
Have you ever guessed at an answer to a question, and you just KNEW you were right? A contest on the radio asks for the name of a song, and the name pops into your head; your teacher asks a question in school, and your hand shoots up to answer it.
When you guess at an answer, you might have a feeling that you're right. You aren't sure how you know the answer; you just do! In this week's Gospel (John 1:35-42), Jesus' first followers have that "feeling" about a very important question: who Jesus really is.
John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by one day and said, "Look, there's the Lamb of God." Right away, two men named Andrew and John asked Jesus, "Teacher, where are you staying?" Jesus answered, "Come and see." Andrew told his brother Peter, "We found the Messiah, the one who's going to save the world!" Andrew, John and Peter left with Jesus and became His first Apostles.
If you guess at the answer to a question and get it right, it could just be luck -- or maybe you heard the answer before and remembered it now. Either way, you're happy to know the answer!
When Andrew, John and Peter met Jesus, they didn't know He was the Son of God. John the Baptist gave them a clue, telling them that Jesus was the "Lamb of God," someone who came from God. But as soon as they spoke to Jesus, they guessed who He really was right away!
Like you guessing an answer in a contest or at school, Jesus' new friends asked if they were right, when they already knew they were. People back then studied the Torah (part of the Jewish Bible) all their lives, so they knew what kind of a person Jesus was going to be. Something about the way Jesus acted and what He said to them must have told them they had guessed right!
If you guess at a contest answer, you might win a prize. If you get an answer right in school, your teacher might say, "I'm proud of you." But the first Apostles got both: They became friends with Jesus, who always told them He was proud of them; and they got the biggest prize of all. For following Jesus, they went to heaven!
PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me remember that I don't have to guess about who you are: You're God's Son, and you love me! Amen.