John 1:35-51

The writer of the gospel of John does not appear to have read the synoptic gospels. He does not tell parables, as do the other three. On the few occasions where he tells an event that the others also narrate, he tells it differently and often puts it in a different place in his story of Jesus.

The baptism of Jesus is downplayed in John’s gospel. The Baptist tells a couple of his disciples that he saw the Spirit of God descending from heaven like a dove and remaining on Jesus. Just a few verses, second hand. Not a big deal. And Jesus does not go out into the wilderness after his baptism.

The two disciples, one of which is Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, hear John say that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and they follow Jesus. He sees them following him and asks, “What are you looking for?”

They answer with their own question, “Where are you staying?”

With no motels in those days, people usually stayed with relatives when they could. Andrew and his friend would know something about the people Jesus was staying with, which would tell them something about Jesus.

Jesus invites them, “Come and see.”

John doesn’t tell us anything about the people Jesus was staying with, only that Andrew and his friend stayed with him the rest of the day. No doubt they sat together in somebody’s house, chatting like teenagers, but serious talk.

The next day Andrew finds his brother and tells him he has found the Messiah. It is very possible that Simon says something like, “How do you know?”

Does Andrew answer, “Come and see”?

Another next, Jesus finds Philip. Then Philip goes to his friend Nathaniel and says, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

Nathaniel is famous for his answer, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

And the gospel tells us that Philip answers, “Come and see.”

Which somehow led me to modify a children’s story we all know.

Once upon a time a mother duck was sitting on a nest of eggs. She was excited as one by one, the eggs hatched. Slowly each duckling pecked its way out of its egg.

Not being very creative, Mother Duck identified each of them by number: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, in the order in which they hatched.

After the last duckling arrived, they gathered around their mother.

“Mama,” asked Two, “why is One bigger than we are?”

Since this was Mother’s Duck’s first hatching, she didn’t know. “Maybe because he was first. His egg was bigger, but he’s ours, because he was in our nest.”

As the ducklings grew, they noticed other differences, which they pointed out when Mother Duck was not around.

“One, why is your neck longer?”

“Your body shape is different.”

“You’re not like us.”

“I think you’re ugly.”

“Let’s call him that, Ugly.”

“But not when Mama is with us.”

“No, she thinks he’s the best.”

When they went out on the lake, he had to swim at the back of the line. When they waddled across the grass, he had to waddle at the back of the line, head lowered in shame. The other ducklings wanted nothing to do with him.

And when their mother wasn’t looking, they pecked at him. When he looked at his reflection in the water, he could see that he didn’t look anything like the other ducklings.

Why? Why don’t I look like my brothers and sisters? Why am I different? I don’t want to be different!

Finally One, now grown up, could stand it no longer. He was tired of being teased, of being pushed away, of being told how ugly he was. He was bigger than the others, but there were more of them. He waddled down to the lake and swam away.

About halfway across the lake, he encountered another swimming bird, a white bird, a bird that looked like him! But this bird held his head high on his long neck.

“You’re just like me!” One blurted out. “Another ugly duck!”

The other bird’s eyes opened wide. “Ugly? Duck?” He shook his head. “No, you’re not ugly. And you’re certainly not a duck!”

“But all my brothers and sisters are ducks. And I’m not like them. I’m ugly.”

The older bird chuckled. “No, you’re a swan.”

“A swan? What’s a swan?”

“Come and see.”

Was it possible? Was he not a duck? If he was not a duck, maybe he wasn’t ugly. Could that be?

The maybe-not-a-duck followed the other bird to the other side of the lake. There he saw many other white birds with long necks, birds that looked just like him.

And a little girl on the bank called to her mother. “Mommy, come and see. Look at the swans. Aren’t they pretty?”

Mommy noticed the no-longer-a-duck, “Oh, look! There’s a new one. A young one. I hadn’t seen him before. He’s gorgeous!”

Gorgeous? The now-a-swan raised his head. He didn’t have to look like the other ducks because he wasn’t a duck. He was a swan! A gorgeous swan! He could be himself.

For consideration:

General Questions

1) How does this story follow its Scripture?

2) How does this story expand its Scripture for you?

3) What is the message of this story?

4) How does the message apply to us today?

Specific Questions

5) How does it matter than the Gospel of John is different from the others?

6) Why was Nathaniel reluctant to meet Jesus?

7) What does Paul say about differences in 1 Corinthians 12:11-21?

8) Should a story be realistic to teach a lesson? (https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/19708/is-it-realistic-that-a-duck-would-raise-a-swans)