In today’s scripture we hear from three holy men who are attentive to God’s voice and point others to God.
In the Old Testament reading (Isaiah 49:3-6) we hear from one of the great prophetic voices of God. We hear Isaiah pointing the exiled Israelites to God and assuring them that their deliverance was at hand – a deliverance that foreshadowed the redemption that Christ would bring to all centuries later. For us two thousand years later, Isaiah’s words point us towards Jesus – our redemption and deliverance.
In his letter to the nascent Christian community in Corinth (Cor 1:1-3) we hear Paul – a man who after his remarkable conversion became finely tuned to God’s voice – a man who devoted himself wholeheartedly to pointing others to God – we hear Paul focus those early Christians on a holiness that could be achieved through God’s grace. For us two thousand years later, Paul’s words point us towards Jesus – our font of grace.
And in today’s Gospel (John 1:29-34) we hear John the Baptist– a man whose sole mission in life was to testify to Jesus – we hear John listening attentively to God and identifying Jesus to his contemporaries as the Savior that Isaiah foreshadowed – the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. For us two thousand years later John’s words point us to Jesus – our selfless Servant who bears our sin.
The holiness of these men provide for us a model that we are called to imitate. We are called to live like they did with our eyes and ears attentive to God and our attitudes, behaviors and actions pointing others to Jesus. We are called to live holy lives that mirror God’s love. Like Isaiah, Paul, and John we are called to make God known, to point others to him, and to help others come to know and love their Savior.