Sermons

by Pastor Gene Orr

Do We Really Know Who Jesus Is?”

Scripture:John 1:19-34

Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church Events

John the Baptist declares in our Gospel reading “I myself did not know him.” He was referring to Jesus. Now that is very strange. Luke stresses the kinship between John and Jesus. Mary and Elizabeth were very close as relatives. As soon as Mary knew she was pregnant with Jesus she travels to see Elizabeth who was pregnant with the future John the Baptist. The close relationship between Mary and Elizabeth suggests that second cousins, Jesus and John, were probably very close to each other growing up. Now, in our passage of Scripture, they are both around 30. It is safe to assume they have known each other all of their lives – played together as children – talked for long hours as adults – talked about everything from family affairs to religion to politics. John and Jesus were close friends. Some of Jesus’ disciples were first disciples of John the Baptist. Yet John declares before baptizing Jesus “I myself did not know him!” After 30 years as second cousins and best friends, John says about Jesus, “I really don’t know him.”
We think we know Jesus. American Protestants think they know Jesus. Born again Bible believing people think they know Jesus. Liberal minded socially conscious all-inclusive people think they know Jesus. But John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, says an amazing thing in the Gospel lesson – “I myself did not know him.”
Do we really know Jesus? One time a member in the church said to me – “You seem so assured about faith in Jesus when you preach!”
Frankly friends, that bothered me. I don’t want to come across in preaching like I have it so together, that I know Jesus better than you. My style in preaching is to stay behind the pulpit. The reasons for that are mostly practical. I don’t have the ability to preach without notes. And the pulpit does provide good protection if I say something controversial! The pulpit traditionally is a symbol that the sermon is much more than just one preacher’s point of view. The sermon should be based on Scripture and it is the proclamation of that passage for our contemporary scene. The pulpit says this word today has authority.
But that also makes the pulpit problematic. It gives the idea that the preacher has this faith thing all wrap up in a neat package for all of you to take with you. So, in light of our passage where John says – “I myself did not know him” I want to declare that I do not have this faith thing in Jesus all wrap up! Why even John the Baptist had not figured out this Jesus! “I myself did not know him!”
My main point is none of us most of the time know this Jesus very well! There were two taxidermists who stopped before a window in which an owl was on display. They immediately began to criticize the way in which the bird was mounted. Its eyes were not natural . . . its wings were not in proportion with its head . . . its feathers were not neatly arranged – and its feet could certainly be improved. When they had finished critiquing the owl, they looked at each other, self-satisfied with their evaluations. But then, suddenly, the old bird slowly turned its head . . . and winked at them!
After our best theologizing about Jesus – I bet Jesus simply responds with a smile and wink saying in effect, “You really don’t know me!”
In our passage John makes the confession that his faith expression is often off the mark – “I really did not know him.” But then, with that humble confession John gets a new revelation. Almost immediately John the Baptist declares a truth that is beyond his comprehension of what it fully means: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Interesting! Our passage suggests that we really don’t know Jesus when we are really self-assured that we do know Jesus!
Joanna Adams is a Presbyterian minister in Atlanta, and for a while she was in charge of a homeless shelter in one of the downtown churches. In Atlanta, there is a Christian radio station that has a religious talk show pattern after many of the popular radio talk shows. The host is a fast talking highly opinioned person and it is apparent as he interviews the Rev. Adams that he questions the validity of such a homeless ministry. She described her work to him and the radio audience: “We take in homeless people; we provide lodging and food.”
Suspiciously the host asks, “What has this to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ?”
“Well,” she said, “we try to show the compassion of Christ.”
“You didn’t answer my question” What has this to do with the gospel? Do you have any success in bringing these people to Christ?”
“Well, we try to take care of not only their physical needs,” said Joanna, “but also their spiritual needs – we try to show them compassion. We are concerned for them as human beings.”
“You’re not listening to my question. I want to know where is Jesus Christ in all that you do?” Joanna thought for a minute and then said, “You just have to be there to know what I’m talking about. You would just have to see for yourself.”
The radio host might want to ponder the Baptist’s words in our passage: “I really did not know him.”
Mike Yaconelli wrote profound books with intriguing titles: Messy Spirituality and God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People. In an interview shortly before his death Mike Yaconelli gave his reasons for writing about the faith. “I am tired of hearing religious speakers tell me how perfect they were.” He was put off by leaders in the church who always seemed to have answers for other people’s lives. They left him thinking: “Here I am, almost 60. I’ve had five children. And let me tell you, I don’t have life figured out yet.” Encountering ‘perfect’ persons sticks in one’s throat. It can leave us even more aware of our own neediness.”
Now I found paradoxically Yaconelli understood better than most what it means to say “Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Yaconelli wrote: “You and I are incomplete. I’m unfinished. I’m unfixed. And the reality is that that’s where God meets me – in the mess of my life, in the unfixedness, in the brokenness. I thought he did the opposite; he got rid of all that stuff. But if you read the Bible, if you look at it at all, he was constantly showing up in people’s lives at the worst possible time of their life. That’s where he kind of broke through, where he connected to people, where they learned so much about it, where they met him, where they understood what he was talking about.”
So maybe friends, if we really want to know this Jesus, we must first realize that we don’t know him – sometimes we don’t even have a clue. And maybe it is in that honesty and awareness of our brokenness – our sin if you wish – that we then have the opportunity to perceive and experience – “. . . the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
John the Baptist knew Jesus well – family ties and all of that. But John didn’t know a lot of things about his cousin until that moment when it was revealed - “Behold the Lamb of God.”
Now what does that mean – Lamb of God? Well, if this was going to be a perfect sermon, I should go into an exegetical explanation of that title for Jesus in Scripture. But I’m not sure if that would be helpful at this moment. Instead I want to simply share an insight from Andrew Greeley –
“Jesus had peculiar taste in friends. You put the whole crowd together and they were not as smart as one of the third rate philosophers in Rome. Maybe some of them could read and write. They were perhaps street smart, but if you were going to announce the nearness of the kingdom of God, would you surround yourself with folks that wouldn’t make assistant precinct captain? One of them was a thief and ten of them were cowards. Surely, even if he had decided to limit his choice to Galilee, Jesus could have done better. Why these sluggards and nerds? Why indeed? And why do we pretend that our leaders today are better than they were? . . . Have we missed the point somewhere along the line that the leaders and followers in the church are fragile, imperfect human beings, and that Jesus chose them precisely because he wanted a human church?”
Isn’t liberating to know we follow a line of very imperfect people who have said, “Yes” to Jesus? We certainly don’t have all the answers, just the one who reveals himself as the Source of Faith, Hope, and Love. Most of time, we don’t know him very well. But occasionally, like when we see him coming out of the water, we are overwhelmed with the knowledge that declares, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Amen.

“Sermon Notes"