Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
John 1:43
“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.'”
Ponder the personality and power of Jesus: He finds Philip, says to him, “Follow me,” and Philip does. He follows him to his death on the cross, and beyond.
Q: Jesus is just as alive today as he was in Philip’s day. He calls to each one of us and says, “Follow me.” What do we give up in order to follow Jesus?
…Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
So what is in a name? Shakespeare is famous for having stated that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Jesus, however, clearly is of the opinion that a name matters, no matter how “sweet” Simon smelled! He gives Simon, Andrew’s brother, a new name, Peter, meaning, “the rock.”
Q: Peter was famous for his outspokenness on the subject of Jesus being God. If Jesus were to give you a new name, what would it be?
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Over the years I have heard a lot of Christians talk about “sharing the Gospel” with people, sometimes suggesting that believers should be sharing the Gospel with everyone whether you know them or not. While there might be a time and place for that, or that might be for those gifted with a certain calling, this picture of sharing the Gospel is personal. Andrew runs to find his brother, Peter. He tells him, “We have found the Messiah.” Then he brings him to see Jesus personally.
Q: If you were to find yourself in a similar situation as Andrew, who would be the first person you would go to with news about the Messiah?
“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
Verse 39 is such a simple sentence. It includes the phrase, “… and they spent the day with him.” In the months and years to come, they would be taught, discipled, led from town to town, witness miracles, and sent on missions. Yet this first day with Jesus was simply that; a day with Jesus.
Q: Imagine what a day with Jesus might be like. If you are willing, please share your thoughts in the comments section.
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
This scene as described by John is both endearing and slightly amusing to me. Two men run after Jesus because they are told he is the “Lamb of God.” Did they know what this meant? Had John the Baptist explained why he called Jesus that? Regardless, Jesus notices the two men and stops to greet them. “What do you want?” he asks. Of all the things they could have asked, they come up with, “… where are you staying?” Really?
Q: What would you have asked Jesus in that situation?
John 1:35-36
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
Once again we see a peek into the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus. Jesus walks by without stopping to talk, and John cannot but help yell out who Jesus is and what he is.
Q: If you were to see Jesus walking past, what would you tell others about him?
Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
John testifies to something that he experienced with his own eyes. He also testifies about “the one who sent me…” referring to his own conversation with God.
Q: Is John the Baptist a credible witness? Why or why not?
“I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
This verse is a milestone of sorts because in it John tells us what John the Baptist’s mission statement was: He came to facilitate the revealing of the Lord, the Lamb of God.
Q: If John the Baptist did not know Jesus, how did he plan to reveal him to anybody?
“This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ “
John tells us that Jesus is a man who comes after John the Baptist but was also before John the Baptist. In fact, John reports John the Baptist as pointing out Jesus surpasses him because he was before him.
Q: What aspect of Jesus surpasses John the Baptist and how does that relate to Jesus coming before John the Baptist?
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
In this verse John the Baptist heralds Jesus as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” He could have announced Jesus as God, King, or Creator, but instead he emphasizes that Jesus is the Lamb of God.
Q: Why did John compare Jesus to a lamb and how is that related to taking away the sins of the world?