John 1:14-15

On the next day again John was standing there, and two of his disciples, and looking at Jesus as he was walking by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” And the two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus, turning around and seeing them following him, said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means when translated “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see!” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day (it was about the tenth hour).

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. This one first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated “Christ”). He brought him to Jesus. Looking at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon the son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is interpreted “Peter”).

Though He could have chosen to reveal Himself only to His people and in such a way where those He had chosen would receive some private revelation, Christ instead came to the world and revealed Himself to it. Christ, salvation, is a mystery indeed but it is not one that is a secret or hidden in such a way that is meant to intentionally deceive. Christ came bearing the glory that only He can bear and given by the father. This was not hidden from any man, it was freely open to observe and witness, yet man’s sinful nature blinded Him to the grace and truth that was before them.

John seems to be continually making this point, that Christ came and gave everyone on earth a chance, an opportunity to witness who He was but that there is something that keeps us from recognizing, or maybe accepting, what we are seeing. This happens still today! We may not be looking at the physical body of Christ, but those who lack faith look at Scripture and cannot comprehend what is written within it. There are people who see the church as archaic instead of the place on Earth where God meets His people. The glory of God, full of grace and truth, is still rejected today.

Christian, we cannot be in such a place where we reject this glory, living no different that those with unbelief. When we claim Christ but reject His church, how are we any different? If we claim Christ but either reject or overemphasize certain portion of Scripture to fit our own desires, how are we not different than the world who wishes to take the image of the immortal God and convert them into the likeness of mortality? We are no longer slaves to sin, but we are not free from the battle, desires, and temptations that it brings to our lives. We must be vigilant in our pursuit of the truth of Christ.