Epiphany 2A (RCL) – A Preacher’s Ponderings

Lamb of God

Second Sunday after Epiphany; 15 January 2023; Epiphany 2A (RCL); Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-12; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42.

With verse 29, we finally come to the beginning of the narrative of John’s Gospel. vv. 19-28 amount to John’s denial that he is the messiah. With verse 29, John introduces Jesus into the narrative. So these verses stand out as crucial to understanding John’s purpose in writing. And they leap off the page at us.

Come and see

19 January 2020; Second Sunday after Epiphany; Epiphany 2A (RCL); Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-12; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42.

This is really the first narrative unit of John’s Gospel. Everything up to now has been prologue. This unit sets up what we can expect from John’s narrative. The first words spoken by a character in the narrative belong to John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” This is already stunning.