LOC 017: Life of Christ:
The
First Disciples
In John Chapter One, between verse 19 and 35 we have three
successive days. On the first day
(19-28), the Sanhedrin sent a committee to interview John the Baptist in order
to discover who he believed himself to be.
John told them of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, knowing his place and his
ministry, said, John 1:26-27 John
answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among
you whom you do not know. 27 "It is He who, coming after me, is preferred
before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."
Why is he unworthy to do even the most menial task for this other
one? Well, we find out the next day.
Verse 29 says, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and
said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
This one among them the day before is identified by John one day
later as the one who would fulfill all the Old Testament pointed towards. He was God’s sacrifcial lamb who would do
what no other would do--take away the sin of, not just the Jews, but of the
system allied against God and his messiah since the fall of man.
John makes a statement about the quality of the lamb God has
provided. That was the notable event from day two. Then, in verse 35 we read, Again, the next
day, John stood with two of his disciples.
John, the Gospel writer is telling us only those events that we
need to know, only those parts of Jesus life that help him to make his
important points. In a few verses he has
set up a contrast between his ministry and the Pharisees, his ministry and that
of Jesus, and now here he applies what had been observed to two of his own
disciples.
We will examine this text under
headings:
1. A word of introduction and
transition v. 35
2. A word of reminder v. 36
3. A word of reaction vs. 37
4. A word of inquiry vss.
38-39
5. A word of explanation vss.
40-42.
6. A new day with Philip vss.
43
7. A new way of life for
Nathaniel vss.44-51
1. A word of introduction and
transition v. 35
John 1:35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his
disciples.
2. A word of reminder v. 36
John 1:36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold
the Lamb of God!"
3. A word of reaction vs. 37
John 1:37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed
Jesus.
4. A word of inquiry vss.
38-39
John 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to
them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which
is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"
39 He said to them,
"Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained
with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
5. A word of explanation vss.
40-42.
John 1:40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him,
was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and
said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the
Christ).
42 And he brought him
to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of
Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
6. A new day with Philip vss.
43
John 1:43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He
found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."
7. A new way of life for
Nathaniel vss.44-51
John 1:44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and
Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of
whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son
of Joseph." 46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out
of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
47 Jesus saw
Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite
indeed, in whom is no deceit!"
48 Nathanael said to
Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him,
"Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw
you."
49 Nathanael answered
and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of
Israel!"
50 Jesus answered and
said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do
you believe? You will see greater things than these."
51 And He said to
him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open,
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
Let’s take a look at some of the important parts of this
narrative. A lot happens in a little bit
of time. But today, we will only go through point three of our outline in order
to show the nature and importance of discipleship.
1. A word of introduction and
transition v. 35
John 1:35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his
disciples.
John the Baptist had a good, solid relationship with his
disciples. From other places we see
there was an intense loyalty to him, and there ought to have been.
These two seem to have been more than just casual disciples who
regularly came to hear John the Baptist preach.
We are not told what sort of things they would have done as his
followers, but it is prudent to believe their part in John’s overall ministry
was significant. They were with John the
day after two important events: the interview from the Sanhedrin and the
declaration about the greatness of Christ.
This sets the story that is about to unfold.
2. A word of reminder v. 36
John 1:36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, [John the Baptist]
said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"
This time John speaks a shortened version of his declaration from
the day before. He could do this knowing those who heard it would give it the
same meaning. He did not seek to make a
name for himself, he sought to be faithful to his committed task--to call men
to covenant faithfulness to God. And,
here is God in their midst, the Word that became flesh back in verse 14 of this
same chapter. Rather than pointing men to a need based on words and ideas, he
is able to commend this lamb to two of his faithful disciples. Behold God’s Lamb! Look at him!
He is what you truly need. John was selfless knowing what was of greater
importance foe the sould of his disciples.
But note their reaction.
3. A word of reaction vs. 37
John 1:37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed
Jesus.
These two men did not go back to John and thank him for the
introduction and the opportunity to have shaken the hand of the Lord Jesus
Christ. John had not pointed them to a
superficial relationship. John knew the
need of his disciples was to follow this greater one and was willing to let
them go for their own good. John knew to
follow Jesus was better for their souls.
Jesus was more than a religious celebrity--he was their greatest need.
There is no greater thing that a man can do than to point people
to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Nothing else is of primary importance. Nothing else will endure throughout the
ages. It is the task of all disciples,
regardless of their lot in life.
There was and is nothing casual about following Jesus. We want the benefits without the rigors of
attachment to a Lord who rules. You see,
a disciple is one with a master who learns and follows him. Disciples follow their master. Those who profess to be Christ’s disciples
and follow him find great comfort and rest.
Those who profess to be his and do not follow him, find great
inexplicable turmoil in their soul due to self-delusion.
Being a Christian is summarized in two words Jesus spoke, Follow me.
Notice in the following verses that he does not make this a matter
of their own choice, he commands men to follow, they either obey or
disobey.
MAT 4:19 Then He said to
them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Here is the principle alive in the narrative we are
considering: The effect of following
Jesus will be to bring others along. It
is expressed in the illustration of a fisherman.
