When our Lord was baptized by John, as we see in S. Matthew and the others, he went into the desert for forty days and forty nights and was there tempted. When the temptation is over Our Lord comes to visit John. John had been preaching Him ever since the Baptism, and He is sufficiently known, at least amongst John's followers, to begin His own work for which He was sent. The Baptist points Him out to his audience, tells them who He is, and calls to mind what some of them had witnessed and others heard from his own lips. He bears ample testimony to the truth, and now that the Kingdom of Heaven, which he told them was at hand, is now in the midst of them, his mission has all but ceased. He denounces the crimes of the great and is sent to prison, in a castle not far from where he is baptizing, and out of that prison he never comes. The history is written elsewhere. 1The next day.-Rather the next day, but one, after he had spoken what is written in verse 27. 2Jesus coming to him.-He saw Him at a distance, and immediately emitted his great voice made for the desert, to proclaim throughout space the tidings he had to impart. 3Behold the Lamb of God, etc.-This is an allusion to the prophets Isaias and Jeremias, who so title Him. It is also a name for a pet child. It is an allusion to His Sacrifice instead of the paschal Lamb. To His meekness and humility of heart. Of God, this is the same as divine, or Godbegotten. *After me, etc.—This is he of whom I have been saying all these things for the last forty-two days. 51 knew him not.-S. Matthew iii., 14, tells us that John said: "I ought to be baptised by Thee, and comest Thou to me?" It is said that John knew Him by inspiration at the time, and that his knowledge was confirmed by the dove. "In Israel.-John did not leave Palestine, and his baptism was intended to proclaim the Messias. "Spirit.-John saw the dove, which remained on him, i.e., the Spirit represented by the dove. The dove did not fly away immediately. He who sent me.-God Himself. That baptizeth.-With the effective and lasting baptism. 10 The Son of God.-The other Evangelists are not so explicit. Lamb of God: 1st. In sweet affection. ness. 3rd. In the Atonement. 35. Alterâ die, iterùm stabat Joannes, et ex discipulis ejus duo. 36. Et, respiciens JESUM ambulantem, dicit: "Ecce Agnus DEI." 37. Et audierunt eum duo discipuli loquentem, et secuti sunt JESUM. 38. Conversus autem JESUS, et videns eos sequentes se, dicit eis: "Quid quæritis?" Qui dixerunt ei: "Rabbi (quod dicitur, interpretatum, Magister) ubi habitas?” 39. Dicit eis: "Venite et videte." Venerunt, et viderunt ubi maneret, et apud eum manserunt die illo. Hora autem erat quasi decima. 40. Erat autem Andreas,frater Simonis Petri, unus ex duobus qui audierant à Joanne et secuti fuerant eum. The Dove: 1st. Gentle loving bird. 2nd. Faithful in affection. 3rd. Offered to God of old in Purification. 35. Again, 1the following day, John stood, and two of his disciples; 36. And looking upon Jesus as he was walking, he saith Behold the Lamb of God! 37. And the two disciples. heard him speak; and they followed Jesus. 38. And Jesus turning, and seeing them following him, saith to them: "What seek you? They said to him: Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) "where dwellest thou? 39. He saith to them: Come and see. They came, and saw "where he abode; and they stayed with him 'that day: now it was about the tenth hour. 40. And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard of John, and followed him. In the preceding Evangelists we are accustomed to read that Jesus found two catching fish, and He said, follow me, and I shall make you fishers of men; in another place we see Him calling two brothers from mending their nets; here we have a new phase of the matter. It would seem, from S. John's narrative, that the two first disciples of Our Lord were two of John's, who followed Him when He said: "Behold the Lamb of God." These two were the beginning of the College, and then one began to call another. There was evidently a voluntary following of Our Lord first, which was not a total separation from the world; and the real call from Himself came afterwards. Catholic writers are nearly unanimous in the opinion that John the Evangelist was himself the second here. He gives Andrew's name, but does not give his own. His fondness for The Lamb which occurs so often in the Apocalypse lends a very strong weight to this opinion. By that name he first heard Him called, and John himself was a lamb in manner. 1The following day.—This was the next day but one again. John stood and two of his disciples. There is internal evidence here that S. John the Evangelist himself was one of the two. That stood is enough. 2As He was walking.-Walking off or walking by are all the same. Here is another piece of evidence. 3Heard Him speak.-Evidently John was there. What seek you ?-Our Lord knew very well what they sought, and He knew why He had inspired them and why John had pointed out the proper man to follow; but never told them to leave him. He wants an answer from themselves. 5Where dwellest Thou ?-The interpretation of Rabbi was necessary, as Jewish terms had well nigh become obselete when S. John wrote. He did not say the foxes have holes to these. He wanted them, and took them to His lodging. "Where He abode.-The beloved disciple gives us no description of this place although he came and saw it, another small proof that He was one of the two. "That day. It means the night too, as the tenth hour was just two hours before sunset, and Bethsaida their dwelling-place, was about seventy miles distant. This first taste of His society, made them stay with Him always, after the formal call. Andrew was one.—It is easy to know who was the other. The Baptist's detachment. Ist. He points out a greater than himself. 2nd. He gives Him fine titles. 3rd. He is glad when his best men leave Him to join the Messias. The two first: Ist. Came without being called. 2nd. Were received graciously. 3rd. Were called afterwards. God likes a voluntary vocation in youth. 41. Invenit hic primum fratrem suum Simonem, et dicit ei: "Invenimus Messiam" (quod est interpretatum Christus). 42. Et adduxit eum ad JESUM. Intuitus autem eum JESUS, dixit: "Tu es Simon, filius Jona: tu vocaberis Cephas " (quod interpretatur Petrus). 43. In crastinum voluit exire in Galilæam, et invenit Philippum et dicit ei JESUS: "Sequere me." 44. Erat autem Philippus à Bethsaida, civitate Andreæ et Petri. 45. Invenit Philippus Nathanael, et dicit ei: "Quem scripsit Moyses in lege et prophetæ invenimus, JESUM filium Joseph, à Nazareth." 46. Et dixit ei Nathanael : "A Nazareth potest aliquid boni esse?" Dicit ei Phillipus: “Veni et vide.” 41. He 'first findeth his brother Simon, and said to him : "We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42. And he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus, looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called "Cephas: which is interpreted, Peter. 43. On the following day he would go forth into Galilee ; and he findeth Philip. And Jesus said to him: "Follow me. 44. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of 'Andrew and Peter. 45. Philip findeth Nathanael, and said to him: We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, 'Jesus the son of Joseph, of Nazareth. 46. And Nathanael said to him: 10Can any thing of good come from Nazareth? Philip saith to him: Come and see. It is easy to perceive, from the manner of narrating these events by the fourth Evangelist, that there was a stir among the poor fishermen of Bethsaida with regard to the Messias. Some instinct or inspiration told these simple men that the time was come. We find them all seventy miles from their home, in the company of S. John the Baptist, and anxiously looking for the Messias. They did not know who he was, but believed he must be somewhere. As soon as the first two are convinced of the truth they forthwith go to communicate the news to their companions and brothers. Andrew goes to Peter; Our Lord finds another of these с truth-seekers, Philip, and he honours him with the first formal call. He then lets him go to call Nathanael. Nathanael is generally identified with S. Bartholomew. Bartholomew means the son of Tolmai, and is not the proper name any more than Bar-Jona is Peter's. All the three Evangelists name Bartholomew as associated with Philip; S. John does not mention the name at all. That he was worthy to be one of the College is evident from Our Lord's own estimate of his character. 1First. . . . his brother.-He may have found others afterwards, and not improbably impressed the minds of such as came from Galilee to John with the importance of his discovery. "We have found the Messias―S. John translates the Aramaic word into Greek, which means the Anointed. 3Brought him. He little thought then that he was charged with the bringing to Our Lord the future Vicar of Christ. Cephas. He was not long in ignorance of some peculiar destiny, when he hears our Lord reciting his name and promising him a new one. Into Galilee.-He had done His work now in Judea. He began His foundation there. He was published there and He had fulfilled the conditions which the prophets had foretold. He came forth from Jerusalem to begin His work. Follow me.-This is the first call recorded; yet Philip was not the first of the Apostles. "Andrew and Peter.-These two, and James and John, were partners in the fishing business, as we have seen before. Nathanael. This was Bartholomew as is most generally believed. He was very simple and guileless. (See Matthew xiv.) 9Jesus the son of Joseph.-No one ever suspected that this quiet, retiring young man, who is here spoken of as well-known to them, was a prophet. 10Can any thing of good ?—This was said as a part of the general belief. Galilee was a backward place (Nathanael himself was a Galilean), and perhaps for that reason Our Lord chose it and its children as His first and dearest followers. Good news of God: Ist. Give first to your bro thers and sisters. 2nd. To your neighbours. 3rd. To the world if you are called. Places of birth: Ist. not to be despised. 2nd. The most despised may become great. 3rd. The most respectable -ruins. |