For this month’s blog, I considered some of the content that I am already going through in my own personal study this year. Not everyday, but on most days I am trying to look at a small portion from the Book of John. It’s usually just a passage where there is a natural break in the verses within the chapter. It might take a year, it might take longer to go at the pace I’m setting. But I’m not in a hurry. I’m trying to journal and expound as much as I can upon the bite-size pieces of Scripture the Lord is putting before me each day.
John is a rich book. And its first chapter goes in deep, right from the start. There’s not much setup and not much background in which he is filling in details (he probably figured Matthew, Mark, and Luke already did that). He sets up Jesus as the Word and those first 18 verses are arguably some of the most beautiful in the Bible. He then introduces us to John the Baptist and then quickly moves to the call of Jesus’ first disciples and His early ministry.
As I was finishing up Chapter 1 recently, I made some notes about the way the book pivots from the ministry of John the Baptist to the handoff to Jesus. Some things struck me that I never considered before. And I had some questions in regards to what happened which I am sharing in the form of this blog. There’s a powerful display of Christ from the onset in John and I think before we go much further, I’ll just include the main text for our study today. It is John 1:35-51:
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 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 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 there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered 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, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
This passage is conversational and really sets up the rest of John with a display of Christ that is fully human, yet fully Divine. For today’s entry, I want to dive into some questions we should have as we examine the disciples and their first interactions with Christ. There are some great behaviors to follow and to incorporate into our own walk. Similarly, our desire should be seeing Jesus do “even greater things” as we trust Him with our whole beings.
Let’s dive in.
1.Am I following anything less than Jesus?
He looked at Jesus as He walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. John 1:36,37
One thing that particularly stood out to me in this latest reading of John 1, is that fact that John the Baptist addressed Jesus as the Son of God and immediately disciples left to follow Him. These were disciples of John; ones who had become part of his ministry and greater audience. They no doubt heard John’s messages of repentance and took part in his baptisms in the Jordan River. But when Jesus comes, they no longer cling to John. And there was no effort on John’s part to make them stay. They simply left and followed. We know from this interaction, one of these disciples was Andrew, who eventually brings his brother Simon (Peter) to Jesus as well (more on that later).
As I examined this, I asked myself something: how hard would it be to move from following John the Baptist to following Jesus. Scripture doesn’t elaborate but was there any second guessing in the hearts of these disciples of John? Were there any other disciples that decided to not follow Christ? Ultimately, following anything less than Jesus (no matter how good) is not following Jesus at all. We can follow big name and small name Christians. Men and women with platforms and ministries. But they should always point us to Jesus as greater and most worthy; rather than keeping any of the praise for themselves. John the Baptist was able to do this and knew his role was simply to prepare for Jesus’ coming.
2.Am I telling others about Jesus?
He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. John 1:41,42
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.” John 1:45
Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:46
The first witnesses of Jesus are described in this chapter. Besides John the Baptist, Andrew and Philip are some of the first to go and tell others that Jesus the Messiah had come. Amazingly, Simon Peter and Nathanael are the first hearers and rather than walking away in disbelief, they become followers as well. As Jesus builds His team of disciples, He is revealing things about each one (simply their names or their location). This had to bring some confirmation about Who Jesus was and for them to agree to follow, there was a compulsion in their hearts. Added to this, these were Jewish men taught and brought up to believe one day a Messiah would come. Could this be Him?
I’m convicted by these first converts and followers because they moved very quickly into “evangelism mode.” It was so natural, so organic. No one had to tell them how to evangelize. No one had to tell them how to share the Gospel. It was simply “come and see.” We over-complicate things and then end up avoiding evangelism entirely because we can’t get past the nuts and bolts of doing it OR we simply are too afraid. But what if our lives just displayed “come and see?” What if we left the rest up to God? It seems like the disciples just brought people to Jesus. Jesus took it from there and did the miraculous. Why do we make it harder than it is?
3.Am I allowing Jesus to do even greater things in my life?
You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1:50,51
I’ll admit, John 1:51 had me doing a deep dive as I prepared this message. “Deep dive” meaning, “What is Jesus talking about here?” I won’t say that my study was exhaustive or answered all my questions. But it did help move me forward in what is taking place at the end of Chapter 1 as Jesus addressed Nathanael. As I share this portion, it was helpful to look at a commentary titled “Barnes’ Notes on the Bible,” which is available for free online.
Some thoughts on this verse:
- As Jesus says “truly, truly” He is establishing the certainty of what He is about to share.
- “You will see heaven opened” — not necessarily a literal opening of heaven but what Barnes’ calls a “conferring of favors” — Heaven opens and blessings come down (think of manna). This is also imagery which draws upon Jacob’s ladder (angels ascending and descending).
- “Angels of God,” come to Jesus’ aid and offer protection and assistance from God. Again from Barnes’, this shows more fully that He is the Messiah — the things Nathanael and the disciples would see point to Jesus as the Son of God.
- “The Son of Man” — Jesus’ name for Himself which conveys his humility, His love for man, and His willingness to be seen as a man.
So why share all of these thoughts and how do they enlighten our understanding of John 1:51? To me, it comes back to the “greater things” Jesus speaks of. Jesus had just told Nathanael “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” To which Nathanael exclaims “You are the Son of God.” A revelation about himself (Nathanael) led to a revelation about Who Jesus is. Beyond that, I see Jesus as saying “You will see even greater things if you follow Me.”
I can hinder this process. We all can. The process of seeing even greater things. I would submit that Jesus didn’t want the disciples to think too small. He doesn’t want us to either. As a third and final question from this passage, I have to ask myself, “Am I allowing Jesus to do even greater things in my life?” Or is my own disbelief standing in the way of what He wants to do. Lord, forgive us for being our own worst enemy when it comes to living out our faith on fire for You.
If you follow my podcast at all, you will know that I just a series (Wild Faith) that dealt with this topic in more detail. A wild faith, a faith that is all-in with Jesus, sees Him as the one Who can do greater. He is able to move us from glory to glory and take us from where we are now to where we need to be in Him. I sense that this is the tone God wants to set for this year and to take us to a deeper level than many have walked in or even felt possible within their faith. Are you ready for Him to stretch you? Are you ready for the Lord to call out of you things you didn’t even know were possible? If we see Jesus’ call to His disciples in these verses, we see that the same call is spoken to us today.
Guys, as always I love you and love walking the journey with you. It is an honor to connect and hear from so many of you on a weekly, if not almost daily basis. We need one another in the trenches with us. I hope that you have others alongside of you who rightly call out “Behold, the Lamb of God!” May our lives proclaim this each and everyday.
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Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Ephesians 5:15-17