The Gospel of John
Lesson 5 – John 1:35-51
In v. 35 of the first chapter of John’s Gospel Jesus’
ministry begins to unfold. The day following Jesus’ baptism John the Baptist encounters
Jesus again and again he testifies publicly that He is the One. Again John
refers to Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’ signifying that He will be God’s sacrifice
for man’s sins…the sins of the whole world. In the following verses we see
something interesting happen. We know after reading Isaiah’s prophesy that John
the Baptist’s purpose concerning his ministry was to prepare the way for those
that he came in contact with helping them to recognize Jesus and to prepare
their hearts to follow Him when He appeared. We see here two of John’s
disciples do just that. Read Jn. 1:35-8.
At first when we read this it is only natural to feel kind
of sad for John in losing his followers. But, John had prepared them for this.
They were following John’s instructions and teachings by doing this. The two
mentioned here were not weak willed individuals being easily influenced church
hopping leaving one church or ministry for a better or more prominent ministry,
but they were in fact in all likelihood well grounded solid young men ready to
give up their life to follow the Messiah when He had appeared. In their turning
and following Jesus John knew that he had accomplished his mission.
Jesus’ ministry at this point would not have been very
large, it was just beginning. As these two began to leave John for Christ I can
see them look over their shoulder as they began to follow Christ, looking at
John being sure that it was ok. John would reply silently to them with a nod
and smile in his eye telling them to go ahead, this is what he had prepared
them for.
In Jn. 3:22-30 we read John the Baptist’s response to those
leaving his ministry to follow the Messiah. He summed it up to them in Jn. 3:
30 by saying ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’. The preceding verse, v.
29, tells us John’s heart saying that it was Joy for John to see this
happening. A true best man is focused on the bridegroom and not on his own joy during
a wedding ceremony. For the moment his only focus is on the bridegroom and what
he can do to make this event a success for him. In our present culture this is
truly a rare perspective. But, for John, this was the bridegroom’s moment and John
had no problem stepping aside for the more prominent and timely ministry.
In John’s disciples leaving him for Jesus’ ministry in John
chapter 1, we find that these two disciples were probably among the more mature
and well grounded of John’s disciples. Not all of John’s disciples left to
follow Jesus. They, however, recognized Jesus and Who He was right off
following their God and Savior, willing to leave everything else behind. In
taking this step we see them demonstrating their faith and commitment to Christ.
As they begin to follow Jesus He turns and asks them a very
direct and pointed question, v. 38. He asks them ‘What do you seek’. This is a
good question for all of us to ask ourselves and hear and analyze our answer as
we come to Christ and begin our journey with Him. In other words, we need to
ask ourselves, ‘what are you looking for’ and, or ‘what do you expect to get
out of this encounter or relationship’.
It is interesting that they answered it correctly. They call
Him ‘Master’, rightly so, and they even capitalized it giving it the right
emphasis, and, go on to ask Him the right follow up question. They ask Him
‘where do you live?’ This is no casual encounter or conversation. Their desire
was to come close and be with the Master and learn of Him. Their commitment was
not a quick prayer and then on with life. They were not interested in having a
false or superficial relationship. They were serious about what they are
looking for. John the Baptist had
instructed them well.
Jesus responds by inviting them to come close, v. 39. He
invites them to come and spend the day with Him. It was morning..around ten
o’clock. It is interesting that John uses Roman time in his Gospel whereas the
other Gospel writers make their references to time according to Hebrew system.
One of the disciples that followed Jesus was Andrew and in
v. 40 and 41 we see the natural response of a truly committed follower of Jesus
Christ. It tells us that Andrew did that which was natural for a committed
Christ follower. He went public with his faith, being open about his decision
and he went and told others inviting them to come and see also.
In v. 41 Andrew makes a bold statement concerning the One he
has found. He does not beat around the bush or in this instance is not overly
concerned with a fancy presentation. It is worth noting that he is sharing this
with another family member, his brother Peter. This may have influenced his
presentation somewhat. But, Andrew tells it like it is, sharing his experience
of the day and closes with an invitation to come with him and see for himself.
