Good day: Welcome to the "front porch."
For today, let's go back to our writings in the book of John and pick up with the day two disciples -- John and Andrew -- meet the Lord, perhaps for the first time. When we meet the Lord, there is but one thing to do: Follow Him. Read on ...
The sun arises down in this Jordan valley this day the way it always has.
There is not an extra gleam in its shine, and it doesn’t flash brilliant streams of light off of Jordan’s rolling tide to signal that today is a noteworthy day in the lives of two unique Palestinian fishermen.
But for these two young men, still in their early 20s, the sun might as well have put on a fireworks’ display for the whole world to see. Today would be a day like no other, and a light would shine forth in their hearts that the sun itself could not rival.
They could not have imagined when they arise to head toward the Jordan to meet with the new teacher on the scene – John the Baptist – that they would meet the Messiah of the world on this day. They get to John, greet him as they always do, and then spend the better part of the morning and afternoon listening to him teach. Perhaps they stand witness to additional baptisms down in the waters of the Jordan.
The afternoon has been long, and it is nearing four o’clock when their world changes. A man from Galilee walks by the Baptizer and these two disciples, probably about the time they are winding up their work for the day. The prophet John sees the Galilean carpenter as he walks along, and he points him out to his own two disciples, and says, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
It seems that there is little hesitation between John’s bold declaration and these two disciples’ leaving the prophet to follow this “Lamb of God.” Perhaps the Baptizer motions to them to encourage them to go ahead and follow Him, indicating that it is all right, that this has been the plan all along. They must follow Him, for John is merely the forerunner, the one to prepare the way of the Lord. Whether implicitly or explicitly, John gives his seal of approval.
“He is the One to follow,” he would say, “I am not the One. I am not the Christ. I am not worthy to unloose the strap of this man’s sandals. So, you go on, and you follow Him with all that you have. You have learned from me, and that was good. It was needed. But now go learn from the Master. Go meet the Lamb of God. Sit at His feet awhile. Sit there for as long as you live. Go to him, and never stray nor falter. Put your absolute faith in Him, and go wherever He goes. If he goes over the cold, dark mountain, you go there, too. If he takes you deep down into life’s darkest valleys – and there you, indeed, will go one day – you go there, too. And, as you go, go in faith. Believe in Him, trust Him, follow Him, and He will lead you to a much better shore than this damp, sandy shore of the Jordan. He will lead you to heaven’s blessed shore, and there you will doubt no more and you will fear no more, not the way you doubt and fear on this Jordan shore. Go, now, don’t fret, and don’t look back.”
And these two eager men do precisely what every one of us need to do -- must do! -- when we meet Jesus. They followed him, and they never looked back!
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