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Introduction

This brief section, and through the end of chapter 1, is your personal invitation into the life of Jesus. John is inviting you to come and see some important things.

This first chapter of John has given us so much about Jesus:

He’s the word of God making us into something new and good
He’s the light to show us the way out of darkness
He gives the right to become children of God
He is full of grace and truth
He’s the very image of God’s glory and makes him fully known
He’s the Lamb of God who will take your sin away

As long as you don’t let him walk by.

If we want any of those gifts from God we have to get up and go. Until we do we’re just sitting in the dark struggling with the same old sins and rotten behaviors we’ve always struggled with.

Being a Disciple

John 1:35–39 ESV

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.

As John stands with two of his disciples he sees Jesus walking by and makes his announcement once again “Behold! The Lamb of God!” As soon as his two disciples hear this, they take off and begin to follow Jesus. They’ve heard John’s preaching. They’re in expectation of a Messiah that John will point out, and he just has.

Jesus turns, sees them following, and asks ”What are you seeking?”

The two disciples want to know where Jesus is staying. And Jesus invites them “Come and see!”

Jesus is extending more than an invitation – it’s a promise. If you follow him as these disciples did you will see that Jesus is the Christ. At the end of the entire book John tells us:

John 20:30–31 ESV

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Come and see Jesus. Come and have eternal life. So don’t let Jesus walk on by without doing anything. As soon as these disciples, Andrew and another who isn’t named for us, hear what Jesus will do as the Lamb of God, they start following Jesus so they can stay with him.

Following and staying with Jesus is how John explains discipleship.

Following Jesus

The disciples are following Jesus. Jesus tells Philip to follow him in verse 43. In John 14:6 Jesus will describe himself as the way.

When Jesus invites people to follow him they will literally follow him around as he travels and teaches. That was a typical practice of the day where philosophers and teachers would have people pay them for the privilege of following them around and learning from them. Learning from someone was not just something that happened in the classroom, but was a way life to be demonstrated by the teacher and practiced by the student.

Jesus wants his disciples to follow his example, follow his way of life, follow him to the outcome of his life. After washing the disciples feet he says “Do just as I have done to you” (John 13:15).

Remaining With Jesus

This is where the idea of staying with Jesus fits into the picture. It’s a word and theme that pops up 40x in this gospel, only 12 times in the other three all together. We’ll see it translated as:

staying
remaining
abiding (Abide With Me hymn)

Lots of people like to seek out and follow Jesus for a time – but they don’t like staying with him.

We have the crowds who are fascinated by Jesus, but don’t really know what to do with him. They wonder if he’s the Christ, but are afraid of what the Jewish leaders think. They see his signs but only see them as magic tricks that make their life easier. They even hear God speak from heaven saying that Jesus is his son, and they just think it was some thunder!

Andrew and his friend aren’t interested in following Jesus so they can find out when his next lecture is. They want something closer. So they call Jesus “Rabbi,” submitting themselves to him as master, and then they ask where he’s staying. That’s really personal information! If two men I didn’t know approached me after a lesson and asked where I lived I would be a little sketched out! But Jesus brings them in to that closer relationship so they end up staying with him.

We also have some full fledged disciples who follow Jesus – but only while it’s easy.

John 6:56 ESV

⁵⁶ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

John 6:60 ESV

⁶⁰ When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

John 6:66 ESV

⁶⁶ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

Connect

Following Jesus means we have to get up and get after him.

Remaining with Jesus means we follow him all the way to the cross.

John 12:23–26 ESV

²³ And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

That’s a tough order to fill. That’s not a trip we’re very eager to make. And seeing our constant failures and our backtracking, we might wonder if we’re capable of heading down that path.

But look at verse 42:

John 1:42 ESV

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).

This is one of the earliest meetings of Jesus that we have between Peter and Jesus. Before Peter has done anything, Jesus gives him a name – you’re not going to be Simon anymore, you’re Cephas. (Cephas is Aramaic for rock, Peter (Petros) is Greek for rock).

