Faith and Testimony

Gospel

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

ACCORDING TO JOHN

The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God." The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

JOHN 1:29-42

Sermon: The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor

The Gospel of John does not begin with shepherds, angels, and a manger. It doesn’t even begin with Jesus as a human being. Instead, it begins with the Word of God, described as the light coming into the world—a light so strong that the darkness cannot overcome it.

And then, about six verses in, we meet the first human character in the Gospel. Not Jesus, as we might expect, but John. John is not described as wearing camel’s hair or eating locusts and wild honey. In fact, there is no physical description of him at all. Instead, John is called a witness—one who testifies to the light, testifies to Jesus. And this detail tells us something important.

Before we meet Jesus for ourselves, we meet someone who tells us about him. Just as most of us first hear about faith from a parent, a friend, or someone who simply tells us what being Christian is all about. John’s words—his testimony about who Jesus is—are what matter most in the Gospel. The author gives us nothing that might distract us from this: no description of John’s clothing, no details about his lifestyle or even his actions. Instead, the focus is entirely on what John says about Jesus. And as we move through the Gospel, John’s words are meant to impact us and change us, just as they do the people within the story who hear him.

When John first sees Jesus, he testifies: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” John goes on to say that he saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and remain on Jesus. And again he says, “I myself did not know him.” Finally, he concludes: “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

It is striking that twice John says, “I did not know him.” Other Gospels suggest that John and Jesus were related—cousins, even—but in the Gospel of John, John is clear that he did not truly know who Jesus was. What he is saying is not that he had never heard of Jesus, or that he had no connection to him, but that he did not recognize Jesus’ true identity until God revealed it to him. John’s understanding of who Jesus is does not come from familiarity or relationship, but from revelation, epiphany. God shows him the truth of Jesus’ identity: that he is the Lamb of God, given for the sake of the people.

As we heard today, John is with his disciples and testifies again about Jesus—“Look, the Lamb of God.” And upon hearing this, the disciples immediately follow Jesus. They name him, calling him Rabbi, teacher, and when Jesus invites them to “come and see,” they go. They stay. They spend the day with him. And then one of them, Andrew, goes and finds his brother and brings him to Jesus too.

What is important here is how the disciples respond to John’s testimony. Like John, the disciples also do not know Jesus, but they only have John’s words about him. And based on this alone, they move, act, they get up and follow Jesus. John’s witness leads to the disciples’ movement. John’s testimony opens the door to their faith.

And this is where the Gospel begins to speak directly to us. We have never met Jesus face to face. Our faith is shaped by testimony—by the Gospel writers who told the story of Jesus, by theologians who have reflected on his life and meaning through centuries of Christian thought, and by family members and friends who have shared with us who Jesus is through their own experiences of faith. In a very real sense, our faith rests on others saying to us: we did not fully know him, but this is what has been revealed to us.

And like the disciples, we are left with a choice. How will we respond when we hear the testimony?

Having faith—especially a faith like ours—is not easy. We live in a world that values proof, certainty, and hard evidence. If John were testifying today, people would likely ask for photos or videos of what he said was revealed to him. Everything would need to be verified and authenticated to prove that what he had seen was true and not AI-generated. But in the Gospel, John offers none of this. He offers only his words—his testimony. And based on this alone, the disciples believe and follow.

For us, too, all we have is others’ testimony, and based on this, we too are called to believe and to follow Jesus.

And so, without proof, without hard evidence, we are called to faith. Like the disciples, we do not know where this faith will lead. We do not know what comes next. We are simply invited to come, to see, to stay. And that is frightening. I don’t think I am alone in struggling with not knowing—in wanting proof, in wanting backup plans, and more backup plans, just in case. But this is not what we are given today. The Gospel of John presents us with a faith that does not begin with certainty, but with trust in testimony. A faith that does not wait until everything is clear, but responds to the light as it has been spoken to us by others.

So the question John leaves us with today is not whether we understand everything we have been told, or whether we have enough proof that it is all true. The question is simpler—and at the same time, so much harder: having heard the testimony, what will we do? Are we willing to trust, and to follow?

Amen.