The Gospel of John introduces us to a decisive moment, not by narrating Jesus’ baptism directly, but by placing before us the humble and luminous figure of John the Baptist. The synoptic Gospels present John as the forerunner who prepares the way; John’s Gospel goes deeper and calls him a witness. A witness is not someone who puts himself at the centre, but one who has seen the light and cannot keep silent about it.
John the Baptist is a witness of the light. He has encountered something—or rather, Someone—that has changed his life. He sees Jesus coming toward him and points him out with a simple gesture: “Behold, the Lamb of God.” John does not draw attention to himself. He steps aside. He never says, “Look at me,” but always says, “Look at Him.”
This attitude speaks powerfully to us during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that begins today. We often, instead of pointing together to Christ, compete for visibility and prestige. John reminds us that unity is born when we agree to step back so that Christ may step forward. The Church is united when everyone looks in the same direction—toward Jesus.
The image John uses is surprising. He does not call Jesus a lion or a king; he calls him a Lamb. In a world marked by violence, domination, and fear, God chooses meekness. He does not eliminate evil by crushing sinners, but by disarming the logic of violence from within. This is the heart of the Gospel: evil is not overcome by more evil, but by a love that is stronger, humbler, and more patient.
John tells us that this Lamb “takes away the sin of the world.” Sin here is not merely the breaking of a rule; it is the loss of our humanity, the forgetting that we are brothers and sisters. Jesus removes sin by introducing into the world a new force: the Spirit.
John testifies that he saw the Spirit descend and remain upon Jesus like a dove. This Spirit does not pass by temporarily; it dwells in him. And Jesus, in turn, immerses us in this same Spirit. Christian baptism is not just an external rite; it is an invitation to let our lives be shaped, softened, and transformed by the Spirit of love. This Spirit is the true source of unity. We cannot create unity by strategies or declarations alone; unity is a gift that flows from allowing the Spirit to work in us.
At every Eucharist, we hear again: “Behold the Lamb of God.” We are invited not only to adore him, but to join our lives to his. To receive the Lamb means to choose his way of gentleness, self-giving, and mercy. As Christians, divided yet longing for communion, let us walk together toward this Lamb. Fixing our eyes on him, we will rediscover one another as brothers and sisters—and the world will see the light that truly unites.
Father Josekutty Matthew CMF