Consider the illustration: How did they fish? They didn’t sit on the seashore with a rod
and reel hoping to get fish one by one--that is what we think evangelism is all
about--they prepared great nets that were maintained with great care and diligence, they went out into the deep and they cast in their nets, let them
sink, then they drew them in. The net
would not catch all of the fish, but it brought many into the boat.
Jesus makes his disciples fishers of men (to the many not just the
few). Do you prepare you fishing
nets? Or, are they in need of repair
from misuse of disuse. If you leave a
net untended, the string disintergrates and it becomes useless.
The Disciples job is to fish for men. But there is more...
MAT 8:19 Then a certain
scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever
You go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the
air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." :21 Then
another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my
father."
22 But Jesus said to
him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
There is no casual commitment to discipleship. Jesus tells this one that he must be willing
to follow to the point where he will leave his dead and unburied father in
order to follow him. And, what is
noteworthy in this story is this: in
verse 19 the scribe told Jesus he would follow him wherever Jesus went. He was not willing to follow through on his
word. Be careful what you say in times
of religious enthusiasm. You may hear it
again at the judgment.
Many profess to be Christ’s people in a very casual way. Perhaps at some point they had a religious
experience and they now look back to it as the time of their profession, yet
they do not follow Christ. Do they have
the claim to call themselves disciples?
Disciples follow--no matter what.
What I find compelling are the words recorded immediately after
this exchange by Luke. He adds the
postscript of Jesus, LUK 9:62 But
Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
Have you made an implied commitment and shrunken back? Was it a real commitment to follow Christ or
was it for the benefits of salvation you wanted. When we try to embrace Christ for our own
purposes, no matter how noble those purposes might seem at the time, we misuse or even abuse his grace and mercy.
That is not discipleship, it is selfishness that uses the Lord of Glory to get
what you want. Following Christ is about
committing ourselves to him, no matter what.
Jesus doesn’t go around pleading with people to follow him. He speaks, men either follow of they do
not. Men will not because they love
something else more than the Master. Unbelief in man’s greatest sin. And,
included in unbelief is man’s unwillingness to submit to another. We live in a day of
anti-authoritarianism. If you profess to
be a Christian, you must seek to follow Christ under his loving and benevolent
authority. To do that, people sometimes
(oftimes) have to leave things behind.
We are too comfortable to know what radical discipleship is all
about.
Consider Matthew:
MAT 9:9 As Jesus passed
on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He
said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.
Matthew had a well-paying job as an agent of the State. He collected all he could and sent on to the
authorities what they expected keeping the rest as his pay. He would heave been despised by most of the
nationalistic Jews who saw their life as opposed to the world outside. Matthew represented what was wrong with some
Jews. If only we could all get back to
covenantal faithfulness for a day--messiah would come.
Or driving home the point of radical commitment to another, Jesus
said,
MAT 10:38 "And he
who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
To another who came to him, Jesus said,
MAT 19:21 Jesus said to
him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Be willing to give up your treasures here in order to follow. God will take care of you, follow Christ and
seek treasures in heaven.
The rich young ruler can instruct us in these things as well,
these were his concerns,
Luke 18:18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good
Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
19 So Jesus said to
him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20
"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do
not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your
mother.'"
21 And he said,
"All these things I have kept from my youth."
22 So when Jesus
heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all
that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow Me."
Interesting? Isn’t it.
Jesus way is a new and radical fellowship with God that furthers
Christ’s kingdom no matter what.
This is why it is important to not glance over statements of
purpose like...
JOH 10:27 "My sheep
hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Jesus’ sheep hear and follow.
Implied obedience out of a relationship of trust and care. Jesus is the
perfect shepherd of which Psalm 23 speaks.
To serve rightly is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
JOH 12:26 "If
anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be
also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Do you want honors? Follow
Christ in serving him. There is no grater
honor than that God himself can give.
The honor of men does not work salvation or sanctification, but it can
work pride that kills spiritual life.
We are responsible for ourselves before God. Consider Peter...
JOH 21:19 This He spoke,
signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He
said to him, "Follow Me."
20 Then Peter,
turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had
leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who
betrays You?" 21 Peter, seeing him,
said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"
22 Jesus said to him,
"If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow
Me."
Peter was worried about Jesus and then some other disciple. Jesus tells him personally to follow.
This is the same idea inherent at the beginning of Jesus’s
ministry when these first disciples left John the Baptist to follow Jesus.
Following Jesus was not and is not a casual encounter. It demands all we are and have. Jesus may not call us to leave it all behind,
but if we are unwilling to make that a consideration, it shows who we really
love and what we follow.
4. A word of inquiry vss.
38-39
John 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to
them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which
is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"
39 He said to them,
"Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained
with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
5. A word of explanation vss.
40-42.
John 1:40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him,
was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and
said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the
Christ).
:42 And he brought
him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the
son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
6. A new day with Philip vss.
43
John 1:43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He
found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."
7. A new way of life for
Nathaniel vss.44-51
John 1:44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and
Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of
whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son
of Joseph." 46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out
of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
47 Jesus saw
Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite
indeed, in whom is no deceit!"
48 Nathanael said to
Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him,
"Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw
you."
49 Nathanael answered
and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of
Israel!"
50 Jesus answered and
said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do
you believe? You will see greater things than these."
51 And He said to
him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open,
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
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