Second Sunday in ordinary time: Today’s readings: 1 Samuel 3,3b-10.19; 1 Corinthians 6,13c-15a.17-20; John 1,35-42
October 2003 marked the beginning of four months which, in many ways, I consider to have been the best period of my life. I had travelled to Jerusalem with a group of students to study the Bible at the Hebrew University. Several things contributed to making my time there so pleasurable, such as the famous biblical sites, interesting lectures, and visits to museums.
However, what led me to classify this stint as the most rewarding experience in my life were the several meaningful encounters I had with so many interesting individuals: a Palestinian chef, an Orthodox rabbi, devout Jewish families, non-practising Jews, two individuals from either side who had lost a brother each in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, members of the small Christian community… the list is endless.
Today’s gospel too recounts meaningful encounters that happened in that same country several centuries ago. However, these were radical life-changing encounters.
A number of individuals approached the Lord Jesus, then a young rabbi who had just embarked on his public ministry. Those moments are described with a myriad of verbs related to sight. The protagonists of the narrative either look or are looked at.
John the Baptist sees Jesus walking by and states that he is the Lamb of God. Two of his disciples try to catch up with Jesus, who turns around – this is the evangelist’s way of telling us that something significant is about to happen – and looks at them intently. The looks, the noticing, and the intense gazes go on.
Human existence made sense in the light of one’s relationships. It is these that give meaning to our lives
Lost in translation are the subtle nuances of the Greek verbs used to describe all this activity. Whereas, with the exception of John the Baptist, the other human beings are said to see in the plainest of ways (verb horao), the Baptist looks at the Lord intently (verb theaomai), a verb of seeing generally with special meanings, such as “to behold”.
This is used of the Lord too, who beholds the two disciples following him. Later on, Jesus is reported to have looked attentively at Peter, fixing his gaze on him (verb emblepo). It is with that same characteristic intensity that he looked straight at Peter after the latter denied Jesus.
Staring the two inquisitive persons in their eyes, Jesus asks them plainly “What do you want?” He did not take it for granted that these men following him wanted to be his disciples. It did not take them long to realise they had met none other than the long-awaited Messiah, a discovery that propelled the captivated Andrew to share the news with his brother Peter.
For Andrew, the penny had dropped. The encounter with Christ left an indelible mark on him. Yet, in our lives, the realisation of being invited to have a relationship with Jesus is not always a one-time event where one goes from black to white, like some so-called Bible-believing Christians claim that conversion is. The penny may drop a number of times.
I and Thou, by Martin BuberIn his book I and Thou, Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, who developed a philosophy of dialogue, showed how human existence made sense in the light of one’s relationships. It is these that give meaning to our lives. For this reason, the Norwegian far-rightist Anders Breivik, who murdered many people in 2011 and who has been held in solitary confinement ever since his conviction, has recently claimed that being barred from having meaningful relationships is something he cannot bear.
For some, their relationship with God is like a cardiac machine signalling no heartbeat, with a long flat beep indicating neither exciting highs nor challenging lows. The young rabbi walking along the shores of Galilee is now designated the Lord of history whose gaze is upon us, and who invites us to encounter him and to have a meaningful life-giving relationship with him.