First Day after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 7, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. John 1:35-42 (NKJV)
1:35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”
They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
Devotion
“What do you seek?” We are usually looking for something in life, though often we don’t know exactly what it is we are looking for, or why. Some people are looking for a type of religious experience. Jesus went off by Himself in the mountains to pray, and His disciples came and said, “Everyone is looking for you!” (Mark 1:35-37). Everyone needs to be looking for Jesus. Most times, however, they simply don’t know it. What they need is real contact with God in their lives, and only Christ can provide that for us.
St. Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our souls are restless until we find our rest in you.” We need God; nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. We need God’s Word and Spirit at work in us, in every aspect of our lives. Only Jesus can make that happen.
In His Word today, Jesus asks us, “What do you seek?” He also invites us to “Come and see.” When we do see and have found what we seek in real contact with the living God—through His Son, His Word, His Spirit, and His Sacraments—we, like the disciples in our Bible story, joyfully proclaim: We have found the Christ!
Prayer: O God, Who by the leading of a star didst manifest Thy Only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: Mercifully grant, that we, who know Thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of Thy glorious Godhead; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
