Follow Jesus, No Turning Back (John
In this video, we continue our Bible Study of the book of John. In our last video, we looked at John, chapter 1, verses 19-34. If you missed that one, you can find it in our Bible Study Playlist. For "Follow Jesus, No Turning Back" we pick up where we left off and finish John, chapter 1. We specifically look at John 1:35-51 when Jesus Calls the First Disciples and when Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael.
Music by L. Marquee:
➤ Everyday Thing: https://open.spotify.com/track/3om9X1...
➤ 8 Hours Of Sleep: https://open.spotify.com/track/3oqFjn...
In verse 35, the new disciples used several names for Jesus: Lamb of God, Rabbi, Messiah, Son of God, and King of Israel. As they got to know Jesus, their appreciation for him grew. The more time we spend getting to know Jesus, the more we will understand and appreciate who he is. We may be drawn to him for his teaching, but we will come to know him as the Son of God. Although these disciples made this verbal shift in a few days, they would not fully understand Jesus until three years later. What they so easily professed had to be worked out in experience. We may find that words of faith come easily, but deep appreciation for Jesus comes with living by faith.
One of the disciples was Andrew. The other was probably John, the writer of this book. Why did these disciples leave John the Baptist? Because that’s what John wanted them to do – he was pointing the way to Jesus, the one John had prepared them to follow. These were Jesus’ first disciples, along with Simon Peter and Nathanael.
When the two disciples began to follow Jesus, he asked them, “What do you want?” Following Christ is not enough; we must follow him for the right reasons. To follow Jesus for our own purposes would be asking Jesus to follow us – to align with us to support and advance our cause, not his. We must examine our motives for following him. Are we seeking his glory or ours?
Andrew accepted John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus and immediately went to tell his brother, Simon, about him. There was no question in Andrew’s mind that Jesus was the Messiah. Not only did he tell his brother, but he was also eager to introduce others to Jesus. How many people in your life have heard you talk about your relationship with Jesus?
Jesus saw not only who Simon was, but who he would become. That is why he gave him a new name – Cephas in Aramaic, Peter in Greek (the name means “a rock”). Peter is not presented as rock solid throughout the Gospels, but he became a solid rock in the days of the early church, as we learn in the book of Acts. By giving Simon a new name, Jesus introduced a change in character.
When Nathanael heard that the Messiah was from Nazareth, he was surprised. Nazareth was despised by the Jews because a Roman army regiment was located there. Some people have speculated that a low reputation in morals and religion by the people of Nazareth led to Nathanael’s harsh comment. Fortunately for Nathanael, he went to meet Jesus and became a disciple. If he had stuck to his prejudice without investigating further, he would have missed the Messiah! So don’t let people’s stereotypes about Jesus cause them to miss his power and love. Invite them to come and see who Jesus really is – like Philip did. He told Nathanael, “Come and see for yourself.”
Jesus knew about Nathanael before the two ever met. Jesus also knows what we are really like. An honest person will feel comfortable with the thought that Jesus knows him or her completely. A dishonest person will feel uncomfortable. You can’t pretend to be something you’re not. God knows the real you and wants you to follow him.
In the last verse we read, verse 51, Jesus says, “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 is a reference to Jacob’s dream recorded in Genesis 28:12. As the unique God-man, Jesus would be the ladder between heaven and earth. Jesus is not saying that this would be a physical experience (that they would see the ladder with their eyes) like the Transfiguration, but that they would have spiritual insight into Jesus’ true nature and purpose for coming.
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