Andrew’s story is convincing, Peter goes with him. Andrew
having just been at Jesus’ dwelling place, Christ’ current residence knows
where to find the Master and takes Peter there personally. Upon their arrival,
Jesus recognizes Peter instantly, knowing not only who he is, but being able to
see into Peter’s future as to what he will become. At this point in Peter’s
life he was anything but stable and could in no way have been seen as a solid
rock of stability. One thing that we do know about Peter is that he was
influential concerning those around him being frequently mentioned as a natural
leader with those that he was found to be with. Here we begin to see the
foundation of what will become the Great Church of God being laid down.
v. 43-6 The days of Jesus’ ministry continues to unfold. We
find Him going north to Galilee there finding Philip calling him also as a
follower and disciple. It will be interesting to watch Christ develop this cast
of characters with various backgrounds and different personalities into fully
devoted followers of Jesus Christ that will eventually be willing to give their
life for Him. That is all, except one of course who in reality did not commit
to Him at all.
John, as well as the other Gospel writers, will portray to
us real people each having their own strengths and weaknesses and their own
challenges to overcome and conquer as they mature in their faith. We will see that Phillip had his doubts to
work through concerning the Savior and His ability (the feeding of the five
thousand), but here we see Phillip do the same thing that we found Andrew
doing. He goes and finds a friend and brings him to Jesus. To a new believer
this is the most natural thing that they can do. One could ask what happens as
we grow in our faith to change this dynamic??
Phillip goes and finds Nathanael, and Nathanael’s first
response back after hearing Phillip’s comments was not so positive. He,
Nathanael, evaluated what Phillip had told him and disqualified Phillip’s
claims on the basis of origin. Nazareth was not a prominent town and was known
for little to nothing. Phillip’s claims were large, much larger than someone
coming from an out of the way no place like Nazareth. Nathanael’s response in
essence was, ‘You have got to be kidding me. Not likely.’ But, Phillip’s
witness was convincing. Nathanael gave in to curiosity and went with Phillip to
see…in actuality probably not expecting too much.
In v. 47 we see Jesus greeting Nathanael as they are coming
before any conversation has transpired. Jesus begins by telling Nathaniel things about himself that only someone that knew him would know. It is
interesting to consider those that Jesus has chosen to follow Him so far. These
were fine guys…good young men, young men with good reputations. They were good
in character and were well grounded in the Scriptures and in the knowledge of
spiritual things, present and future.
Nathanael’s response tells you that he was curious concerning
Jesus’ comments and inquires as to the source of this information. Jesus’
response surprises Nathanael even further and makes quite an impression on him.
Nathanael’s response back to Him was that there is no way that the One He was
talking to could know such things except something supernatural was at work. He
wastes no time giving in and acknowledging Jesus’ Lordship calling Him not only
the Son of God, but also the King of Israel.
It is interesting to note that he not only acknowledges
Christ as the Son of God, but also acknowledges Him as Israel’s King…the
Prophesied One that they were looking for to arrive. Christ’s Kingship and the
establishing of His Kingdom, which includes the Gospel of salvation, is the
central theme of the Gospels and a main focus of the New Testament overall and
was the fulfillment and expectation of Old Testament believers. Jesus will
spend much time instructing His followers concerning the things of the Kingdom
to come making it a focused destination for His followers. They all joined Him
and followed Him knowing that He claimed to be the coming King of Israel that
was prophesied to come in the O. T. Scriptures. Their commitment to Him as
their Savior was just as strong as their commitment to Him as their King. Both
of these details were wrapped up and were inseparable to them and were received
as a package when they answered the call committing to following Him. Mk. 1:14,
38-9. Lk. 4:43 Acts 1:3, 6
In vs. 50 and 51 Jesus goes on with a somewhat prophetic
statement telling Nathanael and those that were there to hold onto their hat
and get strapped in because in essence they have not seen anything yet! In the
chapters to come we will see Jesus live up to this claim. The Apostle John
opens his argument with a bang and ends the first chapter with the same. In the
chapters to come we will see Him continue to lay down a solid foundation for
the Church adding to and establishing the Church, building a foundation that will
withstand the test of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment