Prologue

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Prologue

The Baptist

Identifies   Bear Witness

The Spirit Came Down

Lamb of God

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 1: 32

John the Baptist was speaking about Jesus and said:

"I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon Him."

Reflection

What was the prologue to the public ministry of Jesus? What was Jesus doing to prepare for His ministry? What was He thinking about?

He knew that His cousin, John the Baptist, was preaching about repentance and preparing people for the coming of the Messiah. John was asking the people to turn away from selfishness and greed and to turn back to God's covenant with the People of God. 

Jesus sensed that this was the right time to approach John for baptism. He did not need to be baptized. He did not need to repent because He had never sinned. 

His baptism had another purpose. It was the prologue to His ministry to the people. He was saying that His time to proclaim the Good News was now.

John identified Jesus in the crowd. He knew that Jesus was special and that He was the one who would teach people about the Kingdom of God. John knew that the prophets had spoken about the person who would lead the people from darkness to Light and who would inaugurate a kingdom of justice and truth.

John was bearing witness to Jesus. He was letting the people know that Jesus had come to teach and to heal. John had noticed the hunger in the people who were coming to listen to him as he preached in the desert. He saw that they were eager for a deeper relationship with God.

The decisive moment for John was when he saw the Spirit come down upon Jesus. This was most likely also the confirming moment for Jesus as He felt the power of the Spirit fill Him. Jesus realized that this was the time to "go public", to speak out, to share the instruction that God had given Him.

In His human nature this must have been a challenging moment for Jesus. He had prepared many years for this; but He must also have had an inkling that this was not going to be easy. There would be people who would be threatened by His message and question His background.

Think of that moment when the Spirit came down upon Him. He knew He would not be alone. The Father and the Spirit would be there for Him. He would prevail over the opposition.

John says that the Spirit "remained" upon Him. John was able to discern something special in Jesus. He called Jesus the Lamb of God. 

This title echoes the covenant that God made with His People. The lamb was sacrificed by the people at the time of the Passover as a sign that God would liberate His People from the slavery that they were experiencing in Egypt. 

Jesus came with a message of liberation as well. He wanted to let the people know how deeply God loved them---so deeply and profoundly that God sent Jesus to them.

John sensed that when he saw the Spirit remain with Jesus.

Jesus knew it when He felt the Spirit come down upon Him to let Jesus know that the prologue was over and the ministry was starting.

We feel it today when we experience the Spirit in our lives.

We are called to accept the Good News and embrace God's Love.

The Lamb of God has come to free us from fear and to help us to know how much we are loved!

1. How was John the Baptist able to recognize that Jesus was the Lamb of God?

2. Why did Jesus begin His public ministry after His baptism by John?

3. Do you think that it was difficult for Jesus to "go public"?

4. Have you experienced freedom as you follow the Good News?

5. What do you feel as you meditate on Kathy's photo of people who are attending a protest?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)