points out this pattern in chapter one.  Immediately following this Sunday’s gospel passage, as Jesus walks by, John the Baptist says to two of his disciples:  “Look, the Lamb of God.” (John 1.35-36) The two disciples follow Jesus but address him as “Rabbi,” clearly a case of misunderstanding.  (In all four Gospels the title “Rabbi” for Jesus almost always has a negative tone.”)  Later, one of John’s disciples, Andrew, finds his brother Simon, claims to have found Jesus (when actually the Baptist had pointed Jesus out), and calls Jesus “Messiah.”

The next day in the Evangelist’s narrative Jesus finds Philip; Philip finds Nathanael; and then Philip claims to have found Jesus.  Again the titles are inadequate:  “son of Joseph from Nazareth,” “Rabbi,” “Son of God,” and “King of Israel.”  For John the Evangelist Jesus is not the son of Joseph; “Rabbi” is negative; and “Son of God” and “King of Israel” embody current messianic expectations that are clearly inadequate.  In the very last verse of chapter one the Evangelist corrects all these professions of belief by introducing “the Son of Man.” (John 1.43-51)

It seems clear that the Evangelist is saying in every way he knows how to say it that Jesus is from God, that his true origins are heavenly not earthly.  No other title is adequate, even the title of Messiah.  The image of Lamb of God is one of the five images he uses in the first chapter to drive home his point, the others being “word,” “light,” “the Son of God” (in the transcendent, not the messianic sense), and “Son of Man.”

Following his death and resurrection Jesus’ followers looked back on his life and used the religious metaphor of “lamb” to express the deeper meaning of Jesus’ identity.  They noted similarities with Isaiah’s suffering servant and the sacrificial and Passover lambs.  Paul, for example, proclaims:  “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)  However, as time went on and Christians delved deeper into the mystery of Jesus’ true identity, other metaphoric meanings of “lamb” came to the fore.  In this process the understanding of Jesus as the [paschal?] lamb who takes away our personal sins expanded to include the understanding of Jesus as the triumphant heavenly [astrological?] lamb who takes away the “sin of the world.”

Conclusion

All of these meanings come together at the Eucharistic celebration when during the breaking of the bread the congregation proclaims three times, “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world . . . .”  Then, the presider presents the consecrated bread and wine saying:  “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world . . . .”  By joining in this prayer we proclaim the risen Jesus as the one who died for our sins but also as the one who is to come, the one who will destroy evil and usher in the age of God’s new creation.

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In preparing these reflections, in addition to the biblical texts, I consulted the following works:

Brown 1966 – Raymond E. Brown, S.S., The Gospel according to John (i-xii) , Volume 29 of the Anchor Bible (Garden City, NY:  Doubleday & Company,  Inc., 1966), pp. 55-71.

Brueggemann et al. 1995 – Walter Brueggemann, Charles B. Cousar, Beverly R. Gaventa, James D. Newsome, Texts for Preaching:  A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRS, Year A. (Louisville, KY:  Westminster John Knox Press, 1995), pp. 106-108.

Dodd 1968 – C. H. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press, 1968 [originally published 1953]), pp. 230-238, 292-296.

Fuller 1984 – Reginald H. Fuller, Preaching the Lectionary.  The Word of God for the Church Today  (Collegeville, MN:  The Liturgical Press, 1984), pp. 109-112.

JB = Jerusalem Bible 1966 – Alexander Jones, General Editor, The Jerusalem Bible (New York:  Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1966)

Malina & Rohrbaugh 1998 – Bruce J. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Gospel of John  (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1998), pp. 49-53.

Moloney 1998 – Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B. The Gospel of John.  Sacra Pagina Series Volume 4, A Michael Glazier Book (Collegeville [MN]:  Liturgical Press1998), pp. 48-63.

Pilch 19995 – John J. Pilch, The Cultural World of Jesus, Sunday by Sunday,  Cycle  A.  A Liturgical Press Book (Collegeville, MN:  The Liturgical Press, 1995), pp. 10-12.

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