Day 4
Hook (1/8) Movie CLIP - There You Are, Peter! (1991) HD
In the 1991 film Hook, directed by Steven Spielberg, a workaholic, middle-aged lawyer named Peter Banning (played by Robin Williams) —who has forgotten his past as Peter Pan—must return to Neverland to rescue his children from his nemesis, Captain James Hook. In Peter’s absence, the Lost Boys experienced a void in leadership and nursed their hurt and anger that Peter had chosen to leave them and “grow up.” Peter reunites with the Lost Boys, now led by Rufio, but he is practically unrecognizable to them. He’s gotten old and isn’t the strong and clever Peter they remembered him to be. In a most-touching scene, the youngest Lost Boy, Pockets, touches Peter’s face and famously proclaims, “Oh, there you are, Peter!” He was in there all along. It just took Pockets’ eyes of curiosity and trust to see through to the real Peter Pan.
In today’s reading we take a peek into John the Baptist’s mind as he looks at Someone he’s known all of his life, yet sees Him as someone he’s never known!
Read John 1:29-42
We don’t read of the cousins, John and Jesus, hanging out as they grew up, but I like to imagine that when Mary and Joseph would come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish high holy days, perhaps the two boys would walk or run together, maybe even debate the Torah, and look forward to the next “family reunion.” They were special, both born for important, eternally significant work.
So imagine John’s amazement, when one day after he had testified to all that he wasn’t and hinted that the One they’d been waiting was close by, and was back to the tasks at hand - calling people to repentance, because the Messiah was on His way, and baptizing - he looks up and there is Jesus, his cousin, coming towards him! Except that he isn’t seeing the Jesus that he grew up and played with. Instead the Baptizer looks up and exclaims, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (v 29) John’s eyes were opened by the Holy Spirit to see who Jesus really was - the promised Messiah!!
Lambs were important animals for the Jews. Sacrificial lambs historically served as crucial, symbolic substitutes beginning the night before the Hebrew slaves were rescued from Egypt. The blood from the spotless, unblemished lamb was to be painted along doorposts of each Hebrew family’s home to ensure that the Angel of Death would “Pass Over” them and not take their firstborn son. This would become an important element of the Passover Seder each year, to remind the people of the blood sacrifice of an innocent as a requirement to cover and atone for sin. In the Old Testament, lambs were sacrificed as a temporary, repeated payment for sin, in the tabernacle and then the temple in Jerusalem, with worshipers symbolically placing their hands on the animal to transfer guilt. Sacrificial lambs had to be unblemished, often raised by specialized shepherds near Bethlehem and kept outside for a year to ensure they remained suitable for the Temple. So when the Baptizer saw Jesus and called Him, “The Lamb of God,” he was referring to the unending need for the spotless lambs. God Himself had provided the Lamb, who would become the ultimate and final sacrifice for the sin of the world.
Look, the Lamb of God!
Apparently, this was John the Baptist’s new name for Jesus, because the next day, while he was standing with two of his students, most likely Andrew and the author John, and Jesus was passing by, he again proclaimed, “Look the Lamb of God!” (v 35) jumpstarting the collection of Jesus’ own team of disciples who would travel and minister with Him for the next three years. After engaging with Jesus for the entire day, Andrew found his brother, Simon, and shared the incredible news, “We have found the Messiah.” (v 41) When Jesus saw Simon, He instantly knew him and gave him a new name as well - Cephas, translated “Peter” and meaning “rock.” Okay…Jesus, could you elaborate a bit? At this point we don’t have any evidence of Peter’s character, but Jesus knew him.
Perhaps Jesus changed Simon’s name, because He wanted the nickname to be a perpetual reminder to him about who he should be. And from that point on, whatever Jesus called him sent him a subtle message. If He called him Simon, He was signaling him that he was acting like his old self and required correction. If He called him Rock, He was commending him for acting the way he ought to be acting. From then on, the Lord could gently chide or commend him with just one word. The most obvious example of this in John’s gospel follows Peter’s denial of even knowing Jesus and after the resurrection when Jesus asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15) It’s as if Jesus takes Peter’s face in His hands, looks deeply into his eyes and says, “There you are, Peter.”
Big Picture Question for Today:
* Names are obviously important to God - His own and the names He gives to His children. How do the different names for Jesus we have read so far in John fill out more richly your understanding of Him?
* The Word of God
* Only Son from the Father
* The Lamb of God
Pray, for the Lord to give you eyes to see Him for Who He is in all of His fullness.
