Creekside Church Sermon of January 20, 2002 "The Importance of Not Knowing Jesus" John 1:29-42	Rev. David Bibbee
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There are three very little, but very important words in the vocabulary of wise people. Those who know when and not when to speak-those whose minds are open to fresh insight and growth are easily distinguished from those who are comfortable with what they know and whose minds are locked tight as the vault protecting gold at Fort Knox.

Jacob the Baker was a very wise and holy man. Every day he was visited by people seeking his keen insight into their deep questions and concerns about life. One morning before dawn, the rumbling of thunder woke Jacob from his sleep. Rain danced on the roof and Jacob wrapped himself with prayers. Another clap of thunder shook the windowpanes. He remembered his mother telling him not to be afraid of the thunder. "It's only God rearranging the furniture," she said. Jacob wondered what might be rearranged in the day ahead.

He leaned into the rain and headed toward the bakery as lightening streaked across the darkness. A student spotted Jacob. He crossed the street, walked beside Jacob step for step seeking counsel. "Jacob, what are the limits of man?" "Ask the man," he replied, never breaking stride. "And what if the man acknowledges no limits?" "Then you have discovered his." The student continued to probe. "But what then is the route to wisdom?" "Humility." Jacob answered. "How long is the route?" And Jacob answered, "I don't know." None are as wise as those who know what they don't know and say so. "I don't know," helps us adjust our assumptions, open our minds and hearts, and push us to grow in our relationship with Jesus.

There is an ultimate, largely unknown reason that brings you to church each Sunday. You are not here because you are fascinated with new insights and ideas. You are not here for quiet self-reflection and introspection. It's not the sermon that brings you here. By the time you leave the parking lot you have already forgotten 98% of it. What you are after is an encounter; an encounter with God; a meeting with Jesus and clues on how to see him and know him.

Let's examine our text from John to see what light this gospel can shed on the subject. Chapter I introduces us to John the Baptist…the voice crying in the wilderness, preparing people for the Messiah's arrival by preaching repentance and dunking people in the Jordan. One day he stopped cold in the middle of a baptism and said, "It's him! Over there… the one I've been telling you about…the one I've been pointing to all along…the Lamb of God." This wasn't exactly a spectacular recognition. Jesus hadn't just dropped out of the sky. This wasn't exactly a spectacular sort of recognition. He had already made a name for himself and gained a popular following. John and Jesus were cousins. They grew up together and played in each other's back yards. If anyone knew Jesus, John did. But the Baptist said something puzzling.

John knew Jesus, but he said, "I myself didn't know him." In case anyone missed what he said, he said it again. "I saw the spirit descending from heaven upon him like a dove, but I did not know him." John knew Jesus, but he didn't know him. He knew that Jesus was the one who would bring a new world in the midst of this old one. He knew that Jesus was the sign that God had kept his promise. The needle of his compass pointed north to Jesus. But John realized that what he did know was overshadowed by the mystery of what he didn't know.

John wasn't the only one close to Jesus who didn't know Him. Consider Peter. The night Jesus was arrested, this strong, "you are the rock" Peter, who vowed never to abandon Jesus, ran like a roach from the light. Sitting with others around a fire while a little way off Jesus was being beaten, a servant girl said to Peter, "I know you. You were with Jesus, weren't you?" "No, I wasn't." "Sure you were. I remember your face and accent." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Yes sir…no doubt about it. You were with him." And Peter roared, "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't know the man." The first disciple to recognize Jesus was the Messiah, swore like a sailor. "I don't know the man!" Loyalty turned to lying…that's how we see it. But Peter wasn't lying. Peter really didn't know Jesus. His perceptions and desires kept him from knowing Jesus as he was.

Scholars keep searching for the historical Jesus. They believe that by cutting through centuries of tradition, interpretation, superstition, and perceptions in which he was wrapped, they will find the real Jesus. Keep digging and we will know him like other historical figures. But Jesus is not an artifact. Someone said they had a problem with the WWJD, "What would Jesus do?" phenomenon. He said we face situations today where it is not clearly evident what Jesus would do. Many Christians have no doubt about the stance Jesus would take on every issue. Interestingly, Jesus' positions are just like their own. He went on to say, "'What would Jesus do?' is the wrong question. It ought to be WIJD…'What is Jesus doing?' Where is he present? What is he doing that we do not see?

Frederick Buechner tells of being on the deck of a cruise ship at dusk in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The only other person on deck was a young British naval officer staring intently at the sea. When asked what he was doing, the officer said he was trying to spot the lights of other ships. Then he said something interesting. "The best way to see them is not by looking directly at the horizon, but just above it."

Here's an applicable insight. To see and know Jesus means we can't simply stare at what we know. We need to search a little above and a little beyond what we know.

The day after Jesus' baptism, John said to two of his disciples, "There is the Lamb of God." The two followed Jesus, but kept their distance. Jesus turned and saw them and asked, "What are you looking for?" One replied, "Well, sir, we uh, were out for a little walk and we, uh, we just ended up behind you. Well…there is another reason. John was talking about you so we just kind of ended up here and, uh, what was the question again?" "What are you looking for?" "That's a very good question. We'd like to know where you are, uh, um, staying."

They were looking for more than Jesus' lodging arrangements. What they really wanted to know was, "Why have you come? What will you be doing and how will you do it? What can we expect?" Then Jesus spoke three very little but very important words. "Come and see." We won't know Jesus unless we come and see. There's no knowledge of him unless we follow him.

So much going on in the world that is not right. It is not easy to see what God's doing. We can't always put our finger on it. Yet we are all, each one of us called to give ourselves to God, unknowns included. But isn't that what faith is all about…Going without knowing?.

Teachers know what I'm talking about. You pour yourselves into the education of children and do what you can to positively shape their lives. Yet the world finds more and more ways to steer them another direction. Others of you take great pride in the work you do. You do the best you can while those above you say, "Hurry up. Cut corners." It's for the sake of productivity, and more revenue. You continue caring about what you do because you believe that in some small way, it will make a difference. You can't always say how, but you believe it matter in the long run. You believe that what you do for Jesus Christ matters.

Have you seen him lately? Do you know what he's up to? You're not alone, but certainty isn't what matters.

Jesus and the disciples stood on Mount Olive. Jesus said what was in store for them, and that the time had come to say goodbye. Then Jesus boarded a cloud. It lifted him higher and higher until he disappeared. Imagine Peter, James, John and the others standing in a circle, heads cranked back, mouths gaped open, gazing at the sky. One of them said, "Well…what are we going to do now? Three years following him. He just left us, and what do we have to show for all we've done?"

Suddenly two men robed in white came from nowhere and asked, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking up to heaven?" Looking up wasn't going to do anything. Jesus was gone. Now the best way to see him was not looking up, but looking around. He was gone, but in a new way he was present in the eyes of each other and among the people to whom he ministered.

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