Rocks are a common picture of security in the Old Testament. The Lord is my rock because he’s tough, immovable, immune to pressure, and could never cave to the enemy.

Peter is anything but a rock when we read about him.

He says a lot of dumb things
Jesus calls him Satan
He’s afraid a lot
So afraid that he runs away from Jesus and denies him three times

So much for tough and immovable disciple!

That’s who Simon was, but Jesus knew that he would eventually become a rock in the early church. In the book of Acts Peter is preaching around the temple, staring down the high priests, and getting arrested multiple times – and never giving in anymore.

We look at the path and doubt that we could ever follow it, but Jesus reminds us that the path is going to shape us into someone new, someone who can follow and remain with Jesus.

Disciples Making Disciples

John 1:41–46 ESV

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). 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.”

Pay attention to the chain of events:

John points Andrew to Jesus
Andrew brings Peter
The ESV then tells us that Jesus found Philip and Philip brings Nathanael
Verse 43 is a little ambiguous. It’s not completely clear who finds Philip. The ESV says Jesus decides to go to Galilee and Jesus finds him. But the Greek just says “He decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip, and Jesus said to him ‘Follow me.’” He could be Peter

So the chain of events could be: John brings Andrew, who brings Peter, who brings Philip, who brings Nathanael. And Philip invites Nathanael with the same words of Jesus: “Come and see!”

So our gospel is showing us a pattern: disciples make disciples.

Following Jesus means inviting people to join in. As Jesus’ disciples we are entrusted with the same mission that Jesus launched in earnest: bringing people out of the darkness and into eternal life.

Connect

This was the first thing Andrew did after staying with Jesus. This was something so incredible, so exciting, and so urgent, that he had to go find his brother.

In my experience and observations, the best evangelists are the new converts. Everything is fresh and new to them, they can really see the difference between what Christ offers and what their life was like before, and they just get excited about it.

But that excitement often fades over the years.

We run out of close family and friends to invite
We get turned away too often by people who sound like Nathanael
We stop thinking it’s a big deal

Here’s why we should still be excited about inviting people

Come and See!

Twice we see this invitation:

In verse 39 the disciples want to know where Jesus is staying – Come and see!
In verse 46, after Nathanael questions if anything good can come from podunk Nazareth – Come and see!

Here’s what Jesus is going to show them.

John 1:47–49 ESV

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!”

Jesus see’s Nathanael coming to him and declares him to be an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.

Not just a reference to character, but a connection to Jacob
Jacob was the one who stole his brother’s blessing by disguising himself
He came deceitfully to steal it
Jacob is very similar to Hebrew word for trickster – someone who trips you up
Keep that in mind for another connection we’ll make to Jacob
Nathanael wants to know how Jesus knows him
He had some foreknowledge of where Nathanael was when Philip called him
This is enough for Nathanael who confesses Jesus
What he will see

John 1:50–51 ESV

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 is another reference to Jacob’s story
He’s on his way to his distant relatives to escape his brother
While on the way God appears to him in a dream

Genesis 28:12–17 ESV

¹² And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! ¹³ And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. ¹⁴ Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” ¹⁷ And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

So there are quite a few points that I think Jesus wants us to see when referring back to this text:

Jesus is reaffirming the promises that God gave to Israel
1. They would be numerous
2. They would bring blessings
3. We’re already seeing that with disciples making disciples
Jesus is asserting that he is the new home or temple of God
1. Jacob sees angels going up and down and calls this place Beth-El (House of God)
2. Jesus says you won’t see the angels going up and down on a place – but on the Son of Man – Jesus
3. God is not present in a place, but a person
4. Jesus’s promise with Come and see – is to come and see God!

John 14:8–10 ESV

⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

Connect

Where do people see the presence of God in the absence of Jesus?

Us!
God sends Jesus to reconcile the world, who then sends us

John 20:21 ESV

²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

The invitation is come and see – not come and hear
People need to see who God is through us doing his works