Week 5 - Gathering Disciples

a. Verses 35-39 “The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 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.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

Again we see John the Baptist pointing out Jesus as the Christ. This time it is to his disciples. He actually does this at the expense of losing two disciples. The two quickly leave John and follow Jesus. John was unable to keep from pointing others to Jesus once he knew who he was.

The interchange between Jesus and the two disciples is meaningful. Here we have two men who are interested in at least following some distance behind Jesus, but were either to shy or uncertain of how to approach him. Jesus does something that He does for us – he met them half way. Jesus took the first step – he was the first to speak and invite them into a dialogue. If our hearts are ready, Jesus is quick to meet us where ever we are. I don’t know if you would say the disciples took the first step, but they were at least willing and ready to meet him.

The disciples asked where he was staying. They weren’t satisfied with just asking him some question in particular, but were interesting in spending time with Him and getting to know Him. I think that the author may be one of the two disciples, since he quotes the exact time of day this occurred.

Question: Where has Jesus met you?

b. Verses 40-42 “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. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which when translated, is Peter).”

Andrew went directly to someone he knew to tell him the good news. We have found the Messiah. The Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of John by William Barclay talks about Andrew. Andrew is an example of how important it is to just plant seeds. We may not feel like we make any difference in anyone’s life, but when you look at what that little seed grows into, the fruit is obvious. Andrew is frequently referred to as Peter’s brother. He is not one of the inner circle of disciples, but he is the one who brought Peter to Jesus. What an important guy – the guy that brought PETER to see Jesus. Peter is the rock on which Jesus built his church. Peter is the guy who preached the first sermon after the Pentecost and when you think about it, we are here as followers of Jesus because of Andrew.

There are two other examples in scripture of Andrew bringing others to see Jesus. He was one of those guys who wasn’t the superstar, but got results. We wouldn’t have the miracle of Jesus feeding the multitude without Andrew bringing the boy to Jesus. Andrew brought some Greeks to see Jesus later in the Gospel of John. I guess he was the first missionary.

When Peter first stood in front of Jesus, Jesus gave him a good look over. The word the author used is emblepein, which is an intent concentrated gaze. Jesus looked not only at a rough, cursing fisherman (which Peter was), he saw that he had it in him to be a foundation on which the church could be built. In this way, Jesus can look at us and see not only what we are presently, but what we can be and what He intends for us to be.

Question: Has Jesus shown you a glimpse of what you are to become? Do you feel like you have been given a new name in Christ?

c. Verses 43-51 “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Phillip he said to him, “Follow me.” Phillip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Phillip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Phillip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Isrealite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Phillip called you.” Then Nathanael declared “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Isreal.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Jesus finds Phillip, in a town along the way and says simply “Follow me.” He did and also went to find someone right away and brought him to Jesus. This is a natural reaction when someone is excited about something. They want to show everybody while they are still excited. With Jesus, it is something that we have always longed for and were built to long for. It is natural for us to share this “pearl of great price” that we have found.

Simple testimony is the best. We really don’t need to know lots of scripture to win others to Christ; we just need to bring them to Him. In other words, it is the story of the cross and how it impacts our own life that is likely to win others to Christ, not our superior arguments or vast knowledge. He starts out talking about Moses and the prophets, but that isn’t really anything that impresses Nathanael. Phillip doesn’t argue with Nathanael, he just says “Come and see.”

Jesus does the same look over that he did with Peter and the result is the same. Nathanael’s name is not mentioned in the other gospels. It is presumed that he is the same person called Bartholomew in the other Gospels. The fig tree is also somewhat symbolic to Jews at the time and is a symbol of peace. Jesus speaks to Nathanael’s heart when he says that he saw him under the fig tree. It was as much about his inner longings as it was about his actual physical location.

Question: When is the last time you felt like Jesus was your treasure.