Pointing Others to Jesus - Saturday, January 4, 2020

Daily Gospel Reflection for Saturday, January 4, 2020
John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. John 1:35-37
Imagine if John would have so loved the attention that he was getting from everyone that he decided to keep it to himself. Imagine if he decided that he could become “king” if he played his cards right. Imagine if he became so self-consumed with his own popularity that he did not want to point others to Jesus and run the risk of losing them to Him. Of course, that’s not what happened. What happened is that John fulfilled his role beautifully, preparing the way for Jesus and pointing others to Him when the time was right.
In this passage above, John turns the eyes of two of his followers to our Lord. He says to them, “Behold, the Lamb of God…” They see Jesus and leave John.
Perhaps that experience was bittersweet for John. Perhaps he felt the loss of his followers on one level. But any experience of loss would have been transformed and alleviated by the joy of knowing that he was fulfilling the purpose of his life by pointing others to Christ.
So it must be with us. It’s easy to get self-consumed in life. It’s easy to want all the attention and, when we receive it, it’s hard to let it go. But true Christian love is always selfless. It is always focused on our Lord and it always points others to Jesus. John set a wonderful example of this life of virtue, we are called to do the same.
Reflect, today, upon those who are in your life. Do you seek their attention for your own selfish sake? Or do you rejoice in the many opportunities you have to point them to Jesus? By pointing others to our Lord you will be satisfied beyond any selfishness and will be rewarded beyond measure.
Lord, help me to constantly look for ways to point those in my life to You. Help me to be selfless and sacrificial at all times. Help me to realize that love is all about You and is all about helping others come to know You and follow You. When that requires sacrifice on my part, help me to embrace that sacrifice with wholehearted joy and zeal. Jesus, I trust in